The Sacred Heart Church building has been a part of the Moline landscape for ninety-eight years.  Innumerable celebrations have taken place under its arched ceiling.  It is truly a sacred place to many people that is full of abundant memories.  

The building is a wonderful example of Gothic architecture.  The building style allows for large windows that let in plenty of light.  Catholic Church windows are usually made of stained-glass.  Sacred Heart Church has some of the largest stained-glass windows in the Quad Cities and some of the most beautiful as well.

The windows were put in after the church was built.  The Belgium immigrants who collected money for their worship space did not like to borrow money, so they purchased the windows as they collected the funds.  This meant that the windows were installed over about a fifteen-year time span.  It also meant that different artists and companies were involved. Some of the windows were from Europe others were made in the United States.  If one looks closely the subtle differences between the windows can be observed.

In the beginning, the stained glass was exposed to the elements. Later, they were covered with plexiglass, but no allowance was made for ventilation. Over the decades this took a toll on the windows. By the turn of the century comprehensive repairs were needed.  Unfortunately, funds for such a large project were not available until the Today Tomorrow Together campaign took place.

To preserve these beautiful pieces of religious art, it was necessary to take the windows out, break them into pieces and to re-lead them.  This has been a massive project and has cost approximately $800,000.  We thank the Bovard Company for their expertise.  We also thank the many benefactors who have donated towards this restoration.

Religious art is meant to be an aid to prayer.  Sacred Heart has been an inspirational place to worship God for the last hundred years.  May it continue to be such a place well into the future.

Fr. Mark DeSutter, Pastor