Although the skyline of the city has changed with the competition to build the tallest building in Grand Rapids, one item remains the same – the many steeples of the churches that are the foundation of our ancestors who settled along the banks of the Grand River.
Each of these represents our past and the immigrants that settled in our area to give Grand Rapids the nickname “Furniture City”.
In this series you will follow the Steeple Chase throughout this great city and view the awe inspiring architecture of our forefathers. The distinct architectural styles represent the great churches of Europe from which these immigrants fled to find a new life in the United States.
This is not meant to promote any one religion, but to show how all have blended together within the City of Grand Rapids to make this one great place to live.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Parish
Founded in 1904, Sacred Heart of Jesus served the Polish immigrants that settled in the Southwest section of Grand Rapids in the late 1800s. Many of these immigrants were drawn to the area as employment was plentiful in the local gypsum mines. Parishioners gathered to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day 1904 with the dedication of their school, convent and church complex on Valley Avenue.
The school was opened in January 1905 with classes taught by the School Sisters of Notre Dame from Milwaukee and provided instruction for 7 grades. By 1918 the school was expanded to accommodate the neighborhood growth. There were 650 children enrolled in the school by 1921 and in 1925 another addition was made when enrollment reached 800. In 1959 the current two-story brick and glass building was completed and the old school was turned into a gymnasium.
A new church building was also started in 1920 with the first Mass celebrated on January 1921 in the basement. The main floor was completed in time for Mass on Christmas Eve 1923. The new church was built in the style of the Major Basilica of St. Paul-outside-the-Walls in Rome. The parish continued to grow even during the Depression and with great sacrifices the church building debt was paid in full during this time period. (source: http://www.sacredheartgr.com/about-us/history/)