City Streets: Monsignor Clement Kern
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A portrait of Monsignor Clement Kern in the Most Holy Trinity rectory. Photos: Joe Guillen/Axios
Corktown was shifting from its Irish immigrant roots to a neighborhood with more Latinos when Monsignor Clement Kern became pastor at Most Holy Trinity Church on the corner of Porter and Sixth streets.
The big picture: Kern is among the dozens of dignitaries honored with secondary street signs at intersections across the city.
- Last month, we visited the Kronk Gym's former site, where boxer Thomas "Hitman" Hearns' street sign was dedicated in 2017.
Zoom in: Kern's sign — also dedicated in 2017 — is kitty-corner from his old church, where he counseled people with alcoholism and led self-help programs, according to his obituary.
- Kern was known as the "Labor Priest" for his support of blue-collar workers and organized labor groups.
- He died in 1983 at age 76.
Between the lines: "He was a charismatic priest, who was fluent in Spanish and who many in the Latino community at that time considered a revered and committed leader," reads a testimonial that El Central Hispanic News published in 2023.
What's next: Kern is also the namesake of Clement Kern Gardens, a Corktown affordable housing development built in 1985.
- A long-term redevelopment project started there last year, with the first new buildings expected to be finished by the end of next year, the Free Press reported.