About Sacred Heart Oratory · Wilmington, Delaware
Sacred Heart Oratory is a Roman Catholic oratory located at 917 North Madison Street in Wilmington, Delaware, within the Diocese of Wilmington. Founded in 1874 by German-speaking Catholics and served for generations by Benedictine priests, the historic church was closed in 1996 after Interstate 95 cut through the parish. It was re-opened in 1998 as Sacred Heart Oratory, Inc. under the pastoral care of the Capuchin Franciscan friars of the Ministry of Caring, with Brother Ronald Giannone, OFM Cap. as Priest in Charge. Today the oratory serves as both a place of weekday and Sunday worship and a hub of the Ministry of Caring's outreach in West Center City, where the surrounding 'Sacred Heart Village' includes senior housing, a child care center, and a community center.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Ronald Giannone, OFM Cap. (Priest in Charge)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wilmington
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Oratory is a living piece of Wilmington's Catholic history, an architecturally stunning 19th-century Romanesque Revival church kept alive by a Capuchin Franciscan community devoted to the city's poorest. Parishioners worship in a sanctuary filled with nearly 50 stained glass windows under a soaring 65-foot-wide ceiling, with daily noon Mass Monday through Friday and a Sunday 9:00 a.m. Mass that draws a multi-ethnic, multi-generational crowd. Beyond the liturgy, the oratory anchors Sacred Heart Village — 78 units of affordable senior housing, an infant day care, and a community center — so belonging to Sacred Heart means being part of a neighborhood where worship and service to God's poor are woven together in the Roman Catholic tradition.
Mass times at Sacred Heart Oratory
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday: following the noon daily Mass
Adoration times
- Thursdays: following the noon daily Mass until 1:00 p.m.
About Sacred Heart Oratory
Sacred Heart Oratory is a Roman Catholic oratory in West Center City, Wilmington, Delaware, within the Diocese of Wilmington. Its mission, as stated on the parish's own website, is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to invite men and women of good will to worship and study Scripture in the Roman Catholic tradition, and to witness the Good News to its neighbors with an emphasis on evangelization and positive change in the lives of God's poor. Mass is offered every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and Monday through Friday at noon, and the oratory is surrounded by the Ministry of Caring's Sacred Heart Village — a 'village' of senior housing, child care, and community services.
History of the Oratory
The parish traces its origins to 1874, when the German Catholics of Wilmington had been without a German-speaking priest for fifteen years. The Rev. Wendelin M. Mayer, OSB, arrived that summer, celebrated a German Mass within eight days, and bought the old circus grounds on West 10th Street, between Madison and Monroe. The cornerstone was laid on August 16, 1874. Father Wendelin and his parishioners dug the basement by hand, and at its dedication in April 1875 nearly 2,000 people waited hours in the sun to enter. He died of consumption in 1881 at age 49, two years before the upper church was dedicated on September 2, 1883, by Bishop Thomas A. Becker. Under Father Sylvester Joerg, OSB (from 1891), the parish grew beyond its German roots into a packed, multi-ethnic church with an adult choir and full orchestra.
The I-95 Years, Closure, and Rebirth as an Oratory
In the 1970s, the construction of Interstate 95 cut directly through the parish and Sunday Mass attendance dwindled. The Benedictines asked the Bishop to close the church as a parish, and invited the Capuchin Friars of the newly-founded Ministry of Caring to purchase the whole city block — church, rectory and school. With help from MBNA America, the property was acquired and the school building was combined with new construction to create Sacred Heart Village, a 78-unit affordable housing complex for senior citizens. The church itself was closed in 1996, completely renovated, and re-opened in 1998 as Sacred Heart Oratory, Inc., under the Capuchin-run Ministry of Caring.
Architecture of the Church
Sacred Heart is a Romanesque Revival church, begun in 1875 and dedicated in 1883. Among the features highlighted on the oratory's own website are nearly 50 exquisite stained glass windows and a 65-foot-wide sanctuary ceiling; the walls rise to about 70 feet, and Father Wendelin reportedly placed medals of St. Benedict between the bricks as they were laid. A later renovation reconfigured the sanctuary to current Catholic liturgical practice: the altar rail was removed, a new platform allowed the altar and ambo to be relocated within the nave, fixed pews were reconfigured into moveable seating adjacent to the new altar and ambo, the tabernacle was moved to the original altar in the former sanctuary, and the historic stained glass windows and murals were carefully restored, along with new finishes, lighting and HVAC.
