News/Events

December 15, 2007 - Sacred Heart Parish Celebrates New Beginning

Brighton, MA - Parishioners from Weymouth and Braintree joined with Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, Auxiliary Bishop John A. Dooher, pastor Rev. Daniel J. Riley and parochial vicar Rev. Harry Kaufman in celebrating the first Mass in the newly built church of Sacred Heart Parish.

The original church, designed by architect Patrick Keely and completed in 1882, was destroyed in a fire on June 9, 2005.

"The parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish are experiencing a special blessing this Advent season as they celebrate the rebirth of their church in a magnificent new worship site," said Cardinal Seán.

"We are grateful to Fr. Dan Riley and Fr. Harry Kaufman for their leadership in the keeping the parish together during a challenging time, and to the parishioners for the dedication and commitment that has brought us to this joyous occasion. 

The Archdiocese celebrates with the people of Sacred Heart Parish and we pray that they continue to experience the gift of God's love in their community of faith."

Fr. Riley said, "We thank Cardinal Seán for his support and prayers as we worked to build our new Church following the fire.  We are taught to face adversity and to trust that with God all will turn out well.  I am proud that we stood together as one community of Catholics living by the example the love Jesus teaches us to live each and every day. 

To all those who made today a possibility, I can only say thank you and that you are in my prayers constantly for the blessings bestowed on the parish of Sacred Heart."  

Sacred Heart Church - 2007  

The rebuilt church has many new amenities, which allow for greater comfort, flexibility to meet various attendance numbers, and more space for the growing number of parish programs and initiatives.  Most importantly it enhances parishioners ability to celebrate their Catholic faith during Mass and through prayer.  

The design and construction teams were able to use a number of scared objects contributed by closed parishes within the Archdiocese, including Stations of the Cross from St. Augustine's (South Boston), stain glass from St. Peter (Lowell), St. Joseph (Lowell), Blessed Sacrament (Jamaica Plain), and Sacred Heart (Lawrence).  "We are grateful to all those who have given new life to Sacred Heart both in prayer and resource," said Fr. Riley.  "Their presence will be felt always and we give thanks for the contributions they have made to our parish."

Architect: The S/L/A/M Collaborative with offices in Massachusetts, Georgia and Connecticut (www.slamcoll.com/home.html)

Construction:  TLT Construction of Wakefield, MA (www.tltconstruction.net/)

The new church consists of approximately 11,000sf on two levels and is steel framed with masonry veneer, and includes a full basement and mezzanine. The upper level includes the Main Sanctuary, Narthex and Chancel as well as a Reconciliation Chapel and Sacristy. The lower level includes two Meeting Rooms, A Function Room, A Serving Pantry, Choir Room, Chapel, and mechanical space. 

 The cost for the project was $9.9 million.  Sacred Heart Church may now be counted among many church and school projects successfully built by TLT for the Archdiocese.   Fr. Riley also extended his appreciation to the people and staff of Sacred Heart. "I especially want to thank the wonderful people of Sacred Heart. Their love and support, combined with God's generous assistance, has made our new church possible. Their support can be seen in the continued attendance of virtually the same number of people at Mass in our auditorium every Sunday – 1,400 people a week. It can be seen in the growth of the number of students in our already thriving school by 10%. This also is a credit to our great principal Mrs. Mary Reardon Ferrucci."   Fr. Kaufman added, "we also wish to express our deep thanks to the brave firefighters and other emergency responders who battled the fire in June 2005 and who continue to protect all of us in Weymouth and Braintree each and every day.  We ask God's blessing on them in their work, on their families who love and support them and on the good people of our community during this season of Advent."

History of Sacred Heart Parish  (*www.sacredheartweymouth.org)-- In 1871, Father Hugh Smyth, who built eight churches on the South Shore, started the new parish of Sacred Heart.  In the 1860s he purchased the Wales estate including the Half Way House, a famous inn built in 1877 and so named because it was half way between Boston and Scituate.  When the church was established, this house became the rectory, which was eventually torn down in 1990.  The church was completed in 1882.-- In 1893, Father John Holland was assigned as a newly ordained priest.  This was to be his only assignment, which lasted 45 years.  During that time he expanded the property, was noted for his generosity to the poor and had established a wonderful relationship with the Protestants of the area, which benefits are still felt today.  -- On September 13, 1915, Sacred Heart Elementary School opened in a former factory near the church.  The old Half Way House became the convent, and Father Holland lived in the attic over the school for 10 years.  The high school was started in 1923.  Between 1958 and 1962, the present school buildings were constructed.  -- In 2001, major renovations occurred when the church interior was renovated.  Sacred Heart removed all of its pews, which were more than a century old and replaced them with longer, cushioned ones.  The main door from the foyer into the church was expanded. The carpeting and flooring was replaced.  -- On June 9, 2005, Sacred Heart Church was destroyed in a fire.  Within days, Archbishop Seán O'Malley announces his support for the rebuilding of Sacred Heart Church.  -- On Friday, September 8, 2006, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held-- On January 18, 2007 Auxiliary Bishop John A. Dooher blesses the steeple and, along with several parishioners and children of Sacred Heart School, witnessed the placement of the steeple on the top of the church. -- Saturday, December 15, 2007 the newly rebuilt Sacred Heart Parish celebrates its first Mass with Cardinal Seán O'Malley. 

About the Archdiocese of Boston

The Archdiocese of Boston was founded on April 8, 1808 and was elevated to Archdiocese in 1875. Currently serving the needs of approximately 2 million Catholics, the Archdiocese of Boston is an ethnically diverse and spiritually enriching faith community consisting of 295 parishes, across 144 communities, educating nearly 50,000 students in its Catholic schools and 156, 000 in religious education classes each year, ministering to the needs of more than one million patients annually in its hospitals and 200,000 individuals through its social service outreach. Mass is celebrated in nearly twenty different languages each week

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