Sacred Heart Church (Chicago, Illinois)
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Sacred Heart Church is a historic church part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in the South Deering neighborhood in Chicago, located at 2864 East 96th Street. The church currently performs services in both Croatian and English.
[edit] History
Sacred Heart parish was founded in 1913 which was the third Croatian parish in Chicago. Before the foundation of Scared Heart the Croatians of South Chicago belong to the Slovenian Parish of St. George at 96th and Ewing. Sacred Heart opened for the first time on Christmas Day 1913. It was dedicated on May 17, 1914 by Archbishop James E. Quigley. The church building had four schoolrooms with a total capacity for 200 children.[1]
Rev. Ivan A. Stipanvic was the first pastor of Scared Heart Croatian Church. Under his administration a school opened with the Sisters of St.Francis of Christ The King of Lemont Illinois. The work and devotion of Rev.Ivan A. Stipanvic and the Sisters of St.Francis of Christ The King made a very important influence on both the spiritual and educational life of the Sacred Heart parish.
By the time of the 1960s the church decided that they needed a new church to meet their growing needs and at the parish's Golden Jubilee celebrated on Nov 10, 1963 construction was begun on a new church. The dedication ceremony took place on June 21 1964. The brick structure at 96th and Escanaba was designed by the architectural firm of Fox & Fox. Today the parish of Sacred Heart has over 600 families and a membership which includes families of Croatian descent who have been in the South Chicago area for years as well as Polish and Hispanic families who have been attending services as well.[2]