Parish Staff and Pastoral Team
Sacred Heart Oratory is served by Capuchin Franciscan friars. The Priest in Charge is Rev. Ronald (Brother Ronald) Giannone, OFM Cap., founder and executive director of the Ministry of Caring. He is assisted by Rev. Amanuel Woldegebriel, OFM Cap., and Rev. Surya Mallick, OFM Cap. Thomas W. Allen serves as Pastoral Assistant and Cantor, and Robert S. Wallace II is the parish Organist. Annie Halverson is listed as the primary contact person in the diocesan directory.
- Rev. Ronald Giannone, OFM Cap. — Priest in Charge
- Rev. Amanuel Woldegebriel, OFM Cap.
- Rev. Surya Mallick, OFM Cap.
- Thomas W. Allen — Pastoral Assistant and Cantor
- Robert S. Wallace II — Organist
- Annie Halverson — contact ([email protected])
Children's Religious Education and RCIA
The oratory offers formation for both children and adults. Children's Religious Education sessions meet on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (immediately after the 9:00 a.m. Mass). Adults interested in the Catholic faith or in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults are invited to contact the pastoral team at (302) 428-3658 or by email at [email protected].
- Children's Religious Education: Sundays, 10:00 a.m.
- RCIA: contact (302) 428-3658 or [email protected]
Sacred Heart Village and the Ministry of Caring
The oratory does not stand alone. The surrounding block — the former parish school, the historic convent, the former rectory, and the former Sacred Heart Hall — has been redeveloped into a 'village' of services for the poor of West Center City, all under the umbrella of the Ministry of Caring. Sacred Heart Village houses 82 seniors in 78 affordable apartments, and offers a café, a convenience store, a beauty salon, and a computer network center. The historic convent now houses Il Bambino, an infant day care center for low-income families. The Francis X. Norton Community Center operates in the former Sacred Heart Hall, and the former rectory is now the Ministry of Caring's offices for evangelization and administration.
- Sacred Heart Village — 78-unit affordable senior housing (82 residents)
- Il Bambino — infant day care for low-income families (in the old convent)
- Francis X. Norton Community Center — in the former Sacred Heart Hall
- Ministry of Caring offices (evangelization and administration) — in the former rectory
- On-site café, convenience store, beauty salon, and computer network center
Weddings and Other Sacraments
Use of Sacred Heart Oratory as a wedding venue is generally reserved for oratory members, though exceptions can be made by speaking to the pastoral team. As a diocesan oratory, the church continues to keep sacramental records: records from 1874 to 1948 are held in the Diocesan Archives, and records from 1949 to 1996 are at the Cathedral of Saint Peter. Arrangements for baptisms, marriages and funerals are made through the oratory office.
- Weddings: generally for oratory members; exceptions through the pastoral team
- Sacramental records 1874–1948: Diocesan Archives
- Sacramental records 1949–1996: Cathedral of Saint Peter
Visit, Contact, and Office Hours
The oratory is located at 917 North Madison Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801, in the West Center City neighborhood. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The parish phone number is (302) 428-3658, and the principal email contact is [email protected] (with Annie Halverson also listed at [email protected]). Visitors and those interested in learning more about the Catholic faith or attending RCIA are warmly invited to reach out.
- Address: 917 North Madison Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
- Phone: (302) 428-3658
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Email: [email protected] (or [email protected])
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Wendelin M. Mayer, OSB1874–1881
Founder; arrived in Wilmington in 1874, laid the cornerstone Aug. 16, 1874, and built the German Catholic parish but died of consumption in 1881 at age 49 before the church was dedicated.
- Rev. Sylvester Joerg, OSBfrom 1891
Director and pastor who broadened the parish beyond its German roots; under his leadership the church reached its heyday with a full orchestra, tuxedoed ushers, and packed Christmas midnight Masses.
- Rev. Ronald Giannone, OFM Cap.from 1998
Priest in Charge after the oratory was re-opened in 1998 under the Capuchin-run Ministry of Caring, of which he is founder and executive director.