About Sacred Heart · Pomeroy, Ohio
Sacred Heart Church is a historic Catholic parish in Pomeroy, Ohio, the county seat of Meigs County in Appalachian southeastern Ohio. Founded in 1849 by German Catholic immigrants who had come to work in the region's coal mines, the parish is today the only Catholic church still open in Meigs County and is served as part of the Athens Catholic Community sharing a pastor with the Athens-area parishes. The present Gothic sandstone church, built in 1898–99 on the site of a former orphanage, is also the birthplace of the orphanage that grew into the Pontifical College Josephinum — one of only two pontifical colleges in the United States. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Steubenville.
- Established
- 1849
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Fr. Mark Moore
- Diocese
- Diocese of Steubenville
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers a small, close-knit Catholic community in Pomeroy and the wider Meigs County area — the only Catholic church still open in the county, so it serves Catholics across a wide rural stretch of Appalachian southeastern Ohio. The parish maintains a full sacramental rhythm with daily Mass on Wednesdays and Fridays, a Saturday vigil and Sunday morning Mass, First Friday and First Saturday Masses, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, regular Confession, and a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Worshipping here means joining a parish with deep roots — a community founded by 19th-century German immigrant miners whose pastor went on to found the orphanage that became the Pontifical College Josephinum — and a church building of striking local-sandstone Gothic architecture that has stood on Mulberry Avenue since 1899.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
- Anytime by request or appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (in the church)
About Sacred Heart Parish
Sacred Heart Church is a Catholic parish in Pomeroy, Ohio, the county seat of Meigs County in Appalachian southeastern Ohio, and the only Catholic church still open in Meigs County. Founded in 1849, the parish today belongs to the Diocese of Steubenville and shares its pastor with the Athens-area parishes of the Athens Catholic Community.
- Address: 161 Mulberry Avenue, Pomeroy, OH 45769
- Diocese: Steubenville
- Deanery: Nativity of Mary (per GCatholic)
- Founded: 1849
- Current church: 1898–1899 Gothic sandstone building
History
The parish traces its origins to 1837, when four German Catholic families arrived in Pomeroy to work the coal mines. After a quarter-century of growth, 46 parishioners gathered in 1848 to plan a dedicated church, and in 1849 Fr. Theophile Kraft became the first resident pastor and built a wooden church on Mulberry Avenue from trees cut on Lincoln Hill. The community added a school in 1862 (basement) and a brick schoolhouse for 200 children in 1866 under four Sisters of Charity.
The Jessing Era and the Birth of the Josephinum
Fr. Joseph Jessing arrived in 1870 from Germany and almost immediately founded St. Joseph's Orphanage and the German-language newspaper Ohio Waisenfreund to publicize the work. By 1876 the orphanage had grown so much that Fr. N. N. Kempen had to take over parish duties so Jessing could focus entirely on the orphans. In 1877 Jessing moved the operation to Columbus, where it eventually became the Pontifical College Josephinum — one of only two pontifical colleges in the United States. The old orphanage building on Mulberry Avenue was later demolished, and the present church was built on its site in 1898–99.
- St. Joseph's Orphanage (founded by Fr. Jessing, 1870s)
- Ohio Waisenfreund (German-language newspaper)
- Pontifical College Josephinum (one of two pontifical colleges in the U.S.)
Building the 1899 Church
By 1897 the original wooden church was no longer adequate. The parish resolved to build a new church on the old orphanage site, construction began in spring 1898, and the cornerstone was laid by Bishop John Watterson of Columbus on May 22, 1898. Architect Fred Heer of Dubuque, Iowa, designed the Gothic Revival structure of local sandstone; it was consecrated on November 5, 1899 by diocesan administrator Francis Specht at a total cost of $42,000. The church stands 157 feet tall and remains the parish's home today.
- Architect: Fred Heer, Dubuque, Iowa
- Cornerstone: May 22, 1898 (Bishop John Watterson)
- Consecration: November 5, 1899 (Francis Specht)
- Cost: $42,000
- Height: 157 feet
- Material: local sandstone
Twentieth Century and the Diocese of Steubenville
In 1923 Fr. Theodore Igel — a native son of Sacred Heart and one of the first Josephinum seminarians — became pastor; he died of a tumor in 1927 and is buried in the parish cemetery. In 1944 the parish was transferred from the Diocese of Columbus to the newly created Diocese of Steubenville. The parish school, which had closed in 1904, was re-established in 1908 and made free in 1914 under Fr. Cornelius Schneider, but was permanently closed in 1958 due to declining enrollment. Since July 2016, Sacred Heart has shared its pastor with the Athens County parishes as part of the Athens Catholic Community.
Clergy & Staff
The parish is pastored as part of the four-parish Athens Catholic Community, which combines Sacred Heart in Pomeroy with Christ the King and St. Paul in Athens, Holy Cross in Glouster, and St. Mary of the Hills in Buchtel under shared pastoral leadership.
- Fr. Mark Moore — Pastor (named pastor of the Athens Catholic Community on July 1, 2013 by Bishop Jeffrey Monforton; took on Sacred Heart in July 2016, and added Holy Cross and St. Mary of the Hills in July 2019)
Sacramental & Devotional Life
In addition to the daily and Sunday Mass schedule, Sacred Heart maintains the traditional devotional rhythm of a parish named for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, including weekly Eucharistic Adoration, regular opportunities for Confession, the Anointing of the Sick on First Fridays, and a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
- Confession: Saturday 3:30–4:00 PM, Sunday 8:30–9:00 AM, and anytime by request or appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesday 9:00–10:00 AM
- Anointing of the Sick: after the 8:30 AM First Friday Mass
- Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Parish Life & Communication
Parishioners can stay connected through the Athens Catholic Community Flocknote system, which lets families sign up for ministry group updates and spiritual growth opportunities. Parish offices are part of the combined Athens Catholic Community offices, and Sunday and Saturday vigil Masses are livestreamed through the Christ the King, Athens feed at athenscatholic.org/church-livestream.
- Flocknote: text FOMO to 845-76 to join
- Livestream: athenscatholic.org/church-livestream
- Office contact: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Theophile Kraft1849–
First resident pastor; built the original wooden church on Mulberry Avenue.
- Fr. John Albrinck1854–1858 and 1863–1864
Pastored Sacred Heart in two stints; later founded Saint Gregory Seminary in Cincinnati in 1890.
- Fr. Tappertserved by 1862
Opened the parish school in the church basement during his pastorate.
- Fr. Joseph Jessing1870–1876
Arrived from Germany; founded St. Joseph's Orphanage and the German-language Ohio Waisenfreund; his work later became the Pontifical College Josephinum.
- Fr. N. N. Kempenfrom 1876
Took over parish administration so Fr. Jessing could focus on the orphans.
- Fr. Cornelius Schneiderby 1914
Made the parish school free during his pastorate.
- Fr. Theodore Igel1923–1927
Native son of the parish, one of the first Josephinum seminarians; died of a tumor in office; buried in the parish cemetery.