Sacred Heart Catholic Church has stood at 520 Graydon Avenue in Norfolk's historic Ghent neighborhood for more than a century, and the parish it serves reaches back even further - to 1894, when it became the second Catholic parish established in the city. Today the community is known for its 1925 Florentine Renaissance church with a Midmer-Losh pipe organ, a Sunday afternoon soup kitchen that has fed the hungry out of a commercial commons for decades, a long-running twinning relationship with St. Gabriel parish in Haiti's Centre department, and a music program that runs from Gregorian chant to contemporary settings. Father Paul Muyimbwa, ordained in Uganda and pastor since August 2016, leads a community that gathers for daily and Sunday Mass, draws children and adults into formation, and sends its members out into local and global service through a wide network of small ministries.
A Parish Rooted in Norfolk Since 1894
The parish of the Sacred Heart dates from 1894 and was the second Catholic parish established in the city of Norfolk. It took 104 years after the days of Abbe Dubois, who came to Norfolk in 1791, for the city to need another parish. The founding pastor was Rev. Francis X. McCarthy, who oversaw construction of the first church on the northwest corner of York and Dunmore Streets, on property purchased from the Ward Estate for the sum of $2,300. The round stained-glass window that once hung above the altar of that first church is now displayed in the stairway of the current church offices on Graydon Avenue.
Father Thomas J. Wilson and Father R. A. Drake served as pastors before Father Thomas E. Waters arrived in 1912. He would shape the parish for a quarter century. Under his leadership Sacred Heart grade school opened in 1920, and the present Sacred Heart Church was built in 1925. Father Waters invited the Daughters of Charity from Emmitsburg, Maryland to staff the school, and 180 students enrolled in grades one through eight that first year. Sister Ariana was principal and also trained the altar boys to serve Mass. The first graduates of Sacred Heart School were Margaret Britt, Julia Forrest, Anita Cofer, Olive Borden, and Margaret Stevenson. Olive Borden went on to Hollywood and became a movie actress.
Father Waters was honored with the title of Monsignor on February 5, 1930, and he died on July 1, 1937. A white marble bas-relief in the church vestibule names him "Beloved Pastor."
The decades that followed brought wartime prayer under Father Edward Kilgalen during the Second World War, a redecoration of the church in pastel green under Father E. W. Johnston, and a high-quality refinishing of the interior under Father Thomas J. Walsh in the 1950s - with Travertine marble imported from Italy for the aisle floors and the original black paint stripped from the oak pews so the grain could be seen. The painter E. Caligari and his son embellished the sanctuary in the blue and gold colors of the traditional Florentine decorative design.
The years following Vatican II brought rapid change. Father Joseph L. Leitch and his assistant Father Thomas J. Quinlan stressed education, lay leadership, and ecumenism. They invited speakers of national renown, organized Bible studies, and built a permanent parish library of more than 600 volumes catalogued by Mrs. A. E. Marino, Helen Butler, and Mary Lou Langhorne. The first Parish Advisory Board met on December 11, 1966. The Sacrament of Baptism was first celebrated at Mass on May 9, 1971.
The parish school, unable to sustain enrollment, closed in 1975 when the Daughters of Charity announced they would no longer staff it. The parish doubled in size under Father Vincent G. Connery in the 1980s, embraced the Renew Program, and saw its sanctuary renovated and a commons built between the church and parish offices under Father John J. Dorgan. Bishop Walter E. Sullivan dedicated the renovated church - with its new altar, ambo, and baptismal font designed by Rambusch Studios of New York - on October 30, 1988. The parish celebrated its centennial in 1994 with speakers, retreats, potluck dinners, a grand homecoming party, and a special Mass with Bishop Sullivan in June.
The 1925 Church Building
Father Waters oversaw the construction of the present church with a Ways and Means committee chaired by H. D. Oliver, with John F. Lawler, Sr. as vice-chairman and Frank A. Evans as secretary. The architects Peebles and Ferguson of Norfolk designed the building in Florentine Renaissance style. Italian marble workers constructed the altars and carved the statues from Carrara marble. Outstanding features of the structure are the classic columns and arches, the open woodwork in the ceiling with its scrollwork on the beams, and the stained-glass windows made by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, Germany. The company sent a craftsman to Norfolk for a year to oversee the installation, and the Kaufmann family, who spoke German, welcomed him into their home. Second-grader Margaret Kaufmann brought him his lunch at the building site each day.
