As new church building rises, Sacred Heart beats stronger

By Matt Hanley mhanley@stmedianetwork.com December 25, 2011 5:12PM

Jacob Fox, 17, far left, and his Dad Ron Fox from Scales mound, Ill, watch as Sacred Heart Rev. Msgr. Arquimedes Vallejo, right, holds up a wooden heart carving to the new altar at the rebuilt Sacred Heart Church building in Aurora on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. The group decided to leave the heart off the altar. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media

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Donations still needed

While the new Sacred Heart Church is expected to open within a month, the church is still praying for help with two important parts of the Catholic Mass. Msgr. Arquimedes Vallejo said donations are still needed to install a new Stations of the Cross and a new ambo, the raised stand where scripture is traditionally read during Mass. Anyone who wishes to help can make donations at the church or send them to 771 Fulton St., Aurora IL 60505.

Updated: December 26, 2011 2:12AM

AURORA ? Every morning, the ladies wander in. Usually three or four show up in the morning, simply to see the work being done: a hole being dug, a window being installed, a pew being screwed down. Witnessing such normally mundane tasks takes on new meaning, when the work appears to be part of a miracle.

It has been 13 years since Aurora?s Sacred Heart Church burned to the ground, accidentally torched by a boy playing with matches.

As the poorest church in the Rockford Diocese, Sacred Heart was struggling and deep in debt before the fire. But while the church lacked financial resources, it has shown to be well-stocked in faith. Families who had been church members for more a century simply refused to give up. Even when the diocese discouraged rebuilding on the site near Fulton and State streets, by refusing to pay for reconstruction. Even when Mass was held in an awkward, smelly basement of the school with exposed pipes directly over the priest?s head. Even when weddings were moved elsewhere and caskets couldn?t get down the winding staircase.

?If you go to other churches, it?s just different,? longtime parishioner Jose Rodriguez said in April. ?I know it?s the same God, but there?s something special here. At other churches, you feel like something?s missing.?

It won?t be long before that something special will include a new church. Rodriguez was one of the dozens who came out in on a Friday morning in April for the groundbreaking that had seemed impossible.

That day, parishioners cried and snapped pictures. The hundreds of folding chairs set out were not nearly enough. Members of the poorest church in the diocese passed collection baskets and sang ?God Bless America.?

The week after that ceremony, construction began on the 8,500-square-foot church with buttressed steel interior and masonry exterior, able to seat 450. From the makeshift seats of the basement church, parishioners can see their new home going up.

?They are very, very, very happy to see the church,? said Msgr. Arquimedes Vallejo, pastor at Sacred Heart. ?The whole community is doing great sacrifices to make this.?

Vallejo said families have cut back on clothes and Christmas gifts so they can donate a little more to the church. When the donated sod and landscaping needed to be planted, 40 men showed up.

?This is one of the poorest churches in money. Regarding their talents, it is very rich,? Vallejo said. ?It is an example for us.?

The new church is a not a replica of the original. But it is built in a more traditional style to keep a connection with the old church. The design is clean and simple, with humble stained glass windows on the sides. The pews and lights have been donated from other churches and refurbished for Sacred Heart.

But, unlike the basement currently in use, the new building will have modern bathrooms, a crying room for people with young children and confessionals. Every day, loyal parishioners regularly peek into the new building to see the progress.

Vallejo expects to hold Mass in the new church in the next month. No doubt, even at twice the seating of the basement church, every seat will be filled with the smiling faces of people whose persistence has been rewarded.

?They are loyal, faithful people. That?s why the people rejoice to see their new church,? Vallejo said. ?For them, it looks like a dream and also a miracle.?

Source: http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/news/9565612-418/as-new-church-building-rises-sacred-heart-beats-stronger.html

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