About Sacred Heart of Jesus Church · Albany, New York
Sacred Heart of Jesus is a historic Catholic parish in the North Albany (North End) neighborhood of Albany, New York, founded in 1874 by Bishop Francis J. McNeirney to serve the area's growing Irish immigrant community. The present church at 33 Walter Street was dedicated on May 23, 1880, and for 151 years was the spiritual and social cornerstone of North Albany. In 1994 the parish absorbed the Vietnamese Apostolate from the closed St. Joseph's Parish, which saved the church from closure and remains a vital part of the community. In August 2025 the Diocese of Albany suppressed regular Sunday Mass at the parish as part of a diocesan restructuring, but the church remains open for daily prayer, adoration, devotions and a robust outreach ministry including a food pantry and free lunch program.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Jim Walsh
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
Sacred Heart remains the spiritual and social heart of North Albany. Even after the diocese ended regular Sunday Mass in August 2025, the parish continues an unusually full lay-led life: the church is open four mornings a week for quiet prayer, Adoration is held the First Friday of every month, the Rosary is prayed in the chapel every Monday evening, and a Monday-evening Mass continues to be celebrated. Outreach is the parish's signature witness — a food pantry serving neighbors on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a sit-down 'Friendship Table' hot lunch at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays have fed generations of North End families, and the parish's roots among Irish immigrants and its later embrace of the Vietnamese Apostolate in 1994 give it a rare multicultural identity. It is also the church featured in William Kennedy's Pulitzer-winning novel Ironweed, and the City of Albany has honored it by renaming part of Walter Street 'Sacred Heart of Jesus Way.'
Mass times at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- First Friday of each month (during parish open hours 10:00 am – 12:00 noon)
Parish History
Sacred Heart Parish was founded in 1874 by Bishop Francis J. McNeirney to serve the Irish immigrant population of North Albany. The first church was a temporary wooden building at 25 Erie Street constructed in a week by parishioners under Father Francis J. Maguire; the first Mass was celebrated there on August 16, 1874. The cornerstone of the present church was laid in 1876 at Walter and North Second Streets and the building was dedicated on May 23, 1880, by which time the parish had nearly 2,000 members. Almost all of the original parishioners — including Irish laborers and railroad workers — personally worked on the excavation and construction.
- Founded 1874 by Bishop Francis J. McNeirney
- First Mass celebrated August 16, 1874
- Cornerstone of permanent church laid 1876
- Church dedicated May 23, 1880
- Parishioners themselves built the present church
The Irish Heritage of North Albany
Sacred Heart was the institutional cornerstone of Albany's North End, a blue-collar neighborhood of Irish immigrants who worked in the lumber district and on the railroads. The parish ran the Edwin Corning Homes, providing temporary housing for veterans beginning in 1953, and opened Sacred Heart School in the fall of 1959. Generations of North Albany children went through both. The parish has produced civic leaders, war veterans going back to the Civil War, and at least one Pulitzer-winning author: William Kennedy's novel Ironweed features the church as a North Albany landmark.
- Edwin Corning Homes (1953) — temporary housing for veterans
- Sacred Heart School opened fall 1959
- Featured in William Kennedy's Pulitzer-winning novel 'Ironweed'
The Vietnamese Apostolate
In 1994 the Diocese of Albany merged the Vietnamese Apostolate from the closing St. Joseph's Parish on Ten Broeck Street into Sacred Heart. The Vietnamese Catholic community immediately became a vital part of the parish and is widely credited with saving the church from closure. Vietnamese-language Mass remains central to the parish's liturgical life, and the Vietnamese Catholic Community of the Diocese of Albany continues to call the Sacred Heart church its home.
- Vietnamese Apostolate absorbed 1994 from St. Joseph's Parish
- Vietnamese-language Mass celebrated at the parish
- Host of the Vietnamese Catholic Community of the Diocese of Albany
Parish Clergy and Staff
The current pastor is Rev. Jim Walsh, who also leads the linked St. Pius X parish in Loudonville. Deacon Walter Ayres assists at Sacred Heart. Historically, Deacon Bill Gorman was the parish's first permanent deacon, named in 1997 by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, and is credited with launching the parish's late-20th-century revival including repairs to the stairs and belfry.
