About Sacred Heart · Peoria, Illinois
Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic parish in downtown Peoria, Illinois, founded in 1878 by the Capuchin Fathers at the commission of Bishop Spalding. Located at 504 Fulton Street, the parish has long served as a center of worship, Catholic education, and outreach to Peoria's poor. For more than 120 years it was shepherded by Franciscan friars, and in 2015 pastoral leadership was returned to diocesan priests as the parish joined the Heart of Peoria Catholic Community alongside the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, St. Bernard, and St. Joseph. It is famous as the birthplace of what is now Sophia's Kitchen, the largest Catholic soup kitchen in the Diocese of Peoria, and for a striking interior restoration whose Franciscan-themed murals and Romanesque altarpieces have drawn national attention in liturgical-art circles.
- Established
- 1878
- Patron
- The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Father William T. Miller
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is one of the oldest parishes in Peoria and a downtown church where weekday Mass at 12:05 p.m. and Sunday Mass at 11:00 a.m. fit the rhythm of working people in the city center. It is the spiritual home of the long-running Tuesday St. Anthony devotions and the parish where Sophia's Kitchen — the Diocese of Peoria's largest Catholic soup kitchen — was born, so joining Sacred Heart means joining a community with a deeply Franciscan heritage of feeding the hungry. As part of the Heart of Peoria Catholic Community, parishioners also benefit from being linked to the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, St. Bernard, and St. Joseph parishes.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Wednesday 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Friday 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday 7:00 a.m. – 7:25 a.m.
Adoration times
- Friday Adoration at the Spalding Pastoral Center, 419 NE Madison Ave., 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (community-wide, not at the Sacred Heart building)
History of Sacred Heart Parish
Sacred Heart was founded in 1878 by the Capuchin Fathers — Fr. Anthony Schuermann, O.M. Cap., and Fr. Titus Steiner, O.M.Cap. — at the commission of Bishop Spalding. On September 4, 1878, Fr. Anthony bought three lots on Madison and Fulton Streets for $20,000, and the first Masses were celebrated in the newly acquired residence on the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost. On September 19, 1879, contractor Meint F. Meints was awarded the build of the church, school, and monastery, with all three completed in just ninety days. Fr. Schuermann blessed the cornerstone on October 6, 1879, and Bishop Spalding dedicated the completed church on January 11, 1880. The Ursuline sisters moved into the Griswalld residence in 1879 and taught at the parish school from 1880 until 1890; a pipe organ by Schlaudecker was installed in 1883.
- 1878: Founded by Capuchin Fathers at Bishop Spalding's commission
- Sept 4, 1878: Lots 6, 7, and 8 purchased on Madison and Fulton Streets for $20,000
- Oct 6, 1879: Cornerstone blessed by Fr. Anthony Schuermann
- Jan 11, 1880: Sacred Heart Church dedicated by Bishop Spalding
- 1880–1890: Ursuline sisters taught at Sacred Heart School
- 1893: Franciscan Friars Minor assumed pastoral care (served until June 2015)
- 1895: Frame church rotated from Madison Street to face Fulton Street
- Aug 21, 1904: Last services in the original frame church
- May 21, 1905: Cornerstone laid for the present church
- Oct 21, 1906: New church dedicated; old cornerstone inserted near side entrance
- 1912: New organ funded by the Henebery estate
- April 1931: St. Anthony devotions began on Tuesdays
- 2005: Sandwich Program (later Sophia's Kitchen) born; major church renovation launched
- 2010: Sandwich Program relocated and renamed Sophia's Angels Kitchen
- April 1, 2014: Canonical parish erected
- 2015: Pastoral leadership returned to diocesan priests; joined Heart of Peoria Catholic Community
Architecture and Interior Restoration
The present church was built in 1907 and rebuilt between 1919 and 1922. The parish's prevailing architectural character is Romanesque, and a major 2006–2007 restoration, planned as part of the church's centenary preparations, sought to recover that style. Murals by Jericho executed 36 paintings — seven scenes from the life of Christ in the sanctuary, twenty saints of the Americas along the nave, and nine scenes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi — along with a bold red stenciled ceiling and a decorative floor medallion depicting the Sacred Heart. Mazzolini Artcraft installed new Romanesque altars and altarpieces. In 2013, an original wall sculpture of St. Francis's vision of Christ, made in collaboration with Art Studio Demetz of Italy, was added.
