A Parish Founded on Elm Street
Sacred Heart Parish was established on December 18, 1919 by Bishop Thomas D. Beaven to serve the southeast section of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The first Mass was celebrated just three days later, on December 21, 1919, in the first floor of a house at the corner of Elm Street and Meadow Lane that had been converted into a chapel. The new parish drew roughly 800 souls at its start, including children. The Reverend George W. Welch, then assistant at St. Joseph's, was named its first pastor. It is a point of local pride that the very first Mass celebrated in Pittsfield, at the home of Thomas Daly in 1835, was offered within the limits of what is now Sacred Heart territory.
The early years were marked by debt and steady growth. By 1923, Sacred Heart had retired its $29,000 obligation and began planning a permanent church. Father Welch died in June 1931, before construction could begin, but his successor, Father Patrick F. Dowd, broke ground the following month. The cornerstone was laid on November 16, 1931, and the first Mass in the new church was offered on October 30, 1932. Bishop Thomas M. O'Leary dedicated the completed building on May 21, 1933, the same day the parish held its first confirmations with 82 candidates. Father Dowd worked for eleven years to clear the building debt and was able to liquidate it on the parish's Silver Anniversary, December 18, 1944.
The Building and Its Survival
Father John P. Donahue took over in February 1946 and oversaw a thorough renovating and redecoration of the church during 1947 and 1948. Father Henry M. Burke, the fourth pastor, arrived in April 1953 and would shape Sacred Heart for a quarter century. On April 13, 1957, fire broke out in the church, causing extensive damage from fire, water and smoke. Through 1957 and 1958 the building was restored and redecorated; the parish emerged from the disaster renewed. Father Burke was raised to the rank of Monsignor in a ceremony at Sacred Heart on November 14, 1963, and he retired in February 1979 as Pastor Emeritus.
Under Monsignor Burke's leadership, the parish also opened Sacred Heart School on September 5, 1962, after a successful capital campaign that began in late 1960. The school debt was retired by 1967, the same year the parish began Sacrificial Giving, a stewardship practice that continues to this day.
Pastors in Succession
Father Edward M. Callahan, the fifth pastor, was already known to the parish, having served as Monsignor Burke's assistant. Two parishioners, James Hager and Eugene Momnie, were ordained permanent deacons under his tenure in January 1983. He built a parish meeting room in the basement of the rectory that he dubbed the "Sunshine and Shamrock Room" and inaugurated the parish's St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Father Raymond A. Lanoue, pastor from May 1983 until his death in October 1988, started the RCIA program, brought the first computer into parish operations, and hired the first parish secretary. He also installed an alarm system in both the church and the rectory and renovated the interior.
Father James K. Joyce, who had served as the first Director of the Pittsfield Catholic Schools from 1978 through 1987, became pastor on December 9, 1988 and remained until his retirement on March 1, 2016. During his twenty-eight years he represented Sacred Heart on the Presbyteral Council, the Clergy Commission and the Allocation Board for the Annual Catholic Appeal. He served on the boards of the former Pittsfield Catholic Schools, the Diocesan Catholic School Board, and Berkshire Place, where he helped establish a Chapel for Prayerful Reflection. The Berkshire County Irish American Club named him "Irishman of the Year" in 2010. He also introduced the "Spring into Summer Festival," a fundraiser that became an economic and social success. The current pastor, Father Steven Montesanti, continues the parish's work today.
Mass Schedule and Reconciliation
Weekend Masses are offered Saturday at 4:00 PM (the vigil Mass for Sunday) and on Sunday at 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM. Daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Thursday at 9:00 AM, and a Communion Service takes the place of Mass on Friday at 9:00 AM. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard Saturday at 3:00 PM and by appointment. Baptisms are scheduled through the Parish Office and are generally celebrated on Sundays following the 10:30 AM Mass.
Eucharistic Adoration is held every Friday from 9:15 AM to 12:00 PM in the Parish Center Chapel, immediately after the Friday Communion Service. During Lent, Stations of the Cross are prayed on Friday afternoons at 3:00 PM and on Good Friday at 3:00 PM.
Becoming Catholic and RCIA
Sacred Heart welcomes those curious about the Catholic faith, those returning to practice, and adults preparing for full initiation. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, RCIA, is the formal process by which non-baptized adults and already-baptized Christians from other traditions prepare to receive the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, normally celebrated at the Easter Vigil. The parish describes RCIA as a journey with several steps: a Period of Inquiry, the Rite of Initiation, the Catechumenate, the Rite of Election and Mystagogy. A team of sponsors walks alongside candidates throughout.
