Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish at 509 Oswald Street, Toledo, OH 43605 US - Learn more About Us
Learn more About Us
The history of the Church The present building was begun in May 1900 after the first Church was destroyed by fire. After delays in construction, the first Mass was held on Christmas, 1906. Total cost of: the Church was $93,690.00, without the furnishings. In 1908 the high altar was elected as well as two side shrines along with carrara marble statues and an onyx and brass communion railing. In 1912, a pipe organ was installed. Contractors for the Church were Julius Comte and Joseph Kesting. The dimensions of the building are: length, 150 feet; width at the transept, 90 feet and the tower raises the cross 185 feet above Toledo, Ohio. The building is Romanesque architecture and the original plaster stucco work inside as well as the stone work ornamentation outside are most notable, with the motif carried consistently inside and out. Furnishings and data The tower holds three bells named, as was the custom at the time, "Mary Ann", "Augustine Louis", and "Lawrence". Originally costing $2,600.00, their weight is 4,000, 2,000 and 1,000 pounds, respectively. Before World War I, the middle bell cracked and was never repaired. Perhaps someday, the original "trinity" will ring out over Toledo again! The stained glassed windows were installed around 1906 and cost a total of $12,000, imported from Munich, Germany. Today, they are worth many, many times that amount. The Stations of the Cross are hand carved wood and were procured from Tyrol, Austria for the cost of $3,200.00. Imagine even replacing one of the stations for that amount today! Tradition holds that they were hidden in a cave during World War I to prevent their destruction by the Axis forces. Between 1921 and 1922, a central heating system was installed and the interior of the Church was painted and decorated by Conrad Schmitt costing a total of $7,566.00. Adapting to the Revised Liturgy In 1966, under Father Howard Schmeising, the inside of the Church began a series of renovations to accommodate the renewed Liturgy called for by the Second Vatican Council. The communion railing was removed as well as the hand carved pulpit and several marble statues were moved, two of which are those of St. Peter and Paul, formerly in the Church sanctuary and now in the Church vestibule. Parts of the railing and the brass and gold railing gates will hopefully be used in a future restoration to form a new altar and pulpit. The Great Fire In 1975, at 12:30 am, a fire of unknown origin ruined the original main altar and many of the marble statues and the intense heat melted much of the Kilgen organ in the rear balcony. Parishioners worked selflessly to salvage what little could be saved and Mass was held in the hall until restoration was completed. Under Father Ralph Reichert, repairs and renovations took place to the interior of the Church. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is located behind the wooden rerdos holding the statue of the risen Christ that is mounted on the Cross from the original main altar. The present Wicks Pipe Organ replaced the ruined Kilgen and consists of fourteen ranks and is classically voiced. It was restored in 1999. Church Ceiling In 1989, the Church ceiling that had been structurally weakened by the fire of 1975 was re-braced and plastered. The then pastor, Father David Ross, contacted Steven Conine to paint the figures of the twelve Apostles in twelve of the bays. The eye naturally follows the isosceles triangles of the bays and the symmetry of each figure, painted in Byzantine style. Looking to the Future Under the present leadership of Father Frank Eckart , Sacred Heart Church is more than a building. It stands to hold and shelter all who come within its walls seeking to understand and know God in their lives. The building has stood the test of time, Wars and fires and many have left an imprint on it. With trust in the leadership of holy priests and religious and dedicated and selfless laity, Sacred Heart Church is entrusted to future generations.