18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners,
Do you know who the architect was for Sacred Heart Church? The lead architect was a man named Zachery Taylor Davis of Chicago. Davis designed the gothic chapel for Quigley Preparatory Seminary in the windy city. In the same year he and his firm designed the new Sacred Heart Church in Moline. How Fr. Culemans contracted with Davis is lost to us in history, but it is impressive that our church has such a prestigious architect.
The architects tried to offer a church design that would remind Belgium immigrants of the churches found in Northern France and in Flanders region of Belgium. Fr. Culemans wanted the parishioners to feel like they were going home when they came to church. We would have to say that he did a good job. Hopefully, our parish church still feels like home.
One fun fact that most people do not know is that Davis was also known for designing sports venues. Two stadiums that his firm designed were Wrigley Field and old Comisky Park in Chicago. I would think this would make baseball fans interested in the preservation of our beautiful church.
Sacred Heart took three years to construct. Many times, people think that the church was constructed in 1906 because of the sign to the right of the entrance of the church, but that sign marks the first year that the parish was in operation. The real cornerstone is on the left side of the entrance of the church. That cornerstone reads 1919. The dedication of the church took place on April 29,1923.
This October we will be commemorating the laying of the cornerstone of the church. We hope that everyone will join us on October 20th. It should be a great party. Watch the bulletin for more information to come.
Blessings,
Fr. Mark DeSutter