Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Aurora reopens

It has taken more than 13 years, but a Catholic church in Aurora has completed a journey from ruin to resurrection.

After years of services in the cramped basement of an adjacent former school, Sacred Heart on Sunday moved Masses to a spacious new church on the city's east side.

A fire started by an arsonist destroyed the original century-old church in December 1998, and the predominantly Latino parish slowly raised $500,000 in reconstruction funds, largely through bake sales and post-Mass meals of tacos, tostadas and other treats. 

Those sales, along with insurance proceeds, funded the construction that began in spring on a $1.5 million sanctuary that seats 450 — double the capacity of the old facility — and drew overflow crowds Sunday.

"I'm so excited that we're actually here. It's been such a long time," Adolfo Garcia, a member of the church's building committee said. "A lot of people had lost hope for a while because nothing concrete was being done ... but we couldn't let this disappear."

Sacred Heart, Aurora's oldest Roman Catholic parish, is at Fulton and State streets in a residential neighborhood about a mile east of the Fox River.

Founded by in the late 19th century by residents with ties to France and Luxembourg, the church has faced difficulties throughout its history, including an earlier fire as well as a more recent string of financial woes.

In 1980, the Rockford Diocese considered closing Sacred Heart. In 1987, another proposal to merge the debt-ridden parish with another Aurora church was scuttled when parishioners raised funds and closed the parish's school to save money.

Then came the 1998 fire that gutted the classic brick structure with the tall spire. The blaze was so intense that only one stained-glass window could be salvaged. It's now on display in a hallway in the new building.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested, but the Rockford Diocese declined to press charges.

Today's congregation is multiethnic, though predominantly Mexican-American. About 80 percent of the congregation is Latino and three of Sunday's four Masses were in Spanish.

"It's marvelous. Especially after 13 years our people were longing and waiting for this moment," said Monsignor Arquimedes Vallejo, wearing purple and white vestments to mark the first Sunday of Lent. "They made a lot of sacrifices. This was a field here. Now it's a most beautiful place." 

The new Sacred Heart is a single-story brick structure with a functional design that includes a slanted roof supporting a modest metal spire. The relatively narrow interior is about the length of a half city block with a spacious, open feel. 

It's well-lit with track lighting and suspended fixtures salvaged from another church. Twelve stained-glass windows also allow streams of sunlight to brighten the interior. The altar area has separate stained-glass images of Jesus and his mother, Mary, along with a large crucifix and seasonal black and purple draping.

The remaining problem is parking, but the congregation hopes to raise an additional $350,000 to level a nearby property and upgrade existing lots. It also wants to renovate the church's rectory and former convent.

Sunday's early Spanish language Mass drew more than 500 people — a mixed crowd of young and old, including families with children who later adjourned for First Communion classes. 

A midmorning Mass in English filled about 40 percent of the space. The 11:30 a.m. third Mass, also in Spanish, attracted more than 600 people who crowded side aisles and a separate entryway.

The parish is described as the least affluent in the Rockford Diocese.

"Despite the poverty, we are rich in faith and in people giving of themselves, their time and their talent," said Sue Niemiec, a longtime churchgoer active in parish affairs. "Maybe the way we do things isn't the most elegant. But we get it done and a lot of people help and it's wonderful."

Bishop Thomas G. Nolan, the chief of Rockford's Diocese, is expected to join numerous dignitaries for an official consecration Sunday.

In the meantime, Vallejo said he's pleased with the new home but was quick to put the move in perspective.

"It's a different place, but the same Jesus," he told congregants at the second Mass.

More:
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Aurora reopens