Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Rock Island will celebrate its 125th anniversary on Sunday, June 18, with a special Pontifical Mass celebrated by Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, a news release says.
Also in attendance will be all former living pastors, as well as many local clergy and others from the diocese with family ties to Sacred Heart. More than 20 clergy, along with more than 20 altar servers, are expected.
This quasquicentennial anniversary will be attended by nearly 500 parishioners and friends of Sacred Heart, and will feature bagpipers in honor of the parish heritage as the Irish parish of Rock Island, as well as a full choir, trumpets, trombones, and flute
The Mass will be followed by a celebratory dinner at the Stern Center in Rock Island that will feature parish archives from the past. The official 125-year history book of Sacred Heart Parish, honoring its past as blue-collar working-class parish that later became a melting pot of nationalities and backgrounds, will be released on Sunday, the release says.
Also featured in the book is parish work in living the Gospel, including care of the poor (Sacred Heart has one of the oldest, longest running food pantries in the Quad Cities), and its social justice heritage, the release says.
