About Sacred Heart · Dallas City, Illinois
Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic mission church in Dallas City, Illinois, serving approximately 90 families in the small community on the Mississippi River. It is part of the Diocese of Peoria and, since 2009, has been served as part of the five-church Hancock County Catholic Community alongside Sts. Peter and Paul in Nauvoo, Immaculate Conception in Carthage, Sacred Heart in Warsaw, and St. Mary in Hamilton. In a 2025 diocesan realignment called "Growing Disciples," Sacred Heart Dallas City and St. Mary Hamilton were closed as active worship sites, with the remaining three communities consolidated under the new Holy Archangels Parish. The parish's history stretches back to 1909, making it one of more than a century of Catholic faith in the area.
- Established
- 1909
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Father Anthony J. Trosley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offered a small, family-sized Catholic community in Dallas City where generations of the same families worshipped together at the corner of 5th and Cedar. It was a mission within the broader Hancock County Catholic Community, meaning parishioners received the personal attention of priests who knew them by name and the support of sister parishes in Nauvoo, Carthage, Warsaw, and Hamilton. Though the church has now been consolidated into Holy Archangels Parish, former Sacred Heart families continue to be welcomed at the neighboring worship sites of the same community.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 11:25 AM – 11:55 AM (also by appointment)
- Wednesday: 5:10 PM – 5:25 PM (also by appointment)
Parish Identity and Mission
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dallas City, Illinois was a small mission parish in the Diocese of Peoria serving the rural community along the Mississippi River. As part of the Hancock County Catholic Community, it shared pastoral ministry with four sister parishes across the county, giving the small mission access to stable priestly leadership.
- Type: Mission church
- Diocese: Diocese of Peoria
- Mother parish: Sts. Peter and Paul, Nauvoo
- Founded: 1909
History
Sacred Heart was established in 1909 at the corner of East 5th Street and Cedar in Dallas City, where generations of local Catholic families worshipped. In 2009 it joined the newly formed Hancock County Catholic Community grouping, and in 2025, as part of Bishop Louis Tylka's 'Growing Disciples' realignment, the church building was closed as an active worship site. The closing celebration on June 27, 2025 included a Holy Hour, a final Mass, and a community gathering at The Landing on W. 1st Street.
- Founded 1909
- Joined Hancock County Catholic Community grouping in 2009
- Final Mass celebrated June 27, 2025
- Served approximately 90 families at closing
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Sacred Heart was served by priests of the Hancock County Catholic Community, led by Father Anthony J. Trosley (pastor since 2009) and Father Thomas R. Szydlik (parochial vicar). Deacon Harold (Tony) Herdrich assisted with ministry. The priests lived at Villa Maria Rectory, 190 N. Wells Street, Nauvoo, and shared a small apartment at the Carthage parish hall between appointments.
- Father Anthony J. Trosley — pastor, ordained May 27, 1978
- Father Thomas R. Szydlik — parochial vicar
- Deacon Harold (Tony) Herdrich
The Hancock County Catholic Community
Sacred Heart Dallas City was part of a five-church pastoral grouping covering Hancock County, Illinois. The community shared clergy, collaborated on faith formation, and offered Mass at multiple sites each weekend. In 2025, after the closures of Dallas City and Hamilton, the remaining three worship sites (Nauvoo, Carthage, Warsaw) were merged into a single parish named Holy Archangels Parish, with the individual church names retained.
- Sts. Peter and Paul, Nauvoo (mother church)
- Immaculate Conception, Carthage
- Sacred Heart, Warsaw
- St. Mary, Hamilton
- Sacred Heart, Dallas City
Liturgy and Devotions
Worship at Sacred Heart was celebrated in English in the Roman-Latin rite of the Diocese of Peoria. The closing celebration in June 2025 included a three-hour Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration before the final Mass, underscoring the central place of the Eucharist in the parish's life.
- Roman-Latin Rite
- Eucharistic Adoration (special Holy Hours)
- English-language liturgy
Parish Life and Community
Sacred Heart was a close-knit mission church where many families had worshipped for multiple generations — one local parishioner told the press his family lineage was traced back to the beginning of the church 117 years earlier. The community shared fellowship across the Hancock County Catholic parishes and welcomed both longtime members and visitors to its weekend Masses.
- Generational family membership
- Community gatherings at The Landing, 490 W. 1st Street, Dallas City
- Shared events with sister Hancock County parishes
Visit and Directions
The church sits at the intersection of East 5th Street and Cedar in Dallas City, Illinois (ZIP 62330). It is reachable from three directions via local highways, with simple, two- to three-block turns once you enter town. The parish office phone number is (217) 453-2428.
- From HWY 96 S.: left on Cedar Street, three blocks ahead on the left
- From HWY 9 N. (Nauvoo): right on Cedar Street, three blocks ahead on the left
- From HWY 9 W. (La Harpe): left on E. 5th Street, two blocks ahead on the left
- Phone: (217) 453-2428
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Anthony J. Trosley2009–2025
Pastor of the Hancock County Catholic Community including Sacred Heart, Dallas City; ordained May 27, 1978; also named Macomb Vicar Forane in 2017 (relinquished 2019); born in Wood River, IL.