About Sacred Heart Catholic Parish · Rowlett, Texas
Sacred Heart Catholic Parish is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Dallas located at 3905 Hickox Road in Rowlett, Texas, the second oldest Catholic parish in Dallas County. The community worships in English and Spanish, offers a youth and young adult Mass each Sunday evening, and is currently led by Father Iñigo Lopez as Pastoral Administrator, with Cecy Tanaka as Business Manager. The parish's mission statement, affirmed by the Parish Pastoral Council in February 2025, declares: 'The diverse, loving, faith community of Sacred Heart Catholic church believes service to others is paramount to who we are. We strive, through worship and evangelization, to promote discipleship and fellowship and promote ministry through the love of God.' A historic 1899 wooden sanctuary still stands on the campus and was rededicated in October 2024 during the parish's 125th anniversary year.
- Established
- 1899
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Father Iñigo Lopez (Pastoral Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Dallas
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers the rare combination of a small-town, 125-year-old Catholic heritage and a vibrant, multilingual present. Families can attend any of five Sunday Masses — including two celebrated in Spanish and a Sunday evening Youth & Young Adult Mass — alongside daily 8:30 a.m. Mass Monday through Saturday, with weekday confessions, four-day Eucharistic Adoration, and Safe Environment/Sacramental preparation programs. The community takes seriously its service to others: alongside its sacramental and faith-formation ministries it operates a St. Vincent de Paul Society offering spiritual, emotional, and material assistance to individuals and families, and the parish continues to steward a hands-on tradition of giving that has sustained the campus for more than a century.
Mass times at Sacred Heart Catholic Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Friday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Adoration times
- Tuesday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Our Story: 125 Years of Sacred Heart in Rowlett
Sacred Heart Catholic Parish was founded on July 22, 1899, when twelve farming families on the prairie east of Dallas organized themselves as a Catholic community. Early Masses were celebrated by Father Daniel Harrington, who rode on horseback from Dallas to the home of Irish immigrant Patrick McEntee, who had come to Texas in 1874 and provided the land for the church. The small white wooden sanctuary in the pioneer Gothic style was completed on Main Street in 1899 and dedicated a year later by Bishop Edward J. Dunne of Dallas. Today the parish is the second oldest in Dallas County — the oldest Catholic parish (also originally called Sacred Heart) was elevated to cathedral status in 1890 and to the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2023.
- Founded: July 22, 1899
- First priest: Father Daniel Harrington (rode from Dallas on horseback)
- Founder/land donor: Patrick McEntee, Irish immigrant (1874)
- First sanctuary dedicated by Bishop Edward J. Dunne, 1900
- Diocese: Dallas
A Sanctuary That Has Moved Three Times
The parish's 1899 wooden sanctuary is one of the oldest church buildings still in Catholic use in Dallas County. In 1921, when the State of Texas rerouted the main highway through Rowlett, the church was left facing the wrong way; the following year, after high winds partially dislocated it from its foundation, parishioners took the opportunity to lift, turn, and reset it on the original foundation — the building's first move. In 1992 the growing parish built a new sanctuary, offices, and classrooms on a 25-acre site off Hickox Road, and the historic chapel was relocated there in March 1995. In 2020 it was moved a few hundred feet again to make room for a planned new sanctuary.
- 1922 — first relocation/turnaround on original foundation
- 1995 — moved to current Hickox Road campus
- 2020 — relocated across the current campus for new sanctuary construction
Rededication of the Historic Chapel (October 13, 2024)
On October 13, 2024, during the parish's 125th anniversary year, Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly of the Diocese of Dallas blessed the rededication of the fully restored 1899 chapel — a project that took four years (delayed by COVID-19 and rising material costs) and cost more than $420,000, partly funded by a grant from The Catholic Foundation. The work included refurbished pews and stained-glass windows now reinforced to withstand Texas storms, a new concrete walkway, flower gardens, and a Texas Historical Marker at the entrance, with a hitching post across the path recalling the sanctuary's pioneer past. The chapel, which holds fewer than 100 people, is now reserved primarily for baptisms, weddings, and funerals; it hosted a small funeral in spring 2024 and officially reopened on Holy Thursday.
- Rededication: October 13, 2024, by Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly
- Restoration cost: more than $420,000
- Funded in part by The Catholic Foundation
- Capacity: under 100 people
- Now used for baptisms, weddings, and funerals
Leadership & Staff
Sacred Heart is currently led as a Pastoral Administrator by Father Iñigo Lopez. The parish office team includes Cecy Tanaka as Business Manager. Parishioner Tom Crowe (since 2001) and communications director Monica Mueller have spoken publicly about the parish during the historic-chapel restoration. Father Lopez serves as the pastoral face of the parish while plans advance for a new main sanctuary on the Hickox Road campus.
- Pastoral Administrator: Rev. Father Iñigo Lopez
- Business Manager: Cecy Tanaka
- Communications Director: Monica Mueller
Parish Ministries & Outreach
The parish's stated mission — affirmed by the Parish Pastoral Council in February 2025 — is that 'service to others is paramount,' and the ministry roster reflects that commitment. Beyond the regular liturgical life, Sacred Heart runs faith-formation and sacramental-preparation programs, Safe Environment classes, youth and young adult ministry, and a St. Vincent de Paul Society that provides spiritual, emotional, and material assistance to individuals and families in need. Donations to the parish support church operations, facility maintenance, youth and young adult ministry, sacramental preparation, faith formation, and parish programs.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — spiritual, emotional, material assistance
- Youth & Young Adult Ministry (Sunday 5:30 PM Mass)
- Faith Formation / Sacramental Preparation
- Safe Environment classes
- Donations support: operations, facilities, youth, sacramental prep, formation, programs
Sacraments
Sacred Heart celebrates baptisms, weddings, and funerals in its restored 1899 historic chapel, preserving the intimacy and beauty of the pioneer-Gothic interior for these moments of family and parish life. Daily and Sunday Masses, the sacrament of Reconciliation (five days a week), Eucharistic Adoration four days a week, and Sacramental Preparation programs form the core sacramental rhythm of the parish.
- Baptism, weddings, funerals celebrated in the 1899 historic chapel
- Reconciliation: five weekly slots
- Eucharistic Adoration: Tue–Fri
- Sacramental preparation programs
Visit, Give, and Connect
Parishioners and visitors are welcomed at the parish office Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (open during lunch). The parish can be reached by phone at (972) 475-4405, and donations can be made by mail, in person at Mass (envelopes or collection), or online through the parish's secure giving portal. The parish is active on Facebook and Instagram for ongoing news, event photos, and livestream information.
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM (open during lunch)
- Phone: (972) 475-4405
- Donations: mail, in-pewk/office, or online
- Facebook: facebook.com/shrowlett
- Instagram: @shccrowlett
- Website: sacredheartrowlett.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Daniel Harrington
Early priest who rode on horseback from Dallas to the McEntee home to celebrate the first Masses in Rowlett.