Science of Spirituality Center, Lisle
At the Science of Spirituality, you have the opportunity to: discover the healing powers of meditation, combat life’s daily stress, reduce blood pressure, build strength and flexibility in a yoga class, learn the benefits of eating a vegan diet by fueling the body with plant-based foods, take a cooking class, participate in a meditation workshop, attend inspiring seminars and programs. Take part in some or many of their resources to help you find your Zen.
National Shrine & Museum of St. Therese, Darien
Experience the incredible journey of faith first-hand by a Carmelite Nun; Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Learn about her life through photographs and paintings. Revel at the museum’s huge stained-glass window that beautifully depicts the deep commitment of the soul to God. Attend a retreat or workshop offered by the Carmelite Spiritual Center. Stroll peacefully through the multi-acre Carmelite Meditation Garden. Reflect in the gazebo surrounded by a pond. Experience Stations of the Cross encircling the garden area. Pilgrimage groups of 20 or more can arrange a special guided day or overnight of prayer and communion with St. Therese.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Barlett
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a traditional Hindu place of worship, consisting of the Stone Mandir, the Wooden Haveli, and the Understanding Hindu Dharma Exhibition. As you walk through the Mandir, notice the collection of architectural treatises. Step into the intricately designed traditional wooden Haveli, showcasing the immense woodworking skills of Indian craftsmen. Learn about the history and beauty of Hinduism.
Billy Graham Center Museum, Wheaton
William Franklin Graham Jr. was an American evangelist, a prominent evangelical Christian figure, and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well-known internationally in the late 1940s. One of his biographers has placed him "among the most influential Christian leaders" of the 20th century. Museum visitors will enjoy a unique visual overview of the history of Christian evangelism and its influence on American society. See rare artifacts and interactive displays that begin with the early history of America and climax with a powerful walk-through presentation of the Gospel message. The museum consists of 20,000 square feet of permanent and temporary exhibit space. Orientation tours of the museum are available by appointment for groups of ten or more persons.
Portiuncula Chapel, Mayslake Peabody Estate, Oak Brook
Mayslake Peabody Estate, owned by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, is situated on picturesque grounds featuring lakes and ponds, a marsh and oak savanna, and one of the area’s finest examples of restored prairie. The land was part of the 848-acre estate of Francis Stuyvesant Peabody. In 1924, after his death, his heirs sold the property to the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart, Order of Friars Minor, which used the mansion as a retreat house. In 1993, a voter-approved referendum allowed the Forest Preserve District to purchase the last remaining 87 acres and today is a hub for education and cultural programs, performances and events. The Portiuncula Chapel is a replica of the original in Assisi, Italy, which is named for the “little portion” of land where St. Francis of Assisi received his call to serve the poor. The front features a colorful stone mosaic. After Peabody’s death, in 1926, his family commissioned the Franciscans to build the chapel as a memorial to the late industrialist located on the south side of Mayslake. In 1974, the order moved the chapel to its current location northeast of Mayslake Hall.
Naper Settlement’s Century Memorial Chapel, Naperville
Naperville’s Episcopalians held their first religious services in borrowed space on November 16, 1838. After years of planning and fundraising, St. John’s Episcopal Church was built in 1864. The flock of 350 soon outgrew this Gothic Revival structure. They doubled the church’s capacity by adding a wider middle section during the 1870s. The congregation worshipped in the building until the late 1960s. In 1969 a group of concerned Naperville residents rescued the church, which was threatened with demolition by new development. They formed the Naperville Heritage Society, raising money to move the church to land owned by the City of Naperville. The church was deconsecrated and its name changed to Century Memorial Chapel to commemorate its historic place in the community. Naper Settlement, an outdoor 19th-century living history museum, tells the story of how life changed for the people of northern Illinois in towns such as Naperville.