Mission Statement:

 The Parish of Sacred Heart is a welcoming community rooted in Jesus Christ and grounded in Sacred Scriptures, Sacraments and teaching of the Church.

As a welcoming community, the parish is committed to:

• bringing the message of Christ to all people – believers and non-believers,

• nurturing Catholic Christians in their faith through worship, especially the Eucharist, and prayer,

• giving witness to the message of Jesus Christ through service to others,

• providing educational formation for all her members.

Vision Statement:

Sacred Heart Parish strives to be a growing, vibrant, gospel-centered faith community seen and experienced as a place of spiritual growth and welcome.  To achieve this mission, Sacred Heart Parish strives to nurture the faith of her members by encouraging full participation in the worship and prayer life of the parish, primarily the Eucharist.  This nurturing enables Sacred Heart Parish to challenge, seek and strengthen all who come to worship, who are in need of help, and who strive to live out their calling.

Full participation in the Eucharist is evident in the way her members actively live the gospel life.  To maximize this participation, Sacred Heart Parish will actively seek out, train and utilize lay people in the ministry of the church.  Through this work, Sacred Heart Parish can extend its outreach to those within and beyond its boundaries, thus bringing the message of Christ to all.

Sacred Heart Parish strives to provide spiritual and educational formation of her youngest through a strong religious education program, a strong Catholic school program and a strong youth program.  Sacred Heart will be equally committed to adult education thus providing for faith formation for all ages.

We are a people committed to a program of sacrificial giving that evokes the use of time, talent and treasure in all aspects of parish life.  Sound financial, human and material resources, supported by effective cluster collaboration, will enable Sacred Heart Parish to provide for all members of the parish to live out their baptismal call through worship, service and witness.  Thus, Sacred Heart Parish challenges her members to broaden their vision of what it is to be Church and what it is to be a parish in today’s society.  Through all of her activities, Sacred Heart Parish will witness a welcoming community alive in her faith, guided by the teachings of the Church, committed to the faith development for all ages and extending that gospel message of service beyond its parish boundaries.

History:

By 1825, there was a steady flow of laborers from Ireland whose numbers began to be noticed.  Those who settled in Braintree and Weymouth, however, had to travel to St. Augustine's Church in South Boston for Mass until St. Mary's Parish in Quincy was established in 1844.  Mass was celebrated at times in private homes and halls in the areas of what is Sacred Heart today.

In 1871, Father Hugh Smyth, who built eight churches on the South Shore, started the new parish of Sacred Heart.  In the 1860s he purchased the Wales estate including the Half Way House, a famous inn built in 1877 and so named because it was half way between Boston and Scituate.  When the church was established, this house became the rectory which was eventually torn down in 1990.  The church was completed in 1882.

In 1893, Father John Holland was assigned as a newly ordained priest.  This was to be his only assignment which lasted 45 years.  During that time he expanded the property, was noted for his generosity to the poor and had established a wonderful relationship with the Protestants of the area, which benefits are still felt today.  On September 13, 1915, Sacred Heart Elementary School opened in a former factory near the church.  The old Half Way House became the convent, and Father Holland lived in the attic over the school for 10 years.  The high school was started in 1923.

Between 1958 and 1962, the present school buildings were constructed under the directions of Msgr. Bennett O'Brien.  In those years, they were filled to capacity.  The parish had countless activities which was typical of those years.  In the 1970s, activity began to slow down which was typical of many parishes.

In 1987, the Parish Finance Commission was established followed by the Pastoral Parish Council in 1990.  In 1987, the program of Sacrificial Giving was adopted, which tripled the offertory.  Greater emphasis, however, was placed on Adoration and the sharing of one's time and talent.  During the early 1990s, there were many improvements made to the property including the construction of a new rectory.

The high school was closed in 1992 owing to the declining number of students of the age and the proximity of Archbishop Williams High School.  The enrollment of the Elementary School has increased steadily to the degree that is it now at capacity.

In 1995, the church building was repaired and painted.  Matching new carpet and kneeler pads were installed.  The stations and one of the old paintings were restored.  The exterior of the building was extensively repaired in 1987.

In 1997, the front steps of the church were reconstructed to eliminate a hazardous condition.

