Sacred Heart R. C. Church
Item
Description
Sacred Heart R. C. Church Located on the west bank of the Hudson River in Ulster County, Sacred Heart celebrated its 125th anniversary recently. Actually it is not a parish: it is a mission of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Port Ewen. But to the people who come to Mass and devotions at Sacred Heart, who teach the faith to its children, run its programs and take part in activities, it is a parish. The way they talk about it brings to mind the words in the Acts of the Apostles about the first Christian community: "They were of one heart and one soul."
The church was built on land donated by a prominent local businessman, Robert Livingston Pell, who also gave $500 toward the cost of construction. Some Catholics in the area, eager for a church of their own, contributed a month's salary, between $20 and $40. The church opened August 15, 1875, and was staffed at first by priests of the archdiocese.
In 1904, the Redemptorists began building a seminary, Mount St. Alphonsus, less than a mile north of the church. In 1913, at the request of Cardinal John Farley, the congregation took over the operation of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Sacred Heart. They no longer staff Presentation but remain at Sacred Heart.
Since the mission church does not have a rectory, Father Grohe, like his predecessors, lives at Mount St. Alphonsus, where he studied for the priesthood. No longer a seminary, it is a center for retreats and meetings.
Sacred Heart Church sits on a bend in Route 9W, less than half a mile west of the river. Its wood-frame exterior is gleaming white. At the right of the entrance is a statue of the Sacred Heart; on the left, a bright red banner proclaims the anniversary. Also in front is a shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a devotion specially promoted by the Redemptorists. Other elements of the Redemptorists' charisma are evident in the life of Sacred Heart, especially love for the poor, for families and for children and youth.
The church was built on land donated by a prominent local businessman, Robert Livingston Pell, who also gave $500 toward the cost of construction. Some Catholics in the area, eager for a church of their own, contributed a month's salary, between $20 and $40. The church opened August 15, 1875, and was staffed at first by priests of the archdiocese.
In 1904, the Redemptorists began building a seminary, Mount St. Alphonsus, less than a mile north of the church. In 1913, at the request of Cardinal John Farley, the congregation took over the operation of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Sacred Heart. They no longer staff Presentation but remain at Sacred Heart.
Since the mission church does not have a rectory, Father Grohe, like his predecessors, lives at Mount St. Alphonsus, where he studied for the priesthood. No longer a seminary, it is a center for retreats and meetings.
Sacred Heart Church sits on a bend in Route 9W, less than half a mile west of the river. Its wood-frame exterior is gleaming white. At the right of the entrance is a statue of the Sacred Heart; on the left, a bright red banner proclaims the anniversary. Also in front is a shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a devotion specially promoted by the Redemptorists. Other elements of the Redemptorists' charisma are evident in the life of Sacred Heart, especially love for the poor, for families and for children and youth.
