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Welcome to Sacred Heart Parish on historic "Catholic Hill" in downtown Eau Claire
designated a historical "Landmark Church" in 1984.
Herz Jesu Gemeinde was founded by German immigrants in 1875 and Fr. Paul Geyer
(1875-1877) from Saint Patrick Congregation (1865), itself formed from St. Peter’s
Mission, established in 1854 by the noted Fr. F.X. Goldsmith of Notre Dame Parish,
Chippewa Falls. In 1880 the parish of 60 families, under Fr. Jos. Boehm, built a 400
seat church(147 x 47) for $15,000 with two 105 foot towers but evidently above a
faulty substructure. Clerestory windows along the ceiling were transferred to the
present church as well as the Paschal Candle stand. [We still use Msgr. Orthen's
chalice.]
A parish school (first of three) with instruction in German began in 1893 with 350
students. Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration replaced School Sisters of Notre
Dame in 1910 and also ran Sacred Heart Hospital to the north. The parish had its
own junior high school until 1943 when they joined St Patrick High School. In 1956 Fr
Pittz dedicated the current $320,000 school now serving as the new Genesis Child
Development Center.
In 1928 German-born Msgr. F.X. Orthen (1921-1943), replaced the first church with a
$142,000 Romanesque style building(Hoeppner-Bartlett Co, gen contractor) modeled
after the famous Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach (Rheinland) and paid for by Oct
1936. Dedicated on Christmas Eve 1938, it seats 700 & measures 168 x 62 x 48 high.
45 tons of Italian marble compose the altars inlaid with delicate "cosmatesque"
mosaics. Above the high altar hover Fra Angelico’s "Musical Angels." The sixteen
windows and magnificent Rose window from Innsbruck Austria, are beautiful in any
light. A Schaefer pipe organ was added in 1949 and the main altar in 1982 by Fr.
Peter Eiden who again redecorated after a Sat. evening fire destroyed the baptistery
during bingo. Listen to those three bells – they're the real thing!
Buildings reflect faith; the parish has given the Church over 12 priests and 30 sisters.
On January 1, 1999, after 124 years, Sacred Heart united with Saint Patrick. If "the
past is prologue," we’ll have a great future together.
