Our Heritage

Sacred Heart began from the desire of nine lay Catholics to organize an English speaking parish.  Bishop James Ryan granted permission and formally opened the church in 1892 with Fr. Patrick Ducey as its first pastor.  Under the tenure of Fr. Gerald Wiegand, Sacred Heart Parish outgrew the original church and nearly eight decades later, established a new home for parishioners.  In 1969, Bishop William O'Connor dedicated the current church in the round located at the corner of Fayette & Keller Avenue in Effingham.

In 2006, Fr. Bob Spriggs became Sacred Heart's 13th parish priest accompanied by companions, Dukie and Duchess. Fr. Spriggs is leading the way to revitalize parishioners through an Extreme Makeover Campaign.  The focus of the campaign was debt reduction, church & school repairs, and financial security by increased support to our established Endowment Funds. The campaign challenged each parish family to reflect on additional financial support and a faithful commitment to be active in the ministries that serve the parish.