The Slovenian Catholic Mission serves the spiritual needs of Slovenians from Lemont, Chicago and the Chicagoland area. It is headquartered on the grounds of the St. Mary's Franciscan Monastery off of Main Street, just east of downtown Lemont. The grounds also include the Slovenian Cultural Center.
The location was the product of an early 1990s movement by Chicagoland Slovenians, who petitioned the Archdiocese of Chicago to build a center in the growing suburbs. On September 12, 1994, these efforts came to fruition when the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin issued a decree establishing the Slovenian Catholic Mission. The monastery has full power to conduct marriages and baptisms. The Slovenian Cultural Center serves as a gathering place and offers schooling and a variety of other services.