About Sacred Heart of Jesus · Evansville, Indiana
Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of three historic worship sites that make up St. Boniface Parish on Evansville's west side. Founded in 1885 by Bishop Francis Silas Chatard of Indianapolis to serve the Irish Catholic families of the Independence neighborhood, the parish was originally housed in a church at Tenth and Iowa streets, then moved to West Franklin Street in 1914. The present church, dedicated April 14, 1929, was designed by the architectural firm Fowler & Legeman and modeled after the Chapel of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago. Since 2014, Sacred Heart has been united with the neighboring former St. Boniface and St. Agnes parishes into the single territorial St. Boniface Parish, where it continues as an active worship site, including a weekly Sunday Latin Mass.
- Established
- 1885
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Fr. Christopher Droste
- Diocese
- Diocese of Evansville
Why belong here
Worshippers at Sacred Heart find a living connection to Evansville's 19th-century Irish Catholic heritage on the city's west side. The parish keeps a beautiful 1928 church modeled on the chapel at Mundelein Seminary in active use for Sunday Mass and a weekly Sunday Latin Mass (Missale Romanum of 1962), along with a Monday evening Mass paired with Eucharistic Adoration and First Friday all-day Adoration. As one of three campuses of St. Boniface Parish, Sacred Heart offers a small, historic worship site alongside the wider parish's faith formation programs, OCIA, Catholic school, and active outreach.
Mass times at Sacred Heart of Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before each Mass
- Monday 6:30–7:30 PM (before the 7:30 PM Mass)
- Sunday 7:00–7:20 AM (before the 7:30 AM Mass)
- Friday 7:00–7:20 AM (before the 7:30 AM Mass)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Monday 6:30 PM (followed by 7:30 PM Mass)
- First Friday of the month, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sacred Heart of Jesus — Historic Church on Evansville's West Side
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church stands at 2701 W. Franklin Street in Evansville, Indiana, as one of three worship sites in the merged St. Boniface Parish. Built in 1928 and dedicated on April 14, 1929, the present church was modeled on the Chapel of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago and designed by the Evansville firm Fowler & Legeman. The parish itself dates to 1885, when Bishop Francis Silas Chatard established it for the Irish Catholic families of the Independence neighborhood, and it has served west-side Catholics in some form ever since.
- Founded 1885 by Bishop Chatard for the Irish Catholic community of Independence
- Original church at Tenth and Iowa streets
- Present church built 1928, dedicated April 14, 1929
- Cost of construction: $102,000
Mass and Liturgy at Sacred Heart
Within St. Boniface Parish, Sacred Heart Church keeps a distinctive schedule that includes both a traditional English Sunday Mass and a weekly Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form. The Sunday 12:00 PM Mass uses the 1962 Missale Romanum, one of the few regular Latin Masses in the Evansville area. A weekday Mass is celebrated at Sacred Heart on Monday evenings (paired with Adoration) and Friday mornings, fitting alongside the Masses at the parish's other two campuses.
- Sunday 7:30 AM — English
- Sunday 12:00 PM — Latin (1962 Missale Romanum)
- Monday 7:30 PM (with Adoration at 6:30 PM)
- Friday 7:30 AM
- First Saturday 8:00 AM at the St. Boniface Grotto
St. Boniface Parish — The Merged Community
Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Boniface, and St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr were unified on July 1, 2014 by decree of Bishop Charles C. Thompson (issued September 27, 2013) into a single territorial parish that took the name St. Boniface Parish. The two retiring pastors — Fr. Kenneth Herr (St. Boniface) and Fr. David Nunning (Sacred Heart and St. Agnes) — stepped down on June 30, 2014, and Deacon David Seibert was named the first Parish Life Coordinator, with Fr. Phil Kreilein as Moderator. All three historic churches remain open and continue to host regular Masses, sacraments, and parish life, preserving the distinct cultures and traditions of the former parishes.
