The New Church

As the parish grew, the church was no longer large enough and Mass was celebrated in the school hall/gym. After several years of sitting on hard wooden chairs in the gym, Pastor Hurley and the parishioners knew it was time for a new church. 

The new church was designed to hold eight hundred worshippers, compared to one hundred sixty in the old church. The church was dedicated by Cardinal John Dearden on June 14, 1969 and named Sacred Heart Church. The processional cross for that Mass was made by silversmiths in Cork, Ireland and was a copy of the original Cross of Cong which had been made in 1123 A.D. to enshrine a portion of the "true cross." We continue to use that cross during processional today.

In October 1991, Father Flynn and the Parish Council conceived the idea of a Gathering Space, whose purpose would be to enhance both the religious and social community. Construction began in May 1993, with sufficient progress during the year to be able to enter the church through the front doors of the gathering space in mid-December. 

Under the guidance of Father Michael Molnar in 2013, renovation and upgrades were achieved throughout Sacred Heart Church. The entrance was opened, new lighting was installed, the sound system was enhanced, new stations of the cross were illuminated and a new baptismal font was installed at the entrance of the church.

In March 2014, after a historically record cold and heavy snowfall, the church building was found to have major damage and structual deficiencies. The church was closed in May 2014, and Mass was relocated to the Parish Hall until the building could be repaired. The structural and interior work was completed to celebrate Christmas 2014, back in the church.

In March 2020 the world was gripped by the Coronavirus Pandemic. Sacred Heart was forced to close the church for services due to the highly contagious nature of the virus. In April 2020 Sacred Heart began to live stream Mass on Facebook for the first time. The parish continues to update the live stream capabilities to provide the best experience possible for home bound parishioners. The church was reopened for services in June 2020, but only every other pew was used to ensure social distancing guidelines were followed.