Our first priest, Rev. F.X. Steinbrecher- 1888

The history of Sacred Heart Parish began in 1850 when Joseph Maurer
deeded several parcels of land to build a Catholic Church.
 
Catholics and non-Catholics contributed toward the construction of a
church dedicated to St. Adelia opening in 1867. It was erected under
Father Cajetanus Kraubahn, a Capuchin Father from Keshena. It was small
and crudely built with planks over blocks of wood which served as pews.
The first priest to say Mass in the new church was Father P. Fidelis of
Keshena.
 
In 1872 Father John Cheboul, a missionary, built an addition on to the
church so the priest could live there along with a cellar and a belfry
that he paid for himself.
 
In 1877 a priest house was built and an organ purchased along with a two
acre cemetery for $35.00.
 
By 1881 the parish had grown to 45 families. March 19, 1882, was the
first time two Masses were said on Sunday.
 
Fr. F.X. Steinbrecher was the first permanent pastor arriving in 1888.
 
Work began in April 1889 because membership had increased so much that a
new church was necessary. .A new school and sister’s home was built.
Cecil was added as another mission.
 
In the early 1920’s funds were being set aside for a new church with
about $15,000.00 in the building fund by 1944.
 
By 1950 the need for a new building was becoming critical and the old
church was prepared to be moved to make room for a new church. On Nov.
27, 1951, at approximately 9:15 p.m. fire was discovered in the old
church. The fire spread so quickly that it was impossible to save the
Blessed Sacrament or any of the furnishings. The parish was without a
church so the mayor offered the Community Hall for as long as it might
be needed.
 
In May of 1952 the parish could worship in the basement of the new
church. On Friday, Aug. 15, 1952, the first Mass was held in the body of
the new church on the feast of the Assumption.
 
The first wedding in the new church was that of Ivan Berndt and Dorothy
Dillenburg on Aug. 16, 1952, followed by the dedication of the new
church on Sept. 21, 1952.
 
In the summer of 1975 the church was carpeted and the sanctuary was
remodeled. The altar was changed to face the congregation and the mosaic
on the back wall was added.
 
In the late 1960’s St. Wenceslaus Parish in the town of Waukechon became
a mission of Sacred Heart. The history dates back to the earl 1880’s and
stands on a half acre of land donated by William and Josephine Nemetz in
1882. The present church was built in 1913. From 1977 until 1990 it was
no longer used for weekend Masses, but was still available for weddings
and funerals. The Diocese of Green Bay issued a Decree of Closure on
April 3, 1990, when St. Wenceslaus officially joined with the Sacred
Heart Community.
 
In 1984 St. Martin of Tours in Cecil was assigned to St. John’s of
Gillett. In 1994 St. Martin became a co-parish with Sacred Heart. In
2000 St. Martin was separated from Sacred Heart and is served by Deacon
Tom Craig.
 
The rectory was moved to expand the parking lot and a new priests house
was built and the church basement and rest rooms were remodeled.
 
The Rev. Len Evers served the parish for 24 years from Sept. 6, 1989,
until his retirement on June 23, 2013. While he was at the parish a
gathering space, an elevator, brides room, and added storage space was
completed as part of half the project to Renew, Renovate, and Restore in
2004.
 
The second half of the renovation was completed under the direction of
the Rev. Luke Ferris who came to Sacred Heart on July 1, 2013. The
church interior was completely remodeled and restored along with new
hearing and cooling systems installed. During the renovation church was
held in the school gym. The church was dedicated on Sept. 28, 2014.
Rev. Ferris was an amazing leader who was asked by Bishop David Ricken to be the Vicar of Priests for the Diocese of Green Bay. He left Sacred Heart in June of 2017. 

Rev. Tom Farrell joined our Parish until he was reassigned to Baileys Harbor in June of 2019.  

In July of 2019 we welcomed Father Scott Valentyn.  We were his first assigned parish and he brought an energy and passion that refreshed our parish and school.