About Sacred Heart · Newton, Iowa
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Newton, Iowa, part of the Diocese of Davenport. Located at 1115 South 8th Avenue East in the southeast quadrant of Newton, the parish describes itself as 'a vibrant Catholic Community, living its Eucharistic faith in the risen Jesus, proclaimed in word and deed, celebrated in worship and sacrament, and shared in outreach to the parish community, to the diocesan and universal church, and to the wider secular community.' The current church building was dedicated in 1976 and renovated in 2005 with a new baptistry and gathering space, while parish offices and the social center are housed in the McCann Center, named for the longtime pastor Msgr. Thomas J. McCann. Sacred Heart also serves as the parish church for the attached mission of Immaculate Conception in nearby Colfax.
- Established
- 1858
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Louis Hammond
- Diocese
- Diocese of Davenport
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is a multi-generational Catholic community with a strong identity rooted in the Eucharist and outreach. Parishioners of all ages grow in faith through a tiered faith formation program (K–6, middle school, high school, and adult small groups), serve the wider community through the long-running Faith Journey mission trips and the El Salvador mission in Berlin, and gather around the parish calendar — coffee-and-donuts Sundays, parish meals, rosary, adoration, and a Confirmation program for 8th graders. The parish also benefits from a vibrant Knights of Columbus council (#2663) that funds the Salvation Army, Pregnancy Center of Central Iowa, Coats for Kids, and accessibility ramps, and from a music ministry led by the Banwells. With weekend Mass at 5:00 pm Saturday and 9:00 am Sunday, plus daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays, it offers the rhythms of a complete parish home.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 pm
Adoration times
- Wednesdays 2:45 – 3:45 pm
History of Sacred Heart Parish
Catholic worship in Jasper County began in the 1850s. Father Brazil of St. Ambrose in Des Moines celebrated Mass every six months at local homes until 1868, when the first church in Newton was built. That building served until Sacred Heart Church was erected. The 1912 county history records fifteen pastors since 1858 and twenty-eight families under the then-pastor, Rev. Thomas J. McCann, who would go on to serve the parish for an extraordinary fifty years (1910–1960). The McCann Center, dedicated in 1969, bears his name and houses the parish offices and social center; the present church was dedicated in 1976 and substantially renovated in 2005.
- 1858 — parish origins recorded
- 1868 — first church built in Newton
- 1910–1960 — Msgr. Thomas J. McCann pastors
- 1969 — McCann Center dedicated
- 1976 — current church dedicated
- 2005 — courtyard enclosed, new baptistry added
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Father Louis Hammond, who celebrated his first Masses at Sacred Heart on July 4–5, 2026, succeeding Father Bill Reynolds. A lay team of five runs day-to-day operations, faith formation, liturgy, music, and the parish office.
- Rev. Louis Hammond — Pastor
- Luke Gregory — Director of Faith Formation & Liturgy (ext. 102)
- Michelle Miller — Business Manager / Stewardship Coordinator (ext. 104)
- Cathy Brandt — Office Assistant (ext. 105)
- Seth & Michelle Banwell — Directors of Music Ministries
- Clarissa Bloom — Sr. High Faith Formation Coordinator (ext. 103)
- Parish office: (641) 792-2050, Mon–Fri 9 am–3 pm
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Sacred Heart's Lifelong Faith Formation program serves parishioners of all ages under Director Luke Gregory. One annual family fee covers all small-group offerings, from children's weekly sessions to adult Bible studies. The parish also runs Vacation Bible School each summer and Confirmation preparation for 8th graders and above.
- K-6 Faith Formation — Wednesdays 6:00–7:00 pm
- Middle School Youth — Wednesdays 7:15–8:15 pm
- Senior High Youth — Sundays 7:00–8:30 pm (Coordinator: Clarissa Bloom)
- Confirmation Preparation — fall orientation; family sessions and a retreat
- Vacation Bible School
- Adult small groups: 'Into His Likeness', 'Jesus the Way the Truth & the Life', 'And When You Pray'
- Matthew Bible Study
- Exploring the Catechism
Senior High Youth & Faith Journey Mission
Senior High Faith Formation (grades 9–12) meets Sunday evenings and weaves prayer, community-building, catechesis, and service around the eight components of youth ministry: advocacy, catechesis, evangelization, community life, justice and service, leadership, pastoral care, and prayer and worship. Each summer the teens and adults embark on the 'Faith Journey' — a week-long service trip that is a 38-year parish tradition. Destinations have included the Little Sisters of the Poor, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, food banks, soup kitchens, orphanages, and homeless shelters; in 2023, when their host pulled out, the group stayed in Newton and served SHARE preschool, an elderly parishioner, and Connections Peer Support. Youth also participate in the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis.