In 2001, under Pastor John Sutton, major renovations occurred when the church interior was renovated.  Sacred Heart removed all of its pews, which were more than a century old and replaced them with longer, cushioned ones.  The main door from the foyer into the church was expanded from 3 1/2 feet wide to 7 feet wide.  The carpeting and flooring was replaced.  To Mary O'Brien, we will be forever grateful for your generous donation.  To the other donors our gratitude belongs as well.

On February 10, 2003, Father John Sutton died suddenly at age 47.  His death was a shock, and a great loss to the parish and the school communities of Sacred Heart.

On April 7, 2003, Sacred Heart welcome their new pastor Father Dan Riley.

On June 9, 2005, Sacred Heart Church was destroyed in a fire.  The Church will be rebuilt beginning in the Fall 2006.

On Friday, September 8, 2006, Cardinal Sean O'Malley attended a ceremonial groundbreaking.  A chain link fence was put up around the site on September 25th, and the construction was underway.  The projected of completion is November 30, 2007.  In early October the construction crews began digging and preparing the groundwork to lay the new foundation for the church.  There was a mild winter, thus enabling the continued rapid progress on the construction site.

On January 18, Bishop John A. Dooher blessed the steeple and, along with several parishioners and children of Sacred Heart School, witnessed the placement of the steeple on the top of the church.

The projected date of completion is November 30, 2007.  

Cardinal Sean O'Malley celebrated the first Mass of Dedication in our new Church on Saturday, December 15, 2007, at 4pm.  Click here for pictures of dedication and for Cardinal Sean's remarks.

Our heartfelt appreciation goes to all who helped make this day possible, especially the Sacred Heart Building Committee, Staff, Finance and Pastoral Councils, our architects and contractors.

Sacred Heart Building Committee:  Father Daniel Riley, Father Harry Kaufman, George Berg, Mary Beth Brady, Peter DeLuca, Mary Ferrucci, Thomas Lacey, Joyce McCue, Susan McLeod, Margaret O'Driscoll and Paul Williams.

Sacred Heart Pastoral Staff:  Father Dan Riley (Pastor), Father Joseph Mazzone (Parochial Vicar), Father James O'Neil (Weekend Mass), Deacon Henry Welch, Deacon Kenneth Ryan, Kathleen Smith (Business Manager), Christopher Beza (School Principal), Susan McLeod (Coordinator, Religious Education), Mary Beth Brady (Liturgy Coordinator), Michelle Lundin (Youth Minister), Dan McGrath (Maintenance), Paul Williams (Vice Chair, Parish Pastoral Council) and Peter DeLuca (Vice Chair, Parish Finance Council).

Sacred Heart Pastoral Council:  Father Dan Riley (Chair), Paul Williams (Vice Chair), Paul Alconada, Peter DeLuca, Gregory Fanikos, Elizabeth Furlong, Michael Grugnale, Ann Marie Haley, Pat Hoffman, Daniel Hubbard, Michele Lacey, Edward MacDonald, Mel Mellone, Sarah Murphy, Katelyn O'Connor, Barbara O'Leary, Laura Scott, Patricia Sexton, Thomas Shea, Donald Smith and Ann Toland.

Sacred Heart Finance Council:  Father Dan Riley (Chair), Peter DeLuca (Vice Chair), George Berg, George Collins, Robert Cullinane, Mark Haley, Thomas J. Lacey, Anne O'Driscoll and Paul Williams.

The S/L/A/M Collaborative (Architect):  John Benson, William Buckingham, Anthony Dias, John Rivers and Gerald Sullivan.

TLT Construction:  Bruce Bourgeois, Edward Dann, John Galasso and Thomas Kostinden.

WHERE THINGS CAME FROM

We are truly blessed here at Sacred Heart in our building effort.  We had the opportunity to visit closed churches as well as to view items saved in warehouses to seek windows, stations of the cross and whatever else we needed to help us build the new Sacred Heart.  The committee visited the Archdiocesan offices in Brighton, as well as churches in South Boston, Lawrence, Jamaica Plain and the warehouse and office of Lyn Hovey Studio in Hyde Park.  In some instances, several trips were required.

Our efforts were successful as one can see from the windows, stations and lights that are in our new church. 

WINDOWS

The windows came from five (5) churches.  The windows themes are centered on the life of Christ.  We start at His birth and move around the church to the crucifixion.  We understand that the companies that made these windows, some in the 19^th century and some at the start of the 20^th century, are still in existence.  The beauty of these windows, in the color, scenes, detailing, and artistry, is an example of the workmanship and devotion of the original creators.