The Midmer-Losh pipe organ was built in 1927. In 1995, Columbia Organ Works of Columbia, Pennsylvania refurbished the organ, replacing the console and adding fifteen ranks of pipes. The Rev. Hugh C. White, rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Norfolk, restored each of the fourteen Stations of the Cross, which had been imported from Italy in 1926.
The church was dedicated on November 1, 1925 - All Saints Day - by Bishop William Hafey of Raleigh, who filled in for the ailing Bishop Denis J. O'Connell of Richmond. The three priests who were native sons of the parish served as celebrant, Father E. W. Johnston; deacon, Father Julian Bulloch; and sub-deacon, Father Vincent Ryan.
Mass Schedule and Reconciliation
The parish offers a weekly rhythm of Masses that combines traditional and contemporary worship. Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The 11:00 a.m. Sunday liturgy is the principal Mass with the full choir, while a Contemporary Music Group leads the singing at the Saturday evening liturgy twice a month. Daily Mass is offered on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. (followed by Eucharistic Adoration), and Friday at 12:00 p.m. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated every Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the Reconciliation Room, located in the back of the church, and by appointment with the priest.
Becoming Catholic Through OCIA
The OCIA - the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults - is the formal pathway through which non-baptized men and women enter the Catholic Church. (The process, once known as RCIA, was renamed to restore its ancient language.) It includes several stages marked by study, prayer, and rites at Mass. Participants called catechumens undergo a process of conversion as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Holy Eucharist - usually at the Easter Vigil after a full year of formation that allows them to experience the rhythm of the liturgical year.
Those who have already been baptized in another Christian tradition are called candidates. The Catholic Church recognizes other Christian baptisms if they were Trinitarian baptisms, and candidates preparing for reception into full communion can celebrate that reception at any point in the year except Advent and Lent. The process is individualized; for a baptized person it can last from several months to a year or two.
Children's Catechesis and First Sacraments
Religious Education for children and youth in grades K through 8 meets on Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m., September through May. The program takes a well-rounded approach to forming disciples through prayer, study, and experience. Registrations are accepted online and through the church commons, and all are welcome at any point.
Formal preparation for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion takes place during the second-grade year, in addition to ongoing religious education. The preparation process at Sacred Heart is home-based: parents attend parent sessions, then use provided resources to work with their child at home, with a three-hour retreat at the end of the formation process. The parish emphasizes that consistent Mass attendance and religious education prior to the sacramental year is highly recommended, so that each child has a solid foundation to build on.
High school Confirmation candidates typically begin the process in September and receive the sacrament in the spring of the year they complete preparation. Candidates must be at least in tenth grade and at least fifteen years of age, currently enrolled in religious formation, and active in parish life. Adult candidates for Confirmation prepare during the Lenten season and celebrate the sacrament during the Easter season.
Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry at Sacred Heart provides social, service, and prayer experiences for teens in grades 6 through 12. All teens are invited to participate; no registration is needed, though RSVPs are typical, and friends are always welcome. The Phyllis Scherberger Service Scholarship awards a $1,000 grant each year to a graduating high school senior who has demonstrated exemplary service and commitment to parish and community life. Youth are also encouraged to join the diocese for World Youth Day, the global gathering called by the Holy Father.
Adult Formation
Adult Formation offers programs for adults to learn about Jesus and his Church and to deepen their faith in Christ through small-group discussions. The parish draws on resources from Ascension Press, Formed, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Dynamic Catholic to support adult learning. Topics in the parish's current programming include Laudato Si: Care for our Common Home, with practical tips on gardening, food and climate change, and environmental stewardship.
Music at Sacred Heart
Music ministry is led by Thomas Conroy, Director of Music, who came to the parish with a Doctor of Musical Arts from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, a Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory, and certification from the American Guild of Organists. The choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. and leads the singing at the 11:00 a.m. Sunday liturgy and all major feasts. Its repertoire runs from Gregorian chant to music written in the new millennium. A cantor leads congregational singing at weekend liturgies one weekend a month. A Contemporary Music Group of singers and instrumentalists leads singing at the Saturday evening liturgy twice a month, with weekly rehearsals on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
Haiti Twinning Ministry
One of the most distinctive ministries at Sacred Heart is its Haiti Twinning Ministry (HTM), which links the parish to St. Gabriel parish in Lascahobas, in Haiti's Centre department. The covenant of the twin parishes commits both communities to develop faith-filled relationships, foster self-sustainability, and end dependency through Catholic Social Teaching. Relationships are built through regular and reciprocal visits and communication, the promotion of twinning through bulletins and announcements in both parishes, sharing the Eucharist and praying together, and equal and mutual partnership grounded in deep listening and respect.
