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More Interesting Facts About
Sacred Heart
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More About our History, Heritage & Future
Jeanne Levinson, our Parish Historian, is currently preserving our archive
material. In sorting through many old records and documents, she found a
copy of a history of the parish written by Father Luke O'Donnell, O.S.B.
who served as pastor from 1944 to 1945. This history was completed September
17, 1945. There is not enough space to reproduce the entire history; however,
we have included are some excerpts that we thought were interesting:
History of the Name of the Parish
For a good part of its history its canonical status has been a mystery. Its
pastors did not know whether they were pastors or not. Father Fabian says
he was of the opinion that Abbot Oswald, the Abbot of St. Martin's, was pastor
and that the abbot fulfilled the pro populo obligation. The origin of the
parish lent support to this theory. The matter was not settled until shortly
before 1940. See More about the history of the name of the Parish
below.
Pastoral Care Prior to 1895
Father Charles Classens, the pastor in Olympia, had charge of any Catholics
who may have lived around Lacey before the coming of the Benedictines in
1895. Possibly some missionaries visited the the Indians along the Nisqually
and said Mass there; that is within the limits of the Lacey parish.
Parish Boundaries
Until December 14, 1940 there were no boundaries except those determined
by custom. On this date a western boundary, separating Sacred Heart and St.
Michael's was drawn by Bishop Shaughnessy. And south to Olympia-Yelm Rd.
No cases have ever arisen calling for a boundary between Lacey and McKenna.
People speak of the Nisqually River as the east boundary.
Pioneers
Certain names appear again and again in the early records. Among those are:
Anton Best, Mary Foy and her daughter Anne, Herman Franz, C.J. Gallagher,
Herman Hangge, Thomas Kinsalla, Martin Kramer, P. Keiffer, J. Levesque, Herman
Reinhardt, George Raymond, Leonard Schweitzer. The children of these early
families are the parish of today.
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More Excerpts from Fr. Luke O'Donnell's 1945 Parish
History of Sacred Heart
In sorting through many old records and documents, Jeanne Levinson, our Parish
Historian, found a copy of a history of the parish written by Father Luke
O'Donnell, O.S.B. who served as pastor of Sacred Heart in Lacey WA. from
1944 to 1945. This history was completed September 17, 1945.
More about History of the Name of the Parish
Most of the letters from the Chancery refer to it as Sacred Heart Parish.
The most accurate statement of its ecclesiastical status is the document
appointing the present pastor(Father Luke), date July 11, 1944. This document
speaks of the 'mission of the Most Sacred Heart, at Lacey, Washington, in
the territory of the parish of St. Michael, Olympia, Wash." The pastor is
called the "Vicar Cooperator of the Pastor of the parish church of St. Michael,
Olympia who shall have charge of the temporals and spirituals of the daughter
church of the Most Sacred Heart at Lacey." ......
The Construction of the First Church - Fabian Hall
The little white church was built by Father Fabian Sexton, O.S.B. in the
spring of 1923. The building was designed by the carpenter, George Raymond
and largely constructed by him. The cost of the lots and their clearing was
$360.00, though the plot of land on which the church itself stands was donated
by Anton Best. Paid labor amounted to $ 1,200; much labor was donated. Materials
cost $2,649. Much of the labor was furnished by students from St. Martin's.
It is recorded that the wind blew down the walls and that they were raised
by the senior class. As a reward the students were treated by the ladies
of the parish to a chicken dinner. The Dramatics Club at the college gave
a benefit performance to help pay for the new church. The seating capacity
has been estimated as high as 300, but if 110 people got seats the rest would
have to stand.
Education
There being no parish school nor any prospect of there ever being one all
religious instruction is given in Sunday school and vacation school. Some of the
older fathers at the college remembered teaching Sunday school in the college
chapel before 1916. In the new church, it was taught between the two Masses. The
number of children in Sunday school has not varied greatly, usually running
between 20 and 30, though in the early 40's, it climbed to 40-45. The number of
classes has likewise varied. At this writing(1944) there are four, three taught
by the ladies of the parish and one, the high school class, taught by the
pastor. During most of the period during which the Lacey church stood the
beginning class was taught by Mrs. J. D. Hoffmann, a remarkably able teacher.
Vacation school was held in 1923, 1940 and 1941; in 1943 an attempt was made but
the transportation problem proved too much and the matter was dropped.
Membership
The number of families in the parish has not varied greatly. Estimates have run
from 35 to 60 but that variation was probably due to different ways of defining
a 'family.' The number of contributors has gradually risen from around 30 to
around 45. (In 1998 there are 2086 registered household with 1033 households
contributing on a regular basis.)
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