About Sacred Heart · Franklin, Illinois
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in the village of Franklin, Morgan County, Illinois, in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. It is one of four parishes that make up the Quad Pastoral Unit (often called the Quad Parishes), along with St. Mary's of New Berlin, St. Sebastian of Waverly, and Visitation BVM of Alexander. The parish traces its roots to 1866 and today gathers for Sunday Mass at 8:00 a.m. in its striking brick church with a 190-foot spire that has been a landmark in the surrounding farmland for more than a century.
- Established
- 1866
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Ron Maldo Lorilla
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Why belong here
Sacred Heart of Franklin is a tight-knit rural Catholic community that has worshipped together on the same corner of Wyatt Street since the 1890s, with a landmark church whose 190-foot spire still rises above the Morgan County prairie. As part of the Quad Pastoral Unit it shares priests, faith formation, and Eucharistic Adoration with three neighboring parishes, so members get the warmth of a small country parish backed by the resources of a four-parish family. Weekly PSR classes after the 8:00 Sunday Mass, parish-wide Adoration on Thursdays, and a clear commitment to making 'Christ more visible in our lives, our communities, and the world' make it a place where families can put down real roots.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursdays during Eucharistic Adoration (6:00–8:00 PM) with Father Ron
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Eucharistic Adoration)
Parish History
Sacred Heart traces its origin to 1866 in Franklin, Morgan County, when Catholics in the area were visited by Reverend Patrick Joseph O'Rielly, rector of St. Catherine Church, Virden. The first church — a 100-by-40-foot wooden structure seating 400 and costing $10,000 — was dedicated in 1886, together with a handsome parochial residence. That first church and the rectory were destroyed by fire on May 4, 1893, but Bishop Ryan traveled from Alton to lay the cornerstone of a new brick church on August 15, 1893, and Mass was being celebrated in the new Sacred Heart of Jesus church by January 1, 1894.
- 1886: original wooden church (100 x 40 ft, 400 seats) and rectory built for $10,000
- May 4, 1893: church and rectory destroyed by fire
- August 15, 1893: cornerstone of the brick church laid by Bishop Ryan of Alton
- January 1, 1894: first Mass in the new brick Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- 1897: Father O'Rielly promoted to St. Patrick, Alton; succeeded by Rev. Patrick A. Lyons
- 1925: Rev. Edmund D. Butler succeeded Father Smith and commissioned Max Autenrieb of Edwardsville to repaint and decorate the church in keeping with its Gothic architecture; the parochial residence was also replaced
The Church Building
The present Sacred Heart church is a brick structure 120 by 46 feet with seating for 500, built in 1893–94 at a cost of $18,000. Its 190-foot spire, surmounted by a golden cross, can be seen for miles across the prairie. The interior was painted and decorated in 1925 in a Gothic idiom by Max Autenrieb, church decorator of Edwardsville, Illinois, with three coats of oil painting in flat finish, grained woodwork, and fifteen pictures in light-proof oil color, along with new lighting fixtures harmonized to the Gothic style.
- Brick, 120 x 46 ft, seating 500, built 1893–94
- 190-foot spire with golden cross — visible for miles
- Gothic-style interior redecorated by Max Autenrieb of Edwardsville in 1925
- Marquette Hall: the old Methodist church building later acquired by Sacred Heart, standing on the west corner of the property
Quad Pastoral Unit
Sacred Heart is one of four parishes in the Quad Pastoral Unit (also called the Quad Parishes), a single pastoral family gathered under one pastor and one parish office. The Quad Parishes' shared mission statement commits the members of St. Mary's of New Berlin, Sacred Heart of Franklin, St. Sebastian of Waverly, and Visitation BVM of Alexander to be disciples of Jesus through baptism in the Roman Catholic tradition, making Christ more visible through worship, service, and proclaiming God's Word.