- 1907: Current church building constructed
- 1919–1922: Major rebuild
- 2006–2007: Full interior and exterior restoration
- 36 murals by Murals by Jericho (7 Christ scenes, 20 saints of the Americas, 9 St. Francis scenes)
- Romanesque altars and altarpieces by Mazzolini Artcraft
- Decorative red stenciled ceiling and Sacred Heart floor medallion
- 2013: Original wall sculpture of St. Francis's vision of Christ added (with Art Studio Demetz)
Devotions and Other Services
The parish's longest-running devotional tradition is the weekly Tuesday devotions in honor of St. Anthony, begun in April 1931 and still observed after the 12:05 p.m. Mass. Friday Adoration for the wider Heart of Peoria Catholic Community is hosted at the Spalding Pastoral Center rather than at the Sacred Heart building itself.
- St. Anthony devotions — every Tuesday after the 12:05 p.m. Mass (since April 1931)
- Friday Eucharistic Adoration — at the Spalding Pastoral Center, 419 NE Madison Ave., 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Outreach: Sophia's Kitchen and the Sandwich Program
Sacred Heart is famous as the birthplace of what is now Sophia's Kitchen, the largest Catholic soup kitchen in the Diocese of Peoria. The ministry began informally in the summer of 2005, when a friar shared a sandwich with a hungry man. Fr. Clair Bourdereaux, O.F.M., asked parishioners to stay after Mass to make more sack lunches — peanut butter and jelly sandwiches plus a cookie — and the homeless affectionately dubbed it the 'Ring A Bell' program. The Sacred Heart Sandwich Program moved to St. Joseph Hall in 2010 and was renamed Sophia's Angels Kitchen (later Sophia's Kitchen) in memory of Sophia, a young girl whose family helped fund the expansion. Sophia's Kitchen now draws more than 150 volunteers each week, has served over one million sandwiches, and supports a pet-food pantry and a weekly grocery food pantry. Sacred Heart continues to be a hub for Sophia's Lunch Box, the community's Lenten outreach in which filled boxes are distributed at all four Heart of Peoria parishes.
- 2005: Sandwich Program begins at Sacred Heart ('Ring A Bell')
- 2010: Program relocated to St. Joseph Hall; renamed Sophia's Angels Kitchen
- 155+ weekly volunteers at Sophia's Kitchen
- 1,000,000+ sandwiches served since founding
- Pet food pantry and weekly grocery food pantry
- Sophia's Lunch Box — Lenten collection distributed at the four Heart of Peoria parishes
Heart of Peoria Catholic Community
Since 2015, Sacred Heart has been part of the Heart of Peoria Catholic Community, a grouping of four Peoria parishes — the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, St. Bernard, Sacred Heart, and St. Joseph — that share pastoral leadership and resources. Father William T. Miller serves as rector of the Cathedral and as pastor of both St. Bernard and Sacred Heart parishes. Deacon R. Toby Tyler (Senior Status) is also assigned to the linked Sacred Heart and Cathedral parishes.
- Four linked parishes: Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, St. Bernard, Sacred Heart, St. Joseph
- Father William T. Miller — Rector of the Cathedral and Pastor of St. Bernard and Sacred Heart
- Deacon R. Toby Tyler — Senior Status, assigned to Sacred Heart and the Cathedral
- Parish office: 504 Fulton St., Peoria, IL 61602
Sacraments at Sacred Heart
Daily and Sunday Masses are the public face of sacramental life at Sacred Heart, with weekday noon Masses convenient for those who work downtown. Confession is offered four days a week in a dedicated room off the parking-lot entrance, with both face-to-face and screen options. Information on baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick, and other sacraments is handled through the parish office.
- Eucharist: Sun 11:00 a.m.; Mon–Fri 12:05 p.m.; Sat 7:30 a.m.
- Confession: Mon/Wed/Fri 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; Sat 7:00 – 7:25 a.m.
- Face-to-face or screen option at every confession
- Other sacraments (baptism, marriage, anointing, etc.) coordinated through the parish office at 309-673-6317
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Anthony Schuermann, O.M. Cap.1878–
Founding pastor; commissioned by Bishop Spalding; bought the original Fulton/Madison lots for $20,000 and blessed the cornerstone in 1879.
- Fr. Titus Steiner, O.M.Cap.1878–
First assistant pastor alongside Fr. Schuermann.
- Franciscan Friars Minor1893 – June 2015
Pastoral care of Sacred Heart for 122 years, succeeding the founding Capuchins.
- Fr. Clair Bourdereaux, O.F.M.
Expanded the 2005 'Ring A Bell' sandwich ministry into a parish-wide program.
- Fr. Larry Zurek, O.F.M.
Led the full 2005–2007 renovation of the church interior and exterior.
- Father William T. Miller2020–
Named rector of St. Mary's Cathedral and pastor of St. Bernard and Sacred Heart parishes in 2020; leads Sacred Heart under the Heart of Peoria Catholic Community.