In the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire , Chicago 's working-class Pilsen neighborhood , a predominantly Czech enclave , expanded quickly . To serve this growing ethnic population , St. Procopius parish was founded in the summer of 1875 , near the intersection of 18th and Allport Streets . The parish was named for Saint Procopius of Sázava , who founded a monastery in Bohemia in the eleventh century and became the first saint from Czechoslovakia . Vilém Čoka served as the first pastor . Planning to build a school , Čoka left it to the community to decide if the school would be secular or Catholic . They chose a Catholic school , despite the fact that only 25 percent of Pilsen 's Czech population was Catholic . As the parish outgrew his capacity to serve them , Čoka turned for help to the Order of St. Benedict
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Benet Academy