Organized by the Benedictines, the parish of Sacred Heart was estab­lished south of Forsyth Park in Savannah’s Victorian District.  Father Oswald Moosmueller, a missionary from Europe, was the first pastor. Although the date of the parish’s first Mass is uncertain, the first corner-stone was laid in October 1880 on a corner lot at 31st Street and Habersham. The green frame building was identified by a gilt cross on its facade.A two-story annex was soon built to accommodate a parochial school. There the Sisters of Mercy taught as many as 125 children, both African-Americans and whites.

By the turn of the century, Sacred Heart Parish had grown rapidly, necessitating the purchase of an entire block of land nearby, bounded by Bull, Whitaker, 33rd, and 34th streets. Meanwhile, on the old church property, the parish’s educational facilities continued to expand, including the founding of the Benedictine Military School with an enrollment of 2l boys. (The school was located on Abercorn Street from 1905 and 1963, when it moved to Sea Wright Drive on Savannah’s south side). The cornerstone of Sacred Heart’s current edifice was laid in Decem­ber, 1902, and contained a document inscribed in Gothic lettering by the church’s architect, the Reverend Father Michael, O.S.B. The supervising architect was W. Hyman Witcover, who also designed Congregation B’nai B’rith’s former synagogue on Montgomery Street and City Hall on Bay Street.

Constructed of red pressed brick with white Georgia marble trim, Sacred Heart’s facade is balanced by twin spires. The architecture is Gothic Revival. Twin angel statues flank the stained glass window mounted above the front entrance.

The sanctuary’s stained glass side windows portray an Angel Guardian and various saints, including Saint Patrick robed in vivid green. Crafted in Munich, Germany, the windows replicate those from Belmont Abbey which were exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

An arched, vaulted ceiling stretches overhead. Oak pews, wainscot, and narrow board flooring complement the nave’s marble trim, found in the floor of the narthex, side and center aisles. The high altar, installed during a 1973 renovation, is also marble. The organ is located in the balcony above the front entrance.

For more information please follow the links below:

Mother Mathilda Beasley recognized as a “Georgia Woman of Achievement
Sacred Heart Catholic Church Website
Sacred Heart Church History Full (PDF)