About Sacred Heart · Eureka, Kansas
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a small Catholic parish serving Eureka, Kansas, and the surrounding Greenwood County area as part of a three-church cluster with St. John in Hamilton and St. Teresa of Avila in Madison. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Wichita and today serves approximately 90 families and 230 individual Catholics. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:00 a.m., with weekday Masses on Wednesday and Friday mornings. The current stone church, completed in 1966, stands at 514 N. Elm Street in Eureka on the very block where Catholic worship in the community has been offered since 1881.
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Reverend Jeremy S. Huser
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wichita
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers a warm, small-town Catholic home in Greenwood County with the simplicity of one Sunday Mass and weekday worship in a historic stone church. The parish is part of a tight-knit three-church cluster with St. John (Hamilton) and St. Teresa of Avila (Madison), so families across the county can easily find a nearby Mass, confession before Sunday Mass, and Eucharistic adoration on First Fridays. With about 90 families and 230 individual Catholics, it is the kind of community where every face is known — and where the same block at Sixth and Elm has been a place of Catholic worship since 1881.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 30 minutes before Mass at Sacred Heart, Eureka
- Saturday: 30 minutes before Mass at St. John, Hamilton
- Sunday: 30 minutes before Mass at St. Teresa, Madison
- By appointment (per Diocese of Wichita directory)
Adoration times
- First Friday: Following Mass until 5:30 p.m.
About Sacred Heart of Jesus
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish is the Catholic community in Eureka, Kansas, one of three linked parishes (with St. John in Hamilton and St. Teresa of Avila in Madison) that together make up the Greenwood County Catholic Churches. The first church at 6th and Elm was built in 1881, the second in 1902, and the present stone church in 1966 — all on the same site, a continuous Catholic presence on the same corner for more than 140 years.
- First church built at 6th and Elm in 1881
- Second church built at the same site in 1902
- Present stone church completed at the same site in 1966
Parish History
The first Mass in Eureka was celebrated in 1872 by Jesuit missionary Fr. Paul Ponziglione. The formal parish began in 1881 when Franciscan priests from Emporia and Olpe built a small frame church named St. Paul's at Sixth and Elm. After 1901, with the creation of the Diocese of Wichita, the parish became a mission of St. Mary's in Moline and was renamed Sacred Heart in 1902.
- 1872 — first Mass offered by Fr. Paul Ponziglione, SJ
- 1881 — parish founded by Franciscans from Emporia and Olpe as 'St. Paul's'
- 1901 — transferred from Leavenworth-Kansas City to the new Diocese of Wichita
- 1902 — renamed Sacred Heart; second church dedicated by Bishop Hennessy
- 1921 — Fr. Edward Gunning appointed first resident pastor
- 1964 — 1902 church destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving Eve
- 1966 — present stone church dedicated on March 13
The Present Church (1966)
The current church is a stone building of modified Spanish-style architecture, completed on March 13, 1966 after the 1902 frame church burned. Vermont slate floors and light blue sanctuary carpeting, painted scripture quotes on the ceiling beams by Fr. O'Leary, and items rescued from the fire (altar bells, sanctuary lamp, relics, vestments, and the gold tabernacle) all make it a building that literally carries forward the old parish into the new.
- Modified Spanish-style stone architecture
- Stones from the old foundation reused in the new walls
- Salvaged altar bells, sanctuary lamp, relics, vestments, and gold tabernacle
- Vermont slate floors; light blue sanctuary carpet
- Scripture quotes on ceiling beams painted by Fr. O'Leary
Clergy & Staff
The current pastor is Reverend Jeremy S. Huser, who also serves the companion parishes of St. John (Hamilton) and St. Teresa of Avila (Madison) as part of the Greenwood County Catholic cluster. The parish rectory is at 514 N Elm St, Eureka, KS 67045.
- Father Jeremy Huser, Pastor
- Phone: 620-583-7100, Extension 1
- Email: [email protected]
Pastor History
The parish has been served by Franciscan missionaries, then Moline-based priests, then a series of resident pastors since 1921. Fr. Edward Gunning was the first resident pastor in 1921; Fr. O'Leary directed the rebuilding after the 1964 fire; and modern pastors have included Frs. Komer, McCormick, Peltzer, Kerschen, Klag, Gronert, Dominic Potnuru, and now Fr. Jeremy Huser.
Sacraments
Parish bulletins direct parishioners to call the rectory at 620-583-7100 to arrange Baptisms, Marriages, and Anointing of the Sick. Father is to be called at the earliest convenience for preparation and to set a tentative date.
- Baptism — call Father at earliest convenience
- Marriage — call the rectory to make arrangements
- Anointing of the Sick — please call Father if there is a serious illness
Parish Ministries
Sacred Heart has an active Altar Society and a Lay Ministry program with sign-up sheets at the back of the church. The parish regularly asks for volunteers to serve as lectors, ushers, servers, and gift bearers so that all Masses are covered.
- Sacred Heart Altar Society
- Lectors
- Ushers
- Altar servers
- Gift bearers
- Lay Ministry Schedule (volunteer sign-up at back of church)
Contact & Directions
Sacred Heart Church is located at 514 N Elm Street, Eureka, KS 67045. The mailing address for all three Greenwood County parishes (Sacred Heart, St. John, St. Teresa) is the same: 514 N Elm St / Eureka, KS 67045. Phone 620-583-7100; email [email protected].
- 514 N Elm St, Eureka, KS 67045
- Phone: 620-583-7100
- Email: [email protected]
Bulletin
Weekly bulletins are posted online as PDFs at the parish website and shared across all three Greenwood County parishes, with announcements for Sacred Heart, St. John, and St. Teresa together.
- Weekly PDF bulletin available on the parish website
- Bulletin archive on the website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Paul Ponziglione (SJ)1872
Celebrated the first Mass in Eureka at a stone house on the corner of Seventh and Elm
- Franciscan priests from Emporia and Olpe1881–1901
Founded and served the original St. Paul's parish
- Fr. Patrick McCulloughearly 1900s
Purchased two lots and a house south of the church in 1922 for $4,000
- Fr. Timothy J. O'Sullivan
Priest from Moline assigned to Eureka
- Fr. Thomas Meehan
Priest from Moline assigned to Eureka
- Fr. Dennis Healy
Priest from Moline assigned to Eureka
- Fr. Joseph Bogner
Priest from Moline assigned to Eureka
- Fr. David Egan
Priest from Moline assigned to Eureka
- Fr. Edward Gunning1921–
First resident pastor; St. John's in Hamilton became a mission
- Fr. O'Leary1964–1966
Directed rebuilding after the 1964 fire; painted scripture quotes on the ceiling beams
- Fr. Eugene Komer
Recent pastor
- Fr. Harold McCormick
Recent pastor; relocated the organ from west side to back of church and improved lighting
- Fr. Michael Peltzer1987–1998
Served 12 years; went on to help form St. Joan of Arc Parish in Harper County
- Fr. Leo Kerschen1998–2005
Succeeded Fr. Peltzer; improved rectory kitchen and church roof, repaired parking lot, added security lighting; retired after 43 years in the priesthood
- Fr. Michael Klag2005–
Arrived June 29, 2005
- Fr. Stephen Gronert
Recent pastor
- Fr. Dominic Savio Potnuru MSFS–2021
Returned to India for doctoral studies in counseling and marriage and family therapy
- Reverend C. Jarrod Lies
Listed as Parochial Administrator by the Diocese of Wichita
- Reverend Jeremy S. Huserpresent
Current pastor per the parish website and Diocese of Wichita