Sacred Heart Church

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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2817
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In 1901, Calgary was home to only 4,400 residents. Over the following decade, however, the population increased almost ten fold, prompting Bishop Legal of the Diocese of St. Albert to request that land be purchased for a second Catholic church in the city. In July 1910, a frame structure built by the Oblate Fathers on Diocesan property opened for regular services. Bishop Legal initially designated the church as a mission to be served from St. Mary’s. The west end congregation grew so rapidly over the following year, however, that in June 1911 he was selected Sacred Heart as an independent parish with both a pastor, Fr. A. Naessens IMO, and an assistant pastor to serve a mission at Beiseker. Within the year, Br. Naessens and his still expanding congregation were making arrangements to build a larger, more permanent place of worship. By 1913, however, Calgary's real estate boom had ended and Br. Naessens abandoned the project on the sage advice of Br. AJ Hetherington, chancellor of the new Calgary Diocese Two years later, Br. Hetherington himself came to Sacred Heart Church as the parish's first diocesan pastor.



Elevated to the title of domestic prelate and monsignor in 1924, and raised to the highest rank of prelacy in 1936, Fr. Hetherington left an indelible mark on the Calgary Diocese. Over the next 48 years, he served the Diocese as Vicar Chapter, and Vicar General for four successive bishops. His role in the evolution of Sacred Heart Parish was equally pivotal. While shouldering the burden of diocesan administration, he continued to care for the parish and its congregation until his death in 1963. It was Msgr. Hetherington who enabled the parishioners of Sacred Heart to finally realize their dream of a new church. Thanks to his careful planning and his parishioners' generous donations, funding was well in hand by 1929. Contractors were in such a high demand and labor was so costly, however, that the plan to build seemed impossible The onset of the Depression abruptly removed these barriers . The long-awaited 500 seat place of worship, which only generated a small debt, opened at Christmas in 1930.



In 1954, the Diocese reduced the geographical region that the church served by removing portions of Sacred Heart's territory to form Holy Name, St. James's and St. Michael's parishes.



As in other parishes, many worshipers here initially found the directives of Vatican II disturbing. Some missed the evocative imagery of the Latin Mass. Others felt uncomfortable at first in their new liturgical, educational and administrative roles. Soon, however, the changes ushered in by Vatican II began to infuse spiritual celebration and parish life in general with new depth and meaning.



From its inception, Sacred Heart had been blessed with an active cadre of volunteers. The choir had brought joy to the parish from its earliest days. The Men's Association and the Ladies' Aid Society (which became the Catholic Women's League in 1948) had helped to organize, fund and maintain Sacred Heart Church. The Vatican II initiatives, however, dramatically expanded both the size of the Parish's volunteer community and the scope of its activities. The new Parish Council and its committees encouraged all Parishioners-young or old, male or female to serve the church and each other through a plethora of new ministries. In the late 1970s, under the leadership of Msgr. O'Brien, parishioners extended their services beyond the confines of their own congregation when they joined forces with Scarboro United Church to build senior citizens' residence, Bankview House, on land owned by the Alberta Housing Corporation. Their new commitments to the Church, parish and neighborhood brought parishioners closer to the heart of parish life, enriching their individual and communal journeys of faith.
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