Celebrating 100 years of growing in God's Love







 

At the turn of the 20th century, Catholics in North Carolina were a very small minority of the population, living in widely scattered communities throughout the State. To meet the needs of these Catholics, a "priest on horseback" traveled from town to town, and in many cases, from farmhouse to farmhouse to bring the Sacraments to the people.

Father William J. Dillon, our first pastor, was one of these brave and dedicated priests. He came to the Sandhills in 1911, serving Fayetteville, Southern Pines, Sanford, Hamlet, Laurinburg, Rockingham, Wadesboro, Monroe, Hope Mills, Ohio and Gibson - an area of about 1,550 square miles.

Sacred Heart Church in Pinehurst began as a mission of St. Anthony of Padua in Southern Pines. With the help of many Catholic and non-Catholic residents and visitors, Father Dillon raised funds to build the Old English Gothic style church. Its cornerstone was laid in 1919. The church served the seasonal needs of the Irish Catholic employees of the Carolina Hotel. These maids, servants and chauffeurs would work and worship here in the fall and spring and move to New England hotels for the summer months. The church was located directly behind the hotel so the employees could walk across the street, go to Mass and return to their jobs.

Pictured above, some of the old windows that were moved from the old church and installed in the new edifice. Center: Father Dillon’s chalice and paten (1919-1941) the years he was at Sacred Heart).

The church’s beautiful stained glass windows, noted for the detail and brilliant colors, were donated in the early twenties and adorned the new church. In 1927, the rectory was built as a "clergy rest house" to accommodate priests from all over the country who came to Pinehurst for a vacation. Among the distinguished clergy to visit were Archbishop Fulton Sheen and several Roman Curia dignitaries. In 1948, the residence, which became the Maryhurst Retreat House and later the Parish Center, was donated to the Diocese. The old church served Parish needs well for over seventy years.

Father Dillon was originally buried beside the old church but has since been exhumed and buried in the cemetery of Our Lady of Guadeloupe in Newton Grove, NC.

The church was sold in 1994 when the current church was dedicated. It was converted to a private residence and remains so today. The steeple and cross still adorn the landscape.
   


Reliquaries from left to right: St Pope Pius X, St. Philomena, Blessed Elizabeth A. Seton (her sainthood relic is now in our altar), The True Cross, St. John M. Vianey

Many changes took place in the 1970's. Retirees were joined by families and younger people attracted by employment opportunities. Monsignor John A. Brown, who followed Father Dillon as Pastor (1942-1959) and again (1970-1975), witnessed the beginning of this growth in the parish. Monsignor James R. Jones, Monsignor William G. Wellein, and Father Thomas E. Currin also served as pastors during the 1959-1975 period. Father Joseph Lynn (1976-1977) and Father Raymond Donahue (1977-1981) saw the early growth of Seven Lakes. The parish population continued to grow under Monsignor Frederick A. Koch (1981-1990), requiring five Masses per weekend plus a Mass in Seven Lakes. It became obvious that a new and larger church had to be built. To prepare for the future, Monsignor Koch began the process by purchasing the land for our current church.

Father Robert T. Lawson was pastor from 1990 to 1999. He came to the parish with a mandate from the Most Reverend F. Joseph Gossman, Bishop of Raleigh, to build a church to meet the needs of the year 2020. Father Lawson devoted himself to the task of building a sacred place that would be a source of pride for every parishioner as well as a Pinehurst landmark. Parishioners contributed their time, labor and funds to make this church a reality. 

As the new church was being built, a number of elements from the old church including the Stations of the Cross and the stained glass windows were incorporated into the design. On April 27th, 1994, Bishop Gossman dedicated the new 1,000 seat church. The adjoining Education Building was dedicated five years later. In this building is Founders Hall, a gathering space dedicated to the 71 original donors of Sacred Heart as well as the donors of our current church.

Father William L. Pitts arrived in July 1999 and served as pastor until June 30, 2011, when Father Edward J. Burch was appointed as pastor by the Most Reverend Michael Burbidge, Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh. The parish continued to grow under Father Burch’s pastorate as more and more military families from Fort Bragg moved into the area. In September of 2015, Bishop Burbridge appointed Father Javier Castrejón to be Parochial Vicar of Sacred Heart as well as Administrator of Sacred Heart’s mission church, San Juan Diego.

In June of 2017, Father John J. Forbes became Administrator of Sacred Heart, having moved from Our Lady of Lourdes in Raleigh. In turn, Father Burch left to become Administrator of Our Lady of Lourdes.  Recently ordained Father Philip G. Johnson served as Priest in Residence until June of 2018. At that time, Reverend Mr. Guy Berry became Sacred Heart’s Permanent Deacon.

In September of 2018, Sacred Heart’s sanctuary and surrounding area incurred severe water damage from Hurricane Florence. Father Forbes expertly guided the three-month repair and update of the building. During that time, Masses were held in Founders Hall.

On June 28, 2019, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we joyfully celebrated the special occasion of the installation of Father Forbes as Pastor by the Most Reverend Luis Rafael Zamara , Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh, the 100th year anniversary of Sacred Heart Church, and the 25th year anniversary of the dedication of our current church building.

We ask the Lord to bless and guide our parish, to help us grow in discipleship in keeping with our baptismal promises, and to keep us true to our Mission:
We are a community of Roman Catholics committed to:

• A closer relationship with God through the Word and the Sacraments
• Caring for others by sharing the time, talent and treasure entrusted to us
• Being an instrument of His love.