- Sunday evenings 7:00–8:30 pm, September–May
- Deanery events: ski trip, corn maze
- Annual Faith Journey mission trip
- National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) every two years
Music & Liturgy
Music and liturgical preparation at Sacred Heart are coordinated by Directors of Music Ministries Seth and Michelle Banwell. Choir practice is part of the regular parish calendar, and a Liturgy Commission meets monthly to support the worship life of the parish.
- Music Directors: Seth & Michelle Banwell
- Choir Practice (weekly)
- Liturgy Commission
Outreach & Social Action
Sacred Heart's Social Action Commission focuses on respecting human dignity and all human life, addressing poverty and hunger locally and injustice globally. Parishioners serve through the Salvation Army, Jasper County Hunger Relief, Pregnancy Center of Central Iowa, the Mission Coalition of ten Newton Christian churches, and the parish's long-running El Salvador mission in Berlin.
- Grab-and-go food items stocked bi-weekly in Salvation Army lobby
- Jasper County Hunger Relief — Thanksgiving meals, burrito-making
- Neighbors Helping Neighbors support
- Salvation Army Christmas Drive and bell ringing
- School supplies for K-6
- Pregnancy Center baby bottle campaign and baby shower
- Walk for Life
- CROP Walk
- Looms of Love
- Bake Sales
- Good Friday Cross Walk
- Open Arms Foundation (foster system) fundraisers
- Hy-Vee receipt collection program
El Salvador Mission (Berlin)
Sacred Heart's El Salvador Mission group supports ongoing projects in the community of Berlin, El Salvador. Efforts adapt to local needs and have included supporting a convent of nuns caring for homeless elderly, purchasing sewing machines for a women's co-op, hurricane recovery for families whose homes lost roofs, re-establishing a flooded-out well, helping build a Catholic chapel in a village, providing medicines and medical supplies to the local clinic, and selling 'Don Justo' coffee from small local farmers.
- Monthly financial support to a convent of nuns
- 20 sewing machines for a women's co-op
- Hurricane recovery for families and villages
- Well restoration for a poor community
- Chapel-building project for one village
- Acute and ongoing medical funding for the Berlin clinic
- 'Don Justo' coffee program supporting small farmers
- Contacts: Lee Mangrich (641-831-9645) and Veronica Mangrich (515-771-1255)
Knights of Columbus Council #2663
Sacred Heart is home to Knights of Columbus Council #2663, roughly 98 years old as of 2025, which draws members from both Sacred Heart-Newton and Immaculate Conception-Colfax. In February 2025 the council received the Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce Key Award for its community service. It funds the local Salvation Army and Pregnancy Center of Central Iowa, sponsors Coats for Kids, and runs free-throw contests and the Campaign for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. The Knights also clean up yards for those in need, ring bells for the Salvation Army, and build accessibility ramps. Father Bill Reynolds was named Iowa State Chaplain of the Knights in 2014.
- Council #2663 — both Sacred Heart-Newton and Immaculate Conception-Colfax
- Greater Newton Chamber Key Award (2025)
- Funds Salvation Army, Pregnancy Center of Central Iowa
- Coats for Kids program
- Free-throw contests, Campaign for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
- Yard cleanup, bell ringing, accessibility ramps
- Funded by community Bingo events and Lenten fish dinners
Stewardship
The Stewardship Commission meets monthly and is made up of parish disciples. It plans the Annual Appreciation Dinner, coordinates the Annual Diocesan Appeal, and hosts gatherings for young couples in the parish. Members attend the Diocesan Stewardship Day each year.
- Stewardship Commission — monthly meetings
- Annual Appreciation Dinner
- Annual Diocesan Appeal
- Young-couples gatherings
- Diocesan Stewardship Day
Visiting & Getting Involved
Newcomers are warmly welcomed at Sacred Heart. The parish office is open Monday–Friday 9:00 am–3:00 pm, and weekend Mass times are Saturday at 5:00 pm and Sunday at 9:00 am. Parishioners sign up for ministries online or after Mass; a parish directory project is regularly promoted, and the parish invites new families to register through the website's contact form.
- Parish Office: Mon–Fri 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
- Address: 1115 South 8th Ave. E, Newton, IA 50208
- Phone: (641) 792-2050
- Website: www.shcnewton.com
- Parish directory sign-ups offered periodically
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas J. McCann (later Msgr.)1910–1960
Philadelphia native educated at Mount St. Mary's College (Emmitsburg), St. Mary's University and Johns Hopkins (Baltimore); served Newton from 1910 to 1960 — fifty years. The McCann Center, dedicated 1969, is named in his memory.
- Rev. William (Bill) Reynoldsapproximately 2023–2026
Named Iowa State Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus in 2014; later became pastor of Sacred Heart-Newton and sacramental minister for Immaculate Conception-Colfax. Honored with a retirement dinner in June 2026 after 'the past two years.'
- Rev. Louis Hammond2026–present
Welcomed as the new pastor of Sacred Heart Parish-Newton and Immaculate Conception Parish-Colfax; celebrated first Masses July 4–5, 2026.