An Edgewater parish prevented by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago from staging an abortion-themed play will get its opening night after all, thanks to a nearby Lutheran church that offered to host the production.
St. Gertrude Catholic Parish was in rehearsals for “The Answer,” a play written by parishioner and screenwriter Delle Chatman, when its pastor, Rev. William Kenneally, received word from Bishop Francis J. Kane that the production was inappropriate and could not be performed on church grounds.
After the news became public last week, congregations from the North Shore suburbs to the Beverly neighborhood offered to host the production, Chatman said. Now “The Answer” will be performed Oct. 1-3 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1500 W. Elmdale Ave., just two blocks from St. Gertrude’s.
“We were so thrilled with the response,” said Chatman, who started writing the play more than a decade ago. “It was just very gratifying.”
The story features a senator who sees his re-election bid derailed after he is denied Communion for supporting abortion-rights legislation.