HTM leads pilgrimages to St. Gabriel twice a year for spiritual growth and the deepening of partnership. Each pilgrimage opens with a blessing by the pastor at Sacred Heart and closes with a blessing from the pastor at St. Gabriel; HTM members and parishioners keep a vigil in prayer for the pilgrims while they travel. Past projects have included the construction of a school, school cafeteria, and clinic at St. Gabriel, a water system at the rectory, a playground, and ongoing scholarship, teacher, and lunch funds. The Pen Pal Program connects students across the two parishes. The ministry is chaired by Patricia Britz, with Brendan Pigott as chair assistant and Francesca Smith as administrative assistant, and publishes a regular HTM Newsletter.
Justice and Peace: Sunday Soup Kitchen and Outreach
The Justice and Peace ministry, also called Social Ministry, is grounded in Catholic Social Teaching and aims to integrate an awareness of social justice and charity into all aspects of parish life. Its mission is to call the parish to act to meet the needs of the poor and oppressed both locally and globally, to reflect on the church's social teachings and the underlying causes of social problems, and to transform social structures through legislative advocacy, peace-making, and other efforts.
The most visible expression of this ministry is the Sunday afternoon soup kitchen, which has been a fixture of the parish since the commons was dedicated in 1988. The commons, with its commercial kitchen dedicated to the memory of Virginia McKenzie, gives the parish room to serve meals to the poor on Sunday afternoons, to meet and socialize, to enjoy the talent of local artists, and to offer hospitality to the homeless on cold winter nights through N.E.S.T., the Norfolk Emergency Shelter Team. The late Jack Callahan, who was so dedicated to Sacred Heart his whole life, once said that the program for the homeless was "the best thing Sacred Heart ever did."
The Social Ministry also partners with Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, Commonwealth Catholic Charities, and Catholic Relief Services, and organizes regular service projects that include Thanksgiving baskets for families in need, the Advent Giving Tree (which collects gifts for Eastern Shore children and the students at Saint Gabriel school), the Hope 4 Life baby items collection for a local crisis pregnancy center, writing Easter and Christmas cards to elders, and the annual March for Life in Richmond. The chair is Patricia Britz, and ministry minutes are published several times a year.
Care for Creation Ministry
The Care for Creation Ministry challenges parishioners to live as partners with creation by being good stewards of the earth's resources. Its mission is to identify and implement programs that exercise environmental stewardship in a manner that respects and protects the integrity of God's creation and provides for the common good. The ministry supports the Keep Norfolk Beautiful Adopt-A-Street program, with volunteers cleaning Sacred Heart's designated portion of W. Princess Anne Road on a quarterly basis. It also works to reduce the parish's overall paper usage and collaborates with other parishes in the Eastern Vicariate, Keep Norfolk Beautiful, and the Climate Catholic Covenant.
Practical steps listed for parishioners include using reusable cloth bags, avoiding bottled water, adjusting the thermostat by two degrees, shopping at the Five Points Community Market, observing Meatless Mondays, and choosing Energy Star appliances when replacing older ones. The ministry's secretary is Annette Field.
Parish Life and Small Communities
Parish Life at Sacred Heart fosters, nurtures, and enables parishioners to be active disciples of Jesus by providing opportunities that build community and foster service. Several small communities and outreach circles operate under this umbrella.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry provides shawls and blankets for those who are ill or going through a difficult time. The shawls are prayed over by the team, and anyone can participate; most of the work is done at home, with the team meeting on the last Wednesday of the month.
Nursing Home Visitation pairs volunteers with parishioners in local nursing homes for monthly visits, contact, news of the parish, and the bringing of Eucharist.
Hospital Visitation trains volunteers to visit and bring Holy Communion to Catholic patients at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The time commitment is usually one Sunday a month.
The Prayer Chain prays for the needs and requests of parishioners and the wider community.
The Young Adults group welcomes adults 21 and older, single or married. The group meets for lunch at a local restaurant after 11:00 a.m. Mass on the second Sunday of each month, and attends Mass and Adoration from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month, followed by food and drinks at a nearby restaurant.
The Men's Group invites men of the parish, members and visitors alike, to think about their roles as fathers, husbands, and leaders in the community. The centerpiece of the programming is "That Man Is You," a Catholic men's program of speakers and inspirational talks.
