Located at 1850 North Hermitage Avenue in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood, it is an example of the Polish Cathedral style of churches.

Like a number of other Polish churches in the so-called Polish Cathedral style such as St. Josaphat's Basilica in Milwaukee or Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pittsburgh, the architectural firm of Worthmann and Steinbach modeled the church's design on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The imposing brick edifice with its twin bell towers and magnificent dome was constructed at a cost of $400,000—a testament to the zeal of Father Gordon and to the generosity of parishioners.

In 1948, in preparation for the parish's Golden Jubilee, John A. Mallin decorated the interior of the church with ornate designs and paintings.

In 1973, extensive repairs were made on the exterior of the dome of St. Mary of the Angels Church and the Holy Name Society donated the blue "Guiding Light", which was visible in the cupola for a significant distance—especially from the nearby Kennedy Expressway.

The parish was founded to serve the large number of Poles who had settled in Bucktown, which was a part of Chicago's Polish Downtown.

[4] The archdiocese purchased two city blocks totaling 96 lots at the corner of Hermitage and Cortland (formerly Clybourn Place) for $60,000.

Francis Gordon CR, laid the cornerstone of the first building at 1810 North Hermitage Avenue, now used as the school, on July 2, 1899.

Due to the numerous delays caused by strikes, World War I, and the critical shortage of building materials, construction continued over a period of eight years and eight months.

In 1915, the novitiate of the Sisters of the Resurrection was transferred to Norwood Park and plans were made to open a Day Nursery for children in the building at 1849 North Hermitage Avenue.

The auditorium became a popular meeting place for the young people of the neighborhood and they turned out by the hundreds to attend the weekly dances sponsored by the parish.

When the segment of the expressway which extends from Lake Street to Foster Avenue opened to traffic November 5, 1960, the parish had lost a sizable number of families and school enrollment had declined by one-third.

He grew up in nearby St. Stanislaus Kostka parish, was ordained in 1948 and from 1954 to 1960, served as principal of Weber High School.

With the approval and cooperation of Father Karlowicz, a Concerned Citizens Group-composed mainly of parishioners sponsored meetings and talks for the benefit and welfare of all in the neighborhood.

Following the last Mass in Annunciation Church on June 25, 1978, the parish records were transferred to St. Mary of the Angels and later to the Archdiocese of Chicago Offices.

Three years later in 1991, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, then Archbishop of Chicago, entrusted the administration of the parish and school to the priests of Opus Dei.

They launched several restoration campaigns leading to various private donations which helped bring the church structure to life once again with major repairs of the dome, the roofs and the stained-glass windows.

By the 100th anniversary of the parish in 1999, the church's interior decoration had been fully restored, new lighting, doors and a new sound system were installed.

In 2002, the parish constructed a chapel dedicated to St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the Founder of Opus Dei, in the newly remodeled lower level.

Located in the heart of Bucktown and open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, Sunday Masses are celebrated in English, Polish and Spanish.

In recent years, the ethnic character of St. Mary of the Angels parish has undergone a gradual change from an exclusively Polish parish to one that is multicultural and multiracial, as the neighborhood first witnessed an influx of Hispanic immigrants in the early 1970s and then urban professionals in the 1990s as the area began to gentrify.