Sacred Heart

Parish History

Sacred Heart began in 1985 when Glenmary Home Missioners assigned Fr. Joseph Dean to scout Mt. Pleasant and look for a place in Mt. Vernon to start a new parish. By August 1986 a 'blue house' at 409 East Main had been bought as the Glenmary Sisters' home, and on September 6, 1986 Bishop Thomas Tschoepe of Dallas dedicated the front room as the chapel of Franklin County. The first English Mass was offered Sunday, October 26, 1986; on January 10, 1987 the name 'Sacred Heart Chapel' was chosen; and on February 23, 1987 Bishop Charles Herzig arrived in Tyler to form the new Diocese of Tyler, with Sacred Heart included from day one. From its first year the parish was bilingual: the Hispanic community celebrated its first Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast on December 7, 1986 and held its first Posada on December 16.

• 1986 — 'blue house' chapel at 409 East Main dedicated Sept. 6; first English Mass Oct. 26, 1986
• 1987 — Named Sacred Heart Chapel (Jan. 10); Diocese of Tyler erected (Feb. 23)
• 1989 — Bishop Herzig breaks ground Dec. 9; construction begins Dec. 11
• 1990 — Bishop Herzig dedicates the new multi-purpose building April 22
• 1999 — Sacred Heart Chapel recognized as an independent Catholic parish (under Fr. Janusz Barczyk)
• 2005 — Family Life Center dedicated Oct. 16 by Bishop Alvaro Corrada, S.J.
• 2006 — Volunteers remove glass partition and install pews donated from St. Jude's in Allen
• 2007 — Hispanic community leads parking-lot expansion
• 2011 — Bishop Corrada blesses new rectory May 2

Our Pastor

Fr. Selvan Melkias is the current Parish Administrator of Sacred Heart, having begun his assignment on July 1, 2024. In his introductory letter on the parish website, he writes of his gratitude for the warm welcome he received and of his desire to serve each parishioner 'in the peace and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Faith Formation at Sacred Heart is bilingual and serves both children and adults. Children's Faith Formation meets Wednesday evenings (September–May, 6:30–8:00 p.m.), and a Sacramental Preparation Class for First Communion and Confirmation meets Sundays 10:30–11:20 a.m. The program is directed by Cristina Narvaez, who can be reached at (903) 204-0099.

• Children's Faith Formation — Wednesdays 6:30–8:00 p.m. (Sept.–May)
• Sacramental Preparation — Sundays 10:30–11:20 a.m. (children must be 8 years old; classes every two years)
• Faith Formation Director — Cristina Narvaez (903-204-0099)
• Bible Study (English) — Monday evenings at 5:30 p.m. with David Rice (817-713-5905)
• OCIA (English) — Greg Leitheiser (972-444-0776)
• OCIA / RICA (Spanish) — Cristina Narvaez (903-204-0099)

Parish Ministries & Lay Groups

The parish supports a long roster of lay ministries and groups, organized around both liturgical service and community life. Many of them are bilingual, and several — like the Guadalupanos, Rosarios Marianos, and Jóvenes y Adultos para Cristo — reflect the strong Hispanic heritage of the parish.

• Liturgical: Acolytes, Altar Servers, Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, English Choir, Spanish Choir
• Formation: Catechist, Faith Formation, Youth Group
• Hispanic community: Guadalupanos, Rosarios Marianos, Jóvenes y Adultos para Cristo (JAC), Quinceañera preparation
• Service & outreach: Knights of Columbus, Ladies Guild, Food Bank (East Texas Food Bank Mobile Pantry), Texas Needs Fatima (Rosary Rally ministry)
• Parish life & governance: Pastoral Council, Finance Council, Events Committee, Maintenance, Landscapers

Parish Outreach & Charity

Sacred Heart's outreach centers on feeding the rural poor of Franklin County through a partnership with the East Texas Food Bank. The Mobile Pantry is distributed on the second Thursday of each month from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the church parking lot, with volunteers arriving at 1:30 p.m. to prepare. The parish also hosts the Texas Needs Fatima Ministry, which organizes Rosary Rally events across the region.

• East Texas Food Bank Mobile Pantry — every 2nd Thursday, 4:00–5:30 p.m. (church parking lot)
• Texas Needs Fatima Ministry — Rosary Rally events ([email protected])

Hispanic Ministry & Devotions

Hispanic ministry is woven into the very identity of Sacred Heart. From the first Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast in 1986 and the first Posada that same December, the parish has maintained a robust calendar of Marian and popular devotions in Spanish, supported by groups such as the Guadalupanos, Rosarios Marianos, and Jóvenes y Adultos para Cristo (JAC).

• Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast — annual Dec. 7 celebration
• Las Posadas — annual Advent procession (begun Dec. 16, 1986)
• Guadalupanos — lay group devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Rosarios Marianos — Marian rosary prayer groups
• Jóvenes y Adultos para Cristo (JAC) — Hispanic young adult ministry
• Spanish Choir — music for the 11:30 a.m. Sunday and 7:00 p.m. weekday Spanish Masses
• Quinceañera preparation — four Saturday classes with Cristina Narvaez

Sacraments

The parish prepares members for and celebrates all seven sacraments. Schedules for First Communion and Confirmation preparation are organized through the Faith Formation office; adult initiation is served by OCIA in English and Spanish; Quinceañera preparation is offered as a four-class series; and confessions are heard in the church parking lot every Saturday afternoon from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m., or by appointment.

• Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick — by appointment, call the parish office (903) 537-2174
• First Communion & Confirmation — Sacramental Preparation for children (Sundays 10:30–11:20 a.m.)
• OCIA / RICA (adult initiation) — English and Spanish tracks
• Quinceañera — four Saturday classes, office contact required
• Confession — Saturday 4:00–5:15 p.m. or by appointment

Buildings, Campus & Facilities

The parish campus has grown significantly since 1989. The original church building was designed by Paris architect William M. Lightfoot of Horizon Builders, Inc., with construction beginning December 11, 1989 and dedication by Bishop Herzig on April 22, 1990. In 2006 volunteers remodeled the interior, removing a glass partition between the lobby and the nave to enlarge the worship space and installing pews donated from St. Jude's in Allen, Texas. A Family Life Center, championed by Fr. Susai and dedicated October 16, 2005, sits on the parish grounds, and a new rectory — built so the pastor could live on-site — was blessed by Bishop Corrada on May 2, 2011.

• Church building — designed by William M. Lightfoot (Horizon Builders, Inc., Dallas); construction 1989–1990; remodeled 2006
• Family Life Center — dedicated Oct. 16, 2005 by Bishop Alvaro Corrada, S.J.
• Rectory — adjacent to the church; groundbreaking April 21, 2010; blessed May 2, 2011
• Parking lot — expanded in 2007 by the Hispanic community to serve Spanish and bilingual gatherings

Visiting & Contact Information

The parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the office phone line — (903) 537-2174 — is the single point of contact for scheduling sacraments, anointings, quinceañera classes, OCIA, and appointments for confession outside the regular Saturday hours. Confessions on Saturday are heard outdoors at the church parking lot from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m.

• Parish Office: 406 South Hwy 37, Mount Vernon, TX 75457
• Phone: (903) 537-2174
• Office hours: Tuesday–Friday, 1:30–5:30 p.m.
• Website: http://www.sacredheartmountvernontx.com/