Gesu, founded in 1849 as
St. Gall's Parish, initially served English-speaking Irish Catholics from the near south and west sides of Milwaukee in what was the neighborhood of Tory Hill. As the parish grew, it built Holy Name Church in 1875, and by 1887 Jesuit officials combined the two parishes into one church. The Gesu name was chosen in 1893 to honor the
Church of the Gesu in
Rome, where St.
Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the
Society of Jesus, is buried. The cornerstone was laid on May 23, 1893, with over 20,000 in attendance. A dedication ceremony followed on December 17, 1894, to mark the formal completion of the church. Actor
Pat O'Brien (1899–1983) served as an
altar boy at Gesu while growing up near 13th and Clybourn streets. He attended Marquette Academy (a preparatory department that later became
Marquette University High School) with
Spencer Tracy (1900–1967), and later attended Marquette University. Gesu Church holds daily Masses and attracts over 2,500 worshipers on weekends. In late 1954, the church held the funeral for
Miller Brewing Company president
Fred Miller and his son, Fred, Jr., attended by thousands. ==Architecture and fittings==