Sacred Heart Church (Portland, Maine)

Church in Portland, Maine

Sacred Heart Church


General information
Type	Church
Location	65 Mellen Street, Portland, Maine
Coordinates	43°39′19″N 70°16′12″W / 43.655337°N 70.270130°W / 43.655337; -70.270130
Construction started	1896
Completed	1915
Owner	Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Francis H. Fassett and Edward F. Fassett

Sacred Heart Church is an historic church building in Portland, Maine, owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.

History

Built between 1896 and 1915, it was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by architects Francis H. Fassett and Edward F. Fassett. It is modeled after the Marseille's Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica and was Francis Fassett's final commission before his 1906 death. Upon completion it became the city's third Catholic parish. Bishop James Augustine Healy appointed Irish-born Father John O'Dowd as its first pastor. The building's first mass was held on April 4, 1897.

In 1997, the Diocese closed nearby St. Dominic's Church and merged the parish into Sacred Heart to form the Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish.

Located in Portland's densely built and primarily working-class residential Parkside neighborhood, the church was founded to serve the city's large Irish-American population; however, by the 2000s, the parish had grown to include a significant population of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa and Central America.

Renovations

In 1999, $793,000 was raised to repair the roof and stone exterior; this work was completed in 2001. Further renovations were completed in early 2005.

In 2013, a $200,000 capital campaign began to raise funds to restore the church's bell tower, repair its bell, and repaint the window sashes. However, when renovations began, engineers discovered that more money was needed to repair the roof over the altar. In 2015, local historic preservation organization Greater Portland Landmarks placed Sacred Heart on its "Places in Peril" due to years of deferred maintenance and repairs and urged its supporters to help fund renovations.

References

Barker, Matthew Jude (2014). The Irish of Portland, Maine: A History of Forest City Hibernians. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62584-512-2.
^ Guthro, Dave (January 27, 2016). "Portland Parish nears capital campaign goal to complete repairs on historic church". Bangor Daily News.
"Sacred Heart Church". Maine Irish Heritage Trail. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
"Sacred Heart Church". Greater Portland Landmarks.

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
Bishops	Ordinaries David William Bacon James Augustine Healy William Henry O'Connell Louis Sebastian Walsh John Gregory Murray Joseph Edward McCarthy Daniel Joseph Feeney Peter Leo Gerety Edward Cornelius O'Leary Joseph John Gerry Richard Joseph Malone Robert Deeley James T. Ruggieri Auxiliary Amédée Wilfrid Proulx
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Basilica Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Lewiston Parish churches (list) Holy Cross Church, Lewiston Sacred Heart Church, Portland St. David Church, Madawaska St. Denis Church, North Whitefield St. Joseph's Church, Biddeford St. Mary's Church, Augusta St. Patrick's Church, Newcastle St. John's Church, Bangor Former churches St. Andre's, Biddeford St. Mary's Church, Biddeford St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church, Lisbon Falls St. Dominic's, Portland St. Joseph's Church, Lewiston St. Patrick's Church, Lewiston
Education	Higher education St. Joseph's College High schools Cheverus High School, Portland Saint Dominic Academy, Auburn Former schools St. Joseph's School, Biddeford Catherine McAuley High School, Portland
Priests	Denis Mary Bradley Charles M. Murphy
Miscellany	Mercy Hospital, Portland
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