The
history of Sacred Heart Parish begins in 1850, but for many years the
Catholics who lived in the Shawano area had to go to Keshena to attend
Mass. The present church site was obtained from Joseph Maurer in the
year 1863, when he deeded a strip of land 120' x 240', for one dollar.
A church was finally erected in 1867 with both Catholics and
non-Catholics contributing toward the erection of this building – the
first edifice dedicated to the honor of God to be erected in the city of
Shawano. This first church
was small and crudely built with planks extending over blocks of wood
serving as pews. In 1877 a
priests house was built and an organ purchased.
A two acre cemetery was purchased at the cost of $35.00.
From
1880 on, Mass was said in Shawano on the second and fourth Sunday of
each month. In 1881, a
school was built for $550-00, and the Sisters of St. Joseph came on
October 25 of this year to take over the school.
The
first permanent pastor, Fr. F.X. Steinbrecher, arrived on July 19, 1888.
In April 1889, work had begun for a new church building (this was
the building destroyed by fire in 1951). In 1937 Cecil was added as a
mission to Shawano and Sacred Heart also received its first assistant
pastor.
During
the next 13 years there was a growing interest and discussion of a new
church. In 1950, it was
seen that the building should not be put off any longer. The church was
moved and construction began in July 1951. The plans were to have it under roof before cold weather
came. As a result of delay
in shipping the steel for
the church, the building was not enclosed by winter and that meant the
slow, tedious job of laying brick in freezing weather, having to heat
all the materials.
On
November 27, 1951, at approximately 9:15 PM, fire was discovered in the
old church. At the time of
discovery, flames were shooting out from under the gables of the roof
above the sanctuary. In the
matter of a very few minutes the fire had raced through the old
structure so rapidly that it was impossible to control it. The spread of
the fire was so rapid that it was not even possible to save the Blessed
Sacrament or any of the furnishings.
When
it became evident that the church could not be saved, the firemen
concentrated all their efforts on saving the school, which stood only a
few feet away. Firemen
remained on the scene until 4:30 the next afternoon.
The
parish suddenly found itself without a church. The mayor of Shawano
immediately stepped forward and offered the services of the Community
Hall for as long as it might be needed. Mass was held here on Sundays
and Holy days from the first Sunday in December, 1951 until the first
Sunday in May, 1952 when the basement of the new church was sufficiently
advanced to allow the congregation to move back into its own building.
The first Mass in the body of the new church was held on Friday, August
15, 1952, the Feast of the Assumption.
In
the late 1960's, St. Wenceslaus Parish in the Town of Waukechon became a
mission of Sacred Heart. The history of St. Wenceslaus Church dates back
to the early 1880's and the church stands on a acre of land donated by
William & Josephine Nemetz in 1882. The present church was built in
1913. From 1977 until 1990 St. Wenceslaus Church was no longer used for
weekend masses. The building remained available for weddings and
funerals until the Diocese of Green Bay issued a Decree of Closure on
April 3, 1990. At that time the parish of community of St. Wenceslaus
officially joined with the Sacred Heart Community.
Sacred
Heart Church stands as a living memorial of our faith in and love for
God. By the grace of God,
may it stand many years as the beautiful place of Divine Worship and
from its altar may sacrifice continue to rise for the glory of God and
the salvation of the souls of those who helped to build it and the souls
of parishioners in years to come
who will worship their Almighty God within its walls.