Liturgical Ministries
Liturgical life at Sacred Heart is supported by a network of lay volunteers. Altar Servers assist the priest at liturgy and may be any child who has received First Communion and entered the third grade, with training provided. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion distribute the Eucharist during liturgy and may also take communion to the hospitalized and home-bound. Lectors proclaim the Word of God. Ushers and Greeters welcome the community, pass out worship aids, take up the collection, and attend to arising needs. The Choir leads congregational singing at the 11:00 a.m. Sunday liturgy and all major feasts, with rehearsals on Thursday evenings. The Cantor leads congregational singing at weekend liturgies. The Contemporary Music Group leads the singing at the Saturday evening liturgy twice a month.
Behind the scenes, the Worship Committee evaluates the liturgies quarterly, Prayer Writers prepare the weekly scripts, volunteers launder the altar linens and make baptismal garments, the Art and Environment team designs church decorations for liturgical seasons, and the sacristan maintains inventory of candles, wine, and hosts.
Sacraments of Matrimony and Reconciliation
For couples considering marriage, Sacred Heart teaches that Christian marriage is a solemn and public covenant between a man and a woman in the presence of God, and the ceremony is to be attested by at least two witnesses besides the priest or deacon. At least one of the persons to be married must be a practicing Catholic, and the couple should contact the church at least six months prior to the wedding - ideally six to nine months. The preparation process includes an initial meeting with the Director of Religious Education, an approved diocesan marriage preparation program, a meeting with the priest or deacon to discuss the premarital inventory, and a meeting with the Director of Music and the Director of Religious Education to discuss readings and music. Couples with previous marriages need to have those situations resolved before setting a wedding date, since the process can take up to a year.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated every Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the Reconciliation Room, and by appointment with the priest.
Parish Leadership
Father Paul Muyimbwa has served as pastor since August 2016. He was born in Mukono, Uganda, on January 28, 1973, attended the National Seminary in Ggaba, Kampala, and was ordained to the priesthood on July 15, 2000. Father Paul has served in parishes in the Diocese of Lugazi, as Administrative Assistant to the Bishop of the Diocese of Lugazi, as a Parochial Vicar in the Archdiocese of Boston, as parish priest of Lugazi Cathedral Parish, and as Diocesan Treasurer General of the Diocese of Lugazi. In the United States he has served as Parochial Vicar of Saint Vincent de Paul in Newport News, Saint Joseph in Hampton, and Saint Mary Star of the Sea at Fort Monroe, before being assigned as pastor of Holy Family Parish in Tazewell, Virginia, and then Sacred Heart.
The Parish Pastoral Council assists the pastor in fostering the parish's pastoral life and mission. The Parish Finance Council assists and advises the pastor in the responsible stewardship of the parish's financial and material resources.
Sr. Linh Do, a professed religious sister of the Lovers of the Holy Cross congregation, serves as Coordinator of Religious Education, Christian Formation, and Youth Ministry. Born and raised in Vietnam, she holds a bachelor's degree in English and a Master of Divinity from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, and has completed five levels of Clinical Pastoral Education. Most recently she worked as a resident chaplain at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Thomas Conroy serves as Director of Music. He is a member of the American Guild of Organists and holds the Colleague and Associate certifications.
Stewardship and Giving
The parish frames stewardship as a way of life made of four parts: receiving the gifts of God with gratitude, cultivating them responsibly, sharing them lovingly in justice with others, and standing before the Lord in a spirit of accountability. The parish notes that it typically takes about $60,000 a month to run operations, broken down roughly as 43% for personnel, 23% for programming, 13% for the physical plant, 4% for the capital campaign, and 17% discretionary. A 10% tithe is suggested, and parishioners are encouraged to share their time and talent as well as their financial gifts.
Gifts may be made online through eTransfer, PayPal, or Venmo, and scheduled or recurring gifts can be set up through the parish's online giving portal. Text-to-give is also available. A Centennial Campaign is underway to support capital improvements at the parish, and the parish's bulletin can be received by email through a subscription link.
Today Sacred Heart Catholic Church stands as a parish rooted in more than 130 years of Catholic life in Norfolk, with a worship schedule that weaves together traditional and contemporary music, an active sacramental life, formation for every age, and a wide network of outreach ministries that reach into the Ghent neighborhood, across the Diocese of Richmond, and across the ocean to St. Gabriel in Haiti.