The parish's pages for newcomers, returning Catholics and inquirers are written in plain language, outlining core beliefs such as the Holy Trinity, the goodness of creation, the Incarnation, stewardship and the communion of saints. Those interested in learning more are encouraged to contact the Parish Office.
Faith Formation for Children
Religious Education classes for students in grades K through 9 are held on Sunday mornings in the Parish Center building. The Faith Formation office also prepares students for the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion. The parish expects that all students attend weekly Mass as part of their formation. Recent First Communion classes have gathered at the parish on the first Saturday of May, and Confirmation students join those from neighboring parishes for the bishop's celebration each spring.
Music Ministry
The parish's Adult Choir, directed by composer and vocalist Mary Verdi, sings at Mass each week and rehearses Sundays at 9:30 AM, between the two Sunday Masses. The choir's repertoire includes both traditional and contemporary pieces. Mrs. Verdi is also a familiar presence in the wider Berkshires music scene and has led Christmas concerts at Sacred Heart featuring local artists, area ballet companies and musicians from neighboring Catholic schools. Music videos she has produced with students have been filmed at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge.
Liturgical Ministries
Liturgical life at Sacred Heart depends on dozens of volunteers. Altar Servers (boys and girls from grade 3 and up) assist the priest at Mass. Lectors proclaim the Scriptures. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion serve at the altar and bring the Eucharist to the sick and homebound. Ushers and Ministers of Hospitality greet parishioners, help seat those who need assistance, and assist with the collection. Funeral Servers help at funeral Masses.
The Rosary Sodality gathers all adult female parishioners of the parish; meetings are held in the Parish Center from September through May at 4:00 PM on the fourth Monday of the month. Its members also form the Women's Honor Guard, who gather to recite the rosary before a woman's funeral Mass. The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets Mondays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Parish Center, knitting and crocheting shawls that are given to members of the parish family as a sign of care.
The Parish Pastoral Council is involved in most activities and programs affecting the liturgical and spiritual life of the parish. Offertory Counters serve in teams of four, rotating roughly once a month.
Reaching Out to the Berkshires
Service to neighbors has long been a hallmark of Sacred Heart. The Friends of St. Vincent de Paul, a parish committee working in the spirit of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, offers confidential financial assistance to those in need. The group's office is located in the Sr. Kathryn Community Outreach Office in the Parish Center.
The parish also runs or supports several recurring collections. The annual Sacred Heart Giving Tree partners with the Frank and Rosemary Iovieno Caring for Children Foundation; one recent effort supported thirty children from sixteen Berkshire-based families. The Lenten Food Drive collects for the St. Joseph Food Pantry, and an annual Cereal Box Drive, organized jointly with Faith Formation students, has gathered hundreds of boxes for the Pittsfield Food Pantry. The Rosary Sodality has collected new winter outerwear for Berkshire Community Action Council and baby supplies for Pregnancy Support Services. An annual parish bake sale raises money for the Youth Ministry program.
Worship Aids and Devotions
The parish supports a weekly Prayer Line, where parishioners receive the first names and intentions of those in need of prayer and are asked simply to pray for them. An annual Easter Egg Hunt for children draws well over a thousand eggs, and the parish hosts a free Christmas Concert each December that is open to all.
A custom parish app, the My Parish Life App, can be downloaded on Apple iPhones and Android phones. It offers the daily Mass readings, Catholic news, a prayer list with requests, an examination of conscience, a "Mass Mode" reminder, and direct parish messaging. Online giving is available through the parish's giving platform, allowing recurring donations, secure bank entry and end-of-year tax statements.
Faith and Sacraments
Sacred Heart teaches the fullness of the Catholic faith as passed down for two millennia. The seven sacraments - Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance (Reconciliation), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony - structure the parish's sacramental life. The parish offers instruction on each: Baptism is celebrated on Sundays following the 10:30 AM Mass; First Communion and Confirmation are prepared through the Faith Formation office; Reconciliation is heard Saturday afternoons and by appointment; Anointing of the Sick is offered to anyone struggling with illness, ideally in a communal celebration; Marriage preparation is arranged with the pastor; and inquiries about Holy Orders are directed to the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.
The parish's online catechetical pages walk readers through each sacrament with extensive quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, scripture citations and references to the Second Vatican Council. The parish's mission is summarized in its motto: "Loving Christ, Loving Others," with the stated aim to "proclaim the Gospel of Christ to our local community in word, deed, and truth."