- Rev. Jim Walsh, Pastor
- Deacon Walter Ayres
- Linked pastorally with St. Pius X, Loudonville
Faith Formation and Catholic Education
Religious education has been a Sacred Heart ministry since 1929, when the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet started the parish's catechetical program. The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary arrived in 1950 and Father John J. Gaffigan built them a convent. In the fall of 1959 Sacred Heart School opened, educating generations of North Albany children before ultimately closing in the consolidation era.
- Catechetical program begun 1929 by Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
- Presentation Sisters arrived 1950
- Convent built under Father Gaffigan
- Sacred Heart School opened fall 1959
Worship, Prayer and Devotions
Following the diocese's August 2025 suppression of regular Sunday Mass, Sacred Heart has reorganized around prayer, adoration and a Monday-evening Mass. The church is open for quiet prayer and candle lighting every Sunday and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. Adoration is celebrated the First Friday of each month, and the Rosary is prayed in the chapel every Monday at 5:30 pm, followed by a 6:00 pm Mass. The parish remains a worship site for the Vietnamese Catholic Community.
- Church open Sundays, and Mon/Wed/Fri 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
- Adoration — First Friday of each month
- Rosary in the Chapel — Mondays 5:30 pm
- Weekday Mass — Mondays 6:00 pm
Outreach: Food Pantry and Friendship Table
Outreach is the parish's signature apostolate. Sister Sara Kirsch, CSJ, founded the food pantry and free-lunch program that continues today. The food pantry operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays and serves mostly single mothers and working-poor families; the sit-down Friendship Table at 11:30 am on Wednesdays serves a hot meal with real plates and silverware, and on busy weeks feeds about 100 people. The parish also hosts a fundraiser marathon reading of William Kennedy's works each year in support of the food pantry.
- Food pantry — Tuesdays and Thursdays
- Friendship Table free hot lunch — Wednesdays 11:30 am
- Founded by Sister Sara Kirsch, CSJ
- Annual William Kennedy marathon reading fundraiser
150th Anniversary and the 2025 Suppression of Sunday Mass
Sacred Heart marked 150 years in 2024 with a Mass of Celebration on August 17 presided over by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger. The City of Albany Common Council proclaimed the anniversary and renamed a portion of Walter Street between North First and North Third Streets 'Sacred Heart of Jesus Way.' On August 17, 2025 — 151 years and one day after the founding — Bishop Scharfenberger celebrated the last regularly scheduled Sunday Mass at the parish as the diocese formally suppressed weekly Sunday Mass as part of a diocesan-wide financial and maintenance restructuring. Unlike suppressed parishes that fully close, Sacred Heart remains open as a prayer and outreach site, with Rev. Jim Walsh continuing as pastor and the parish linked with St. Pius X in Loudonville.
- 150th anniversary Mass celebrated August 17, 2024
- Walter Street renamed 'Sacred Heart of Jesus Way' by Albany Common Council
- Sunday Mass suppressed by Diocese of Albany in August 2025
- Church remains open for prayer, adoration, devotions and outreach
- Linked pastorally with St. Pius X, Loudonville
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach Sacred Heart by phone at (518) 434-0680 or by email at [email protected]. The parish keeps an active Facebook page under the name 'Sacred Heart of Jesus North Albany' for event updates. Genealogy record requests can also be emailed to the parish office.
- Phone: (518) 434-0680
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: Sacred Heart of Jesus North Albany
- Website: parishes.rcda.org/sacredheartofjesus/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Francis J. Maguire1874–
First pastor; directed construction of the temporary wooden church on Erie Street and oversaw the building of the permanent church.
- Father Ernest P. Neville1928–
Appointed pastor after the church was closed for a year; led a major interior renovation including the marble pulpit and altar railing, with marble imported from Pietrasanta, Italy.
- Father John J. Gaffigan1947–1969
Built the Presentation Sisters' convent and oversaw the parish's mid-century growth including the 1953 Edwin Corning Homes for veterans and the 1959 opening of Sacred Heart School.
- Father Kofi Amissahbefore 1997
Departed Sacred Heart to form St. Joan of Arc parish in Menands; his departure preceded a period of financial difficulty.
- Rev. Jim Walsh
Current pastor; linked the parish in a network with St. Pius X in Loudonville and challenged the community to remain 'the cornerstone of North Albany' amid diocesan restructuring.