The Church’s liturgical year is punctuated by the feasts of Catholics whose lives have demonstrated heroic virtue and divinely attested sanctity. These are the men and women whom we call “blessed” because either popular acclamation or formal canonization by the Church has determined that they enjoy beatitude in Heaven after worthy lives on earth. They make up that part of the community of saints we call “the Church Triumphant”.
Those Catholics who continue to labor here on earth for the Kingdom of God constitute the “Church Militant”. Within that company are the monthly and annual dinner speakers hosted by Catholic Citizens of Illinois whose life and work has gained them some renown. We are happy, by the grace of God and the generosity of our benefactors, to have access to these important Catholics with something meaningful to say to our members and guests. But we know that the vast majority of good and faithful lay Catholics live lives of hidden virtue and sacrifice of which only those most familiar with them will be aware. These are men and women who, in the course of their daily lives and with no fanfare, recognition or thanks, take care of their families, their neighbors and co-workers, and their civil and religious communities. They rise early, retire late and contribute in countless ways to the spread of the Gospel, the glory of God and the good of their fellow man.
On an occasional basis, this space will be dedicated to an interview with or biography of such a person. We all know, love and depend on people like this in our daily lives. We invite you to help us by suggesting names of lay men and women who deserve to be honored as exemplary Catholic citizens in this way.
The first person to be honored as a “Catholic Making a Difference…” is Miss Nell Andrzejewski, the founder and director of Catholic Church Tours. Founded in 2010, this company provides an opportunity for pilgrims to visit some of Chicago’s most beautiful Roman Catholic and Byzantine churches under the tutelage of professional guides.
The next person to be honored as a “Catholic Making a Difference…” is Christine Kolman, retired Captain of the Chicago Police Department and independent security consultant. Over a remarkable forty-year career, Chris served in narcotics, child pornography investigations, and undercover work before rising through the ranks to District Commander. She now volunteers her expertise to safeguard the children of St. Mary of the Angels Parish in Chicago.
Chris, your life and career — more accurately, careers — have taken you to the very extremities of human potential. From an early age, your artistic gifts put you in touch with the glories of the fine arts at the Art Institute, both as a student and as a close associate to one of the Institute’s most magnanimous benefactors. As a Chicago police officer, you were blessed to witness examples of heroism and compassion on the one hand, and to plumb the depths of human criminality, wretchedness and despair on the other. We are pleased to highlight your extraordinary and adventurous life and the role your Catholic faith played in your decisions as we honor you as our latest Catholic Citizen Making a Difference.
You have said that, although you were baptized a Catholic as an infant, you fell away from the practice of the faith for a number of years. Many of our generation have followed the same path. In retrospect, what led you to stray from the faith? What did you find appealing about the Protestant churches you frequented during those years? What was lacking? What did you miss about the Catholic faith?
Chris: In Catholic high school, the Bible was discussed scientifically and critically by my teachers. At my parish, I felt like Jeff Cavins’ book title I’m Not Being Fed as I was growing up in the 1960s. I became a Chreaster — church at Christmas and Easter — then a NONE.
While on the job in 1978, I met a divorced policeman who had left Catholicism and joined a very large Southern Baptist church that welcomed many fallen-away Catholics. Later I attended Willow Creek Church — two mega-churches. I longed to study the Bible, and they had lots of Bible studies. There were lots of community activities and fellowship which I did not find in the Catholic churches I had known in my youth.
These Protestant churches lacked the sacrificial element present in the Catholic Mass, as it was also present in ancient Jewish worship. Their services felt like “That’s entertainment.” Their ministers also had no problem criticizing Catholic leadership from their pulpits. I had never heard a Catholic priest speak uncharitably about Protestant or Evangelical pastors from our pulpits. What I missed most was the ongoing sacrifice of the Eucharist, my communion with Jesus Christ, the solemn liturgy of the Mass, the beauty of the churches, the artwork, and the old sacred music.
At the urging of police friends and mentors, you took and passed the Police Academy test to become a policewoman in 1972. It seems that urban police and fire services employ a disproportionate number of Catholics. How would you explain that?
Chris: In the 1970s and 1980s, police and fire tests would draw about 40,000 applicants at a time. To serve in the Chicago police or fire service was an honorable calling. They always recruited heavily from GIs returning home from the armed services. And, since Chicago was disproportionately Catholic, the services were recruiting a lot of Irish, Italian, Polish and German applicants. The Chicago Police Department also recruited many Black and Hispanic officers in the 20th century. So in 1972, upon passing the police exam, I became a Chicago policewoman — complete with the skirt and high heels that were the uniform of the day for women.
You began your career in law enforcement in narcotics and child pornography. Was it typical to throw a fledgling female officer into such dangerous assignments? What did you learn about human nature as a result of your encounters with the malefactors, the victims and your colleagues on the police force?
