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History

In 1908, the Catholic families in west Waterloo felt they should have a church of their own. At that time, they were worshiping at St. Mary's and St. Joseph's on the east side of town. Their petition to build Sacred Heart Church was approved in January, 1909, by the Most Reverend James J. Keane, Archbishop of Dubuque.
The property was obtained through sale of land willed by Barthoemew Kelly for a site for a west-side Catholic church. Funds were raised by subscription from forty-seven Catholic and sixty-seven non-Catholic individuals. The amount subscribed was a little over $15,000.00.
The site chosen was on the corner of West Fourth and Randolph Streets and incorporated the Pickett residence and the adjoining property.
The architecture chosen was of the Lombardic-Romanesque design, and our church was the first in this part of the country to be constructed in this style. It was also to be the largest church in the city at that time.
Fund raising, election of trustees and appointment of the building committee were all coordinated by the first Sacred Heart pastor, Reverend J. J. Hanley. He arrived in Waterloo on March 4, 1909, from St. Patrick's Church in Monti, and began holding Sunday masses in the Knights of Pythias Hall. Our first parish baptism was on March 21, 1909, and our first wedding was performed on April 14, 1909. The Sisters of Mercy arrived on August 24th of that year to begin teaching the children of the parish.
Sacred Heart Today

Today, Sacred Heart serves over 1,000 families, with more than 250 Burmese families. We are constantly striving to bring Christ and to be Christ to everyone we encounter. We offer numerous opportunities to serve, shape the future of the church, and to get to know other parishioners. We have had many challenges in the past and we continue to encounter new challenges, but God is with us and our parishioners are always willing to step up whenever they are asked. We invite you to join us for Sunday Mass and see what we're all about!
Pastors
- Rev. J. J. Hanley, 1909-1912
- Rev. D. J. Lenihan, 1912-1918
- Rev. J. M. Molloy, 1918-1934
- Msgr. E. J. Dougherty, 1934-1951
- Msgr. E. J. O'Hagen, 1951-1971
- Msgr. Kenneth Ryan, 1971-1978
- Rev. John McClean, 1978-1986
- Msgr. W. Dean Walz, 1986-1994
- Rev. Michael J. Mescher, 1994-2002
- Rev. Clayton Landherr, 2002-2006
- Msgr. Lyle Wilgenbush, 2006-2007, Parochial Administrator
- Rev. Louis Jaeger, 2007-2012
- Rev. Kenneth Stecher, 2012-2020
- Rev. Paul Htai Naw, 2020- Present

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

627 West 4th Street

Waterloo, IA 50702

319-234-4996

About

History

Sacred Heart Today

Pastors