- St. Mary's, New Berlin
- Sacred Heart, Franklin
- St. Sebastian, Waverly
- Visitation BVM, Alexander
- Shared pastor: Rev. Fr. Ron Maldo Lorilla
- Shared office: 306 E. Birch St., P.O. Box 20, New Berlin, IL 62670 — Phone/Fax (217) 488-3545
Faith Formation and PSR
Sacred Heart runs a Parish School of Religion (PSR) for children in public school, with classes meeting on Sunday mornings after the 8:00 AM Mass (approximately 9:00 AM) during the school year. The parish follows the diocese's Restored Order, so children baptized Catholic and catechized since Kindergarten receive the sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion together in 3rd Grade, with First Penance preparation beginning in 2nd Grade.
- PSR for grades K–5, Sunday mornings after 8:00 AM Mass during the school year
- Confirmation and First Communion together in 3rd Grade (Restored Order)
- First Penance preparation begins in 2nd Grade
- Open to children baptized Catholic and catechized since Kindergarten
Clergy and Staff
Sacred Heart is served by a single pastor who oversees all four Quad Parishes, supported by a parish secretary and an office manager. The current pastor is Rev. Fr. Ron Maldo Lorilla, an incardinated priest of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois who was ordained on May 27, 2017 and named pastor of the four-parish cluster in 2026. The parish office is staffed by Stacey Belcher (Office Manager) and reachable through [email protected].
- Pastor: Rev. Fr. Ron Maldo Lorilla — ordained May 27, 2017; from Sipocot, Camarines Sur, Philippines; previously parochial administrator of parishes west of Springfield and of St. Clare, St. Mary, and St. Anne
- Office Manager: Stacey Belcher
- Parish office: 306 E. Birch St., New Berlin, IL 62670 — (217) 488-3545 — [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon & Thu 8:30 AM–Noon; Tue & Wed 8:30 AM–3:00 PM
Sacraments
Sacred Heart prepares its children for the sacraments of initiation along the Restored Order timeline and welcomes parishioners to contact the parish office to arrange Baptisms, weddings, Anointing of the Sick, and other sacramental needs. Confession is regularly available during the Thursday evening Eucharistic Adoration hour or by appointment.
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- First Penance — preparation in 2nd Grade
- First Communion and Confirmation — together in 3rd Grade (Restored Order)
- Matrimony — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick / pastoral visits — by appointment
Founding Members and Parish Vocations
The first members of Sacred Heart listed in the parish's history include Anton Bergschneider, Joseph Bergschneider, Charles Lynch, Mrs. Lukeman, Martin Ryan, John Eck, Joseph Scheferkort, Michael Ryan, and John Fitz. The parish has also been the seedbed of several religious vocations over its long life.
- Rev. Thomas Harmon — priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, born of Sacred Heart parish
- Sister Sextus — Dominican Convent, Springfield, daughter of Joseph Bergschneider
- Sister M. Elizabeth Kenney — Franciscan Order of Peoria
Get Involved
New parishioners are encouraged to register with the Quad Parishes so they can be connected to parish life, and online giving is available for Sacred Heart through the Quad Parishes website. Parishioners are invited to take part in weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays, in PSR as catechists or parents, and in the wider shared life of the four-parish Quad Pastoral Unit.
- Parish registration through the Quad Parishes office
- Online giving for Sacred Heart
- Thursday Eucharistic Adoration (6:00–8:00 PM)
- PSR catechist and parent involvement
- Office contact: [email protected], (217) 488-3545
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Patrick Joseph O'Rielly1886–1897
Rector of St. Catherine, Virden; founded the Sacred Heart congregation, built the first (1886) and second (1893–94) churches; promoted to St. Patrick, Alton in 1897.
- Reverend Patrick A. Lyons1897–
Succeeded Father O'Rielly as pastor of Franklin.
- Father Smithuntil 1925
Predecessor of Father Butler.
- Reverend Edmund D. Butlerfrom January 1925
Engaged Max Autenrieb to repaint and decorate the church in Gothic harmony; replaced the parochial residence.