- Decree issued September 27, 2013 by Bishop Charles C. Thompson
- Merger effective July 1, 2014
- Deacon David Seibert — first Parish Life Coordinator
- Fr. Phil Kreilein — Moderator
- Fr. Brian Emmick — first Associate Pastor (later Fr. Simon Natha, then Fr. Anthony Govind from June 2016)
Staff and Clergy
The merged parish is led by Fr. Christopher Droste as pastor, supported by Fr. Lowell Will as Senior Priest in Residence and Deacon Rocky (Robert) Mattingly as parish deacon. The parish also employs a Director of Religious Education, a Director of Operations, a bookkeeper, and an administrative assistant, and runs Westside Catholic School across two campuses.
- Pastor — Fr. Christopher Droste (named pastor June 29, 2021)
- Senior Priest in Residence — Fr. Lowell Will
- Parish Deacon — Deacon Rocky Mattingly
- Director of Religious Education — Jenny Mayer
- Director of Operations — Jamie Wicks
- Bookkeeper — Denise Lehman
- Administrative Assistant — Erin Gries
History of the Three Worship Sites
The three campuses of St. Boniface Parish each carry a distinct immigrant-era Catholic heritage. St. Boniface (1881) was established for German-speaking families in the Independence area and rebuilt after a devastating 1902 Holy Saturday fire; its present 1902 church is on the National Register of Historic Places and houses the 1914 Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto below. Sacred Heart of Jesus (1885) served the Irish Catholic community in Independence. St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (1892) began as a missionary parish served by the Sacred Heart pastor for the Catholic families of the small railroad community of Howell; its present church was built in 1952 and dedicated in January 1953.
- St. Boniface — est. 1881, German Catholic; current church 1902; National Register of Historic Places
- Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto — built 1914 beneath St. Boniface Church
- Sacred Heart of Jesus — est. 1885, Irish Catholic
- St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr — est. 1892, Howell railroad community; current church 1952/1953
Westside Catholic School
The merged parish operates Westside Catholic School across two of its campuses, providing Catholic primary education to the west-side community. The school is led by two campus principals working with the pastor and parish staff.
- St. Agnes Campus — Principal Sr. Catherine Stewart
- St. Boniface Campus — Principal Jessica Zavala
- Office: (812) 423-9115 (St. Agnes) / (812) 422-1014 (St. Boniface)
Faith Formation and OCIA
Religious Education for children and the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) for those seeking full entry into the Catholic Church are coordinated at the parish level under the Director of Religious Education. The parish recently adjusted its Wednesday 5:30 PM Mass to the St. Boniface campus specifically so the priest could more easily serve and support the OCIA team.
- Director of Religious Education — Jenny Mayer
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Religious Education program for parish children
Visiting and Contact
Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the three worship sites of St. Boniface Parish. The parish office, reachable at (812) 423-1721, is open Monday through Thursday (typically 7:30 AM–3:00 PM) and serves Sacred Heart Church at 2701 W. Franklin St., St. Agnes Church at 1600/1626 Glendale Ave., and St. Boniface Church at 418 N. Wabash Ave., all in Evansville, IN 47712.
- Parish phone: (812) 423-1721
- Email: [email protected]
- Web: saintbonifaceparish.org
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:30 AM–3:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. David Nunninguntil 2014
Last pastor of the former Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (and of St. Agnes); retired June 30, 2014 at the merger into St. Boniface Parish.
- Deacon David Seibert2014
Appointed Parish Life Coordinator to lead the newly merged St. Boniface Parish on July 1, 2014.
- Fr. Phil Kreilein2014–?
Appointed Moderator of St. Boniface Parish at the 2014 merger.
- Fr. Anthony Govindfrom June 2016
Replaced Fr. Simon Natha as a priest assigned to the merged parish.
- Fr. Christopher Drostefrom June 29, 2021
Named pastor of St. Boniface Parish by Bishop Joseph M. Siegel.