About Sacred Heart · Sabetha, Kansas
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a parish in Sabetha, Kansas, part of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, and one of three rural parishes served together from Sabetha (with St. Augustine in Fidelity and St. James in Wetmore). Originally dedicated in 1923 and rebuilt with a new church dedicated in 1993, it serves a small but longstanding Catholic community in Nemaha County. The parish offers weekend and daily Mass in English, regular confession, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and a prayer ministry that prays with parishioners after Sunday Mass. Sacred Heart is anchored by a parish school (Sacred Heart School, Sabetha) and lives out a close-knit rural Catholic identity under the patronage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Joel Haug
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is the spiritual home of a close-knit rural Catholic community in northeast Kansas, part of a three-parish cluster (with St. Augustine, Fidelity, and St. James, Wetmore) served from Sabetha. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a parish that offers daily and weekend Mass in English, weekly Eucharested Adoration, regular confession, a parish school, and a Prayer Ministry Team that prays with anyone who asks. It is a parish with deep roots — dating to 1883 — that has steadily grown from about 18 families in 1923 to a thriving 1990s-built church serving today's families.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 7:30-8:00 AM at Sacred Heart
- Saturday: 2:45-3:45 PM at Sacred Heart
- Sundays following Mass at Sacred Heart, as the pastor's schedule allows
- Other times by appointment with the pastor
Adoration times
- Sunday: 9:15 AM to 10:15 AM at Sacred Heart
- Saturday: 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM at Sacred Heart
- Weekly 24-hour Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Friday at 4:00 PM through the 4:00 PM Saturday Mass (with the first Friday/Saturday of each month held at the sister parishes instead)
History of Sacred Heart Parish, Sabetha
Sacred Heart traces its roots to 1879, when Sabetha's Catholics first asked for a church of their own. Bishop Louis Fink granted permission to build in 1883, and a frame church was erected; a priest from St. Mary's, Seneca, traveled the long horse-and-buggy routes to celebrate Mass in Sabetha, Fidelity, and surrounding missions. The mission struggled and was actually closed from 1896 until 1920, when Dr. Samuel Murdock's gift of his hospital to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia re-opened Catholic worship in Sabetha. Father A.J. Wasinger's arrival in 1921 energized the parish, and the first Sacred Heart Church was dedicated in 1923 — known by that name by stipulation of the Extension Society. After steady growth through the 1940s and 70s, the parish under Rev. Conrad Pillar, O.S.B. built and dedicated a new, larger church on October 10, 1993.
- 1879: Sabetha Catholics begin asking for their own church
- 1883: Bishop Louis Fink grants permission; frame church is built
- 1896–1920: No regular Mass in Sabetha (parishioners travel to Fidelity)
- 1920: Dr. Samuel Murdock donates his hospital to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia
- 1921: Father A.J. Wasinger arrives and leads the drive to build a parish church
- 1923: First Sacred Heart Church dedicated during Father Boland's tenure
- 1940s: Significant growth; improvements made to the original church
- 1970s: Parish reaches approximately 89 families
- 1988: Rev. Conrad Pillar, O.S.B., assigned to Sabetha
- Aug 30, 1992: Groundbreaking for new church
- Oct 10, 1993: New Sacred Heart Church dedicated
Leadership & Clergy
Sacred Heart is currently served by Rev. Joel Haug, who was assigned in 2023 to lead the Sabetha/Fidelity/Wetmore cluster. He succeeded Father Jaime (Jamie) Zarse, who was reassigned to Sacred Heart of Jesus in Shawnee by Archbishop Naumann in 2023. Other pastors remembered in the parish's story include Father A.J. Wasinger (1921), Father Boland (at the 1923 dedication), Rev. Conrad Pillar O.S.B. (from 1988), and Rev. Kent O'Connor (2007–2009).
- Rev. Joel Haug — current pastor (assigned 2023)
- Rev. Jaime Zarse — pastor until 2023
- Rev. Kent O'Connor — pastor 2007–2009
- Rev. Conrad Pillar, O.S.B. — pastor from 1988
- Father A.J. Wasinger — arrived 1921, led the building of the first church
- Father Boland — pastored at the 1923 dedication
Prayer Ministry
Sacred Heart's Prayer Ministry Team gathers after Sunday Mass to pray with anyone who would like intercessory prayer. The team also runs a prayer chain and accepts confidential prayer requests via email or phone.
- Prayer Ministry Team available every Sunday after Mass
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone/text: Jennifer Nagely, (785) 285-0040
Sacred Heart School
Sacred Heart School in Sabetha has long been associated with the parish and is listed in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas directory under the parish name (Founded: 1923).
- Sacred Heart School, Sabetha — archdiocesan listing
The Three-Parish Cluster
Sacred Heart in Sabetha is the hub of a three-parish cluster in northeast Kansas. The other two parishes — St. Augustine in Fidelity and St. James in Wetmore — are served from Sabetha and share the same pastor, the same website, and the same secretary's email.
- Sacred Heart, Sabetha (Nemaha County) — weekend Mass: Sat 4:00 PM, Sun 10:30 AM
- St. Augustine, Fidelity (Brown County) — Sunday 8:30 AM
- St. James, Wetmore (Nemaha County) — Saturday 6:30 PM, Wednesday 8:00 AM
Visit, Contact & Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at the church address on S. 12th Street in Sabetha; the rectory is a short distance away on S. 14th. The parish shares one secretary's email across the three-parish cluster.
- Parish Office: 1031 S. 12th Street, Sabetha, KS 66534 — 785-284-0888 (fax 785-284-2913)
- Rectory: 1042 S. 14th Street, Sabetha, KS 66534 — 785-284-3068
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://nekansascatholics.org/sacred-heart
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Father Timothy (from Seneca)
Missionary priest from Seneca who served the early Sabetha mission in the 1880s-1890s
- Father A.J. Wasinger1921-
Arrived in Sabetha in 1921 and rallied the Catholics to build the first parish church
- Father Bolandcirca 1923
Pastored Sacred Heart at the time of its original dedication in 1923
- Rev. Conrad Pillar, O.S.B.1988-
Assigned to Sabetha in 1988; shepherded the parish through its later growth
- Rev. Kent O'Connor2007-2009
Pastor of the Sacred Heart/Fidelity/Wetmore cluster; later pastor of Our Lady of Unity (KCK) and Good Shepherd (Shawnee)
- Rev. Jaime (Jamie) Zarseuntil 2023
Pastor of the Sabetha/Fidelity/Wetmore cluster before 2023; reassigned by Archbishop Naumann to Sacred Heart of Jesus, Shawnee, in 2023
- Rev. Joel Haug2023-present
Assigned in 2023 from St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, and Bishop Ward High School chaplaincy