Join us for an unforgettable evening of festive holiday cheer in support of the Athenaeum Center! This year’s celebration is especially meaningful as we mark our six-year anniversary, reflecting on all that has been accomplished and looking ahead to the flourishing of Catholic arts and culture in Chicago.
Host: Siobhan Fallon Hogan
Schedule
5:30 PM · Culinary Reception
Begin the evening with a glass of champagne and festive bites. Explore an abundant collection of curated culinary stations by Sazon Chicago.
7:00 PM · Program
Gather in the Historic Main Stage for our gala program and paddle raise.
8:00 PM · Club Paradiso
The evening continues. Step into our vintage holiday club for cocktails, live music and dancing, inspired by the glamour and warmth of the golden age of Christmas festivities.
10:00 PM · End
Dress Code
Black tie encouraged
How to Attend
Standard
VIP
Young Professionals
For the first time, we are offering discounted tickets to young professionals under the age of 30.
Gift A Ticket
Whether you are attending or not, please consider gifting a ticket to clergy, artists, and thought leaders further expanding our mission. You need not a recipient in mind, we’ll pair your gift with a guest from our network.
All proceeds from this event will benefit the Athenaeum Center Annual Fund.
Club Paradiso
Our fabulous ballroom will be dressed to impress with bites, cocktails, and camaraderie for a Christmas Cabaret to remember!
Join your fellow holiday revelers in Club Paradiso to round out this Wonderful Night! Ring in the Christmas season with us in grand style, dancing along to an eight-piece jazz orchestra and six dynamic vocalists playing your holiday favorites.
Join Our Host Committee
Gold Wings Host $16,000+
- Invitation to VIP cocktail hour with our special guests
- VIP ticket package with premium seating at main program for up to 16 guests
- Reserved table at the Christmas Cabaret in Club Paradiso Club Paradiso, song selection, and dedication
- Recognition in It’s A Wonderful Night program
Silver Bell Host $8,000+
- Invitation to VIP cocktail hour with our special guests
- VIP ticket package with premium seating at main program for up to 8 guests
- Recognition in It’s A Wonderful Night program
Tinsel Host $4,000+
- Invitation to VIP cocktail hour with our special guests
- VIP ticket package with premium seating at main program for up to 4 guests
- Recognition in It’s A Wonderful Night program
To join our 2026 Host Committee or if you are a business interested in sponsoring the 2026 gala, please contact Suzy McNamara at suzy@athenaeumcenter.org
It’s A Wonderful Raffle
This year, we are debuting our first-ever gala raffle program! Tickets are available leading up to and during the event, with cash prizes for first, second, and third place winners. Try your chances with a ticket, or a book of five, and support our mission of restoring Catholic beauty in the arts across Chicagoland and beyond. Raffle drawing occurs at Club Paradiso, winner need not be present to win—but we hope you are!
First Prize · $1,000
Second Prize · $500
Third Prize · $250
Featured Guests & Performances
Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Host
Siobhan Fallon Hogan is an acclaimed actress, writer, and producer whose four-decade career includes memorable roles in Men in Black, Forrest Gump, Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, Holes, and Dancer in the Dark. A lifelong Catholic, she has increasingly focused her creative work on stories shaped by faith, family, morality, and the complexities of everyday life.
In 2019, Hogan co-founded Emerald Caz Productions with her husband, Peter, and has since written and produced films including RUSHED and Shelter in Solitude. Her newest work, Mother’s Farewell, brings that same Catholic faith and perspective to the stage through a deeply personal story of family, loss, prayer, reconciliation, and hope. She also speaks and teaches at Catholic universities and colleges across the country, sharing her experience as a Catholic working in the entertainment industry.
Mother’s Farewell is the story of Jane Fallon, 97, and the last day she spends surrounded by her daughters, sister, and granddaughter, a fiercely loving and hilariously dysfunctional Irish Catholic family. It is a heartfelt comedy filled with rosaries, wine, fights, laughter, prayer, and more wine, capturing the chaos, devotion, humor, and grace of family life at its most human.
With its blend of wit, faith, and heart, Mother’s Farewell is a story of the people who know us best, test us most, and love us through it all. It reminds us, through laughter and tears, that even in farewell, love endures.
Unable to Attend but Still Want to Support Our Mission?
We will miss you but we are so grateful for your support! Please click the link below to donate.
