The unfortunate fire in Notre Dame Cathedral got me thinking about the "French connection" to the Blue Island Ridge. We had an early group of settlers here, and their legacy to the community is also a church – the historic and charming Sacred Heart Church at 11652 S. Church St.
Sacred Heart was originally founded in Alsip in 1892. After another unfortunate fire, the church moved to its current location to be closer to the Purington Brick Yards at 119th and Vincennes, where many of the French people worked. The current church was built in 1904-5 and originally appeared as a wooden frame church, built on posts in a swamp. The church was established as a “national church” which meant it would serve a particular nationality, not a defined geographic area. The story goes that the workers hid bricks in their clothing and brought them over from the brick yard, one or two at a time, and in 1922, the present brick facade was added. The church as it stands now is actually the old frame church clad with this "donated" brick.
Father Raymond DeNorus, a missionary priest born in France, became pastor in 1912. From all accounts, he was a very charismatic man. He loved a good time, yet he was a man deeply devoted to his faith. He dispensed medicine, holy water and blessings from his side door. Numerous miracle cures were reported to have taken place over the years. Crutches, canes and braces left abandoned at the church were hung on the side walls. Services at the church drew large crowds and it became a place for pilgrimages. During this time the church became known as the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, a shrine being a special place of devotion that attracts travelers from afar. Fr. DeNorus retired in 1935. With time, most of the French families moved on and were replaced by German and Irish workers.
In 1979, the Archdiocese of Chicago under John Cardinal Cody decided to close and demolish Sacred Heart, citing as its main reasons a shortage of priests and the expense of construction needed to correct building code violations. Members of the congregation rallied to restore and preserve the church. The church was closed from 1979-1982. But then Cardinal Cody died, and the new Archbishop, Joseph Bernardin, agreed to review the matter. He reopened the church and celebrated Mass there in 1983. The church was reestablished as a "mission church" operating as part of the Holy Name of Mary Parish in Morgan Park.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus originated in France in the late 1600s when a nun, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, claimed that during a series of apparitions, Jesus promised certain blessings to those who practiced devotion to his Sacred Heart. The Vatican’s position is that the manifestation and promises are true. So the name Sacred Heart was very fitting for a French mission church.
[NOTE: Amendment to this story: The wife of the man from the Sacred Heart congregation who originally told me the story of the bricks posted this: "The brick masons were given permission to take the bricks that were used to line the ovens as those bricks were marked with black spots and therefore not fit to sell." Thank you for sharing more interesting local folklore with us! – Carol Flynn, RHS Communications]
Picture 1 is the original church ca. 1913 before the brick facade was added. The side door at which Fr. DeNorus greeted visitors is visible. Photo from the RHS newspaper archives.
Picture 2 is the church today covered with the Purington bricks. Photo by C. Flynn.