Chris: The Youth Special Investigations Unit, established in 1975, was the first Pornography/Youth Narcotic Offenders Unit ever started in the State of Illinois. My Sergeant started it with officers recruited from the Youth Division where I was assigned. I specifically asked to join the unit. Since there were hardly any females on the job at the time, my application was gladly accepted.
My bosses knew that I had had exposure to the chaotic atmosphere of the 1960s in Chicago, including the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention. At the time, members of the SDS were actively fomenting anarchy at their demonstrations in Grant Park, and illegal drug use was widespread. The headquarters of the SDS were located in the cafeteria in the basement of the Art Institute School, where I had had a work scholarship during high school. In addition, I had grown up near Marquette Park on the Southwest Side — notorious for drug dealing in the 1960s and early 1970s. My bosses knew I had a lot of moxie. And my childhood love of spy movies drew me like a magnet to undercover work.
I was fortunate to work with lots of seasoned officers and supervisors who taught me well and guarded over me like the Archangels. I learned a great deal about human suffering on the streets, in homes, and in dealing with child predators and traffickers back in the 1970s in Uptown Chicago. It was not at all like the childhood I had experienced in my home. I have always been grateful to have been raised in a quiet, low-crime area of the city, blessed with a family with two parents who believed in God — and neighbors who lived by that same code.
The moral depravity I saw on the job disgusted me. I encountered young women who genuinely thought “loving their boyfriends” meant using their own bodies to transport drugs from Colombia or Mexico. I witnessed elderly people on limited incomes being used as mules to bring large quantities of heroin and cocaine for dealers from Florida or Texas. Later, in the patrol division as a supervisor, I saw how easy it is for young people to get caught up in crime simply by being part of a street gang — gangs that become a substitute, supportive family for them.
Following my years working on the pornography unit, I continued in undercover and narcotics investigations for thirteen years. The remainder of my career was spent in the uniformed patrol division, with promotions to Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and finally District Commander.
By the grace of God, you were drawn back to the practice of the faith in about 1992. What drew you back? Did your return to the faith affect your life as a police officer?
Chris: I was drawn back to my faith for a number of reasons. I longed to find the peace that Christ promised in the Gospels. I wanted a family of my own, but I found that police work was not conducive to marriage. In addition, over the years I had suffered several acute orthopedic and neuro-spinal injuries from my work on the force. I was searching again for my Lord.
My return to Catholicism greatly affected my life as a police officer. It changed my desire for great accomplishments and professional awards into an emphasis on looking at the brokenness of humanity and helping to repair it — doing our best to protect it from self-destruction. I felt that we officers in the Chicago Police Department were the thin blue line of defense between God and the evils on earth. Many people may not know that many churches in Chicago celebrate Michaelmas Masses in September to implore the protection and intercession of that great Archangel for our police, fire and military personnel.
Following your retirement as Captain after forty years with the Chicago Police Department, you continue to provide security and consultation services for local politicians and Catholic churches and schools. You have no natural children of your own, but you are charged with safeguarding the children at St. Mary of the Angels School. Based upon your lifetime of experience with people at their best and their worst, what advice would you give to a young Catholic discerning his or her path in life?
Chris: Being single on the Police Department, I looked at the men and women on my roll calls as my children. As I aged and got promoted, there was a generation behind me I had to look out for. We supervisors were responsible for the officers’ well-being — physical, emotional, and mental more than anything.
Since retirement from the police force, I have worked as an independent security consultant and contractor. I volunteer my time at St. Mary of the Angels Parish to set up, schedule and maintain a guard detail for the school and church. I also consult on the security needs of a private Catholic high school in the western suburbs.
Whenever I have the opportunity, I advise young people to listen to what their heart is asking them to do. It may be that little voice in their head, a tap on the shoulder, a keen interest in a certain field of work — a “God-wink.” Don’t let parents or family decide for you. Do not let money be the only driving force.
Are you able to share with us a particularly memorable story about your life on the police force that demonstrates how the grace of God worked through you to resolve a conflict or heal a broken spirit?
Chris: During my time on the police force, I encountered a woman who was in and out of jail with addiction to heroin and PCP (“Angel Dust”). I would meet with her and support her as she worked through a twelve-step recovery program. I saw her earnestness to stay clean and interceded as a character witness to her steadfastness when she appeared in court seeking a reduced sentence. I became her friend and helped her through some significant life decisions. Eventually she married a man who cares about her well-being and loves her. That was twenty years ago. She now has a house, a stepson, three cats, and has been chairing AA meetings for twenty-five years to stay clean — and in turn helps those who are trying to follow her noble example. I still keep in touch. We talk on the phone every three months or so and celebrate her birthday every year.