To help identify them we have a diagram of the church, which can be seen by standing at the doors of the church looking at the altar.  We are giving a description of each window and a letter code to give its origin. Windows from Sacred Heart in Lawrence and St. Joseph in Gloucester are identified by their location.

The code is:               A      Blessed Sacrament, Jamaica Plain

             B      Saint Joseph, Lowell

           C      Saint Peter. Lowell

Sacred Heart, Lawrence – windows are in the chapel

Saint Joseph, Gloucester – windows are in the reconciliation room

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

The Stations of the Cross came to us from Saint Augustine’s in South Boston.  They are plaster on marble and weigh some 250 lbs. each.  The Stations were taken out and refurbished.

LIGHTS

The lighting system in the main church, with the crosses hanging from the lights, comes to us from Sacred Heart in Lawrence.  We had gone to Sacred Heart to see if they had any suitable Sacred Heart windows, but none could fit our new church.  While we were there, we noticed the triple windows in the main church and felt they would be perfect in our new chapel.  Three sets are now in our chapel.  Actually, the lighting system was an afterthought.  We were ready to leave when we noticed how unusual the lights were, especially since they had symbols of the Sacred Heart on them; and felt they would be a great addition to our new church. The lights were removed and brought up to current standards prior to being installed in our new church.

RELICS

The relics placed in the new altar come to us from Holy Trinity German Church in the South End of Boston.  The parish community is very pleased to have been able to aid us.

The relics include Saint Ignatius Loyola, Saint Peter Canisius, Saint Bernadette Soubirous, Saint John Brebeuf and Saint Joseph Pigbatelli.

PEWS, CHAIRS AND ADORATION CHAPEL ALTAR

All of these furnishings were constructed at New Holland Church Furniture Company of Lancaster, Pa.  Thomas Egan Inc and New Holland used the custom designs provided by SLAM (our architects) to create the custom pew ends and custom altar.  All wood parts are called “first and select red oak.”  The grade is the highest grade available and is specified for pews to insure many decades of use.

WOOD CARVED CROSS AND STATUES

Our contractor, Thomas Egan, Inc. commissioned these works of art from the world famous Art Studio Demetz.  The crucifix and statues are all created by hand-carving the figures from blocks of wood; and then they were painted by highly skilled artists. The statues include Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and Saint Patrick.

MARBLE ALTARS AND FONT

Using S/L/A/M designs and with the assistance of our contractor, Thomas Egan, Inc., these exclusive masterpieces were created by stone artists in the mountains of Italy.  Egan’s private marble sculptors hand carved all decorative aspects of the altars and font.  The altars are made from two types of native Italian Marble.  The white marble, Paonazzetto, and the pink marble, Breccia Prenice, are taken from the quarries in the Carrara area of Italy.  The granite is from Vermont and is known as green granite. 

Upon arrival in the United States, a team of Italian artists from New Jersey assisted in the installation of these beautiful marble altars and font.  Those artists had previously performed work for the Archdiocese of New York at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

ORGAN

Our organ is a Rodgers Trillium 967 three manual Classic Organ purchased from Marshall and Ogletree Associates in Needham, MA., one of the largest organ retailers in the United States.  It is a pipe combination organ.  The ranks of pipes were carefully crafted and specifically designed for Sacred Heart Church by Fratelli Ruffati, in Italy.  The organ is designed to meet the unique musical needs of Sacred Heart Parish today and well into the future.

PIANO

 The Vogel Grand Piano is manufactured by Schimmel and made in Germany, with exacting standards by fine craftsmen.  It features a fine keyboard and action, excellent quality wood, and boasts a responsive touch, producing pleasing and colorful tone in all ranges.  It was purchased with the help of Rogers Piano in Hanover, MA.

TYNPANIUM SCULPTURE (OVER FRONT DOOR)

A local artist created the design and from it a clay model was made.  A mold was then made which enabled a Woonsocket firm to actually pour the concrete to create the sculpture.

DECORATIVE ARTWORK IN SANCTUARY

An in-house artist worked on the site and, using designs (stencils) provided by SLAM, hand-painted all the beautiful decorative work you see on the walls and ceiling of the sanctuary and church.

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