Sacred Heart Church - Pomeroy

In 1837, four German Catholic families - Conde, Reutz, Lentz, and Schuler - arrived in Pomeroy to work in the coal mines. They were joined by other Catholic families, and their religious welfare was administered by Fr. McCaffin, the resident priest in Marietta. Fr. McCaffin visited three times a year, but he only spoke English and they only understood German. 

In 1843, twelve families from the Narrows (upper Pomeroy) made the first effort to get a resident priest in the area. They were financially able to build a church but not able to support a resident priest. In 1848, more German Catholic families arrived in the area so the need for a Catholic Church beame more of a priority. The first meeting consisted of 46 people who banded together to plan the building of the first church in Pomeroy. The first church was a wooden structure built by men from the village with trees from Lincoln Hill. The small frame building stood on Mulberry Avenue just west of the present edifice. It was the culmination of the hope of 10 years earlier when the first Catholics in the area made Pomeroy their home. Two additions were added to the wooden building over time, and that structure served the parish for fifty years. 

                 

In December 1851, Fr. Theophile Krapf, the first pastor, was succeeded by Fr. Nicholas Wachter who came from St. Stephen in Hamilton. The church was also served by Fr. J. C. Albrinck, who later became Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. In 1862, Fr. Tappert found that the parish could support a parochial school. The classes were held in the basement of the church and were taught by a lay teacher who is remembered as Captain Hein. At the time, there were no paved streets in Pomeroy, and children coming from the runs between the hills from Middleport and Pomeroy made great sacrifices to obtain a Catholic education. 

In 1864, families came to Pomeroy for Mass from the village itself, Middleport and Syracuse, Ohio and Mason City, West Virginia. By 1865, the original church on Mulberry Street was enlarged with an addition to the front. In 1866, a new structure of stucco and brick was built across the street to accommodate the growing school population. In fall 1866, the school reopened under the care of four Sister of Charity from the Cincinnati province with a population of nearly 200 children.

Fr. Joseph John Jessing was appointed pastor only 3 years after his arrival in America from Westphalia, Germany. He served 1500 souls, mostly engaged in the coal and salt industries of the surrounding area. In 1871, a residence on land adjacent to the Church was purchased to house and care for orphan children. St. Joseph's Orphanage had 14 rooms and was dedicated by Bishop Rosencrans of Columbus in 1875. An order of Franciscan brothers arrived to help care for the orphans. Fr. Jessing made the decision to separate the classes of older children by sex at this time with the Sisters of Charity teaching the girls and the mixed lower grades while Brother Pacificus taught the older boys.

In 1872, a German Roman Catholic St. Joseph Society was established to provide support for members and their families. The Church and specifically Germans had come under attack in the Pomeroy Volksfreund newspaper. in 1873, Fr. Jessing started Der Wachter to counteract the damage being proliferated by the Pomeroy Volksfreund. In just three issues, Fr. Jessing's paper drove its rival out of business. Der Wachter was printed in the church basement on a hand press by Michael Meiers.Der Wachter stopped publishign in 1873, but Fr. Jessing promised his readers a weekly publication which they received two months later in The Ohio. The Ohio went on to be the leading German-Catholic newspaper in the country with a circulation of 38,000. The next year, the paper's name was changed to Ohio Waisenfreund, with a nod to its support of St. Joseph's Orphanage. The Ohio Waisenfreund absorbed all of Fr. Jessing's time so the parish was placed in the care of Fr. J. W. Kempen so that Fr. Jessing could devote his time to the paper and its support of the orphans. Fr. Jessing remained in the area for another year but needed larger accommodations. In 1877, he packed up his printing press at Pomeroy and went down the Ohio River to Cincinnati where he transferred to the railroad to make his way to Columbus. The Franciscan Brothers left with him and were replaced by Franciscan Sisters from Minnesota. 

Fr. Jessing purchased land and buildings for a new home for orphans in Columbus at 18th Street and Main Avenue. These buildings later became the Pontifical College Josephinum, where many of the seminarians of our diocese still study today.

In 1887, under Fr. Bede Hansen, the Our Lady of Loretto Mission at Long Bottom was built. Fr. Hansen left for Fulda, Ohio in 1889 and was succeeded by Fr. P. T. Thurheimer who had the vision for building a new church. However, it took time to convince the parishioners, which had fallen to about 125 families, that they had the resources to build. His ambition to build a new church was not fulfilled before Fr. Thurheimer was transferred. However, the torch was picked up by his replacement, Fr. John J. Schneider. 

Several sites were considered for the new church but were found to be in danger of flooding, so the old orphanage site, despite its odd, perpendicular peculiarities, was chosen as the building site for the new structure in 1896. It presented a daunting task the builders with the steep hill and Sugar Run Creek below. 

Architect Fred Heer of Dubuque, Iowa was selected for the job. He drew up plans for a Gothic building using native sand rock. During the spring and summer months of 1898, parishioners and miners from the area who did not work during those months donated their labor during the day while business men worked in the evenings to help with the excavation.

The cornerstone of the church was laid May 22, 1898 by Bishop Watterson of Columbus. The church was completed the following year and dedicated by Msgr. Sprecht. The entire cost of the new church with new altars, pipe organ, and pews was approximately $42,000.

The sandstone blocks used for the church's construction were native to the area. They were 25 inches thick and were put in place ropes, a pulley system, and heavy boards.  The foundation was a base of massive stone, making the rear of the church 50 feet high while the front of the church was approximately 20 feet high.The steeple is 157 feet from the ground to the top of the cross and houses 2 bells. The bells were from the original church. The pews and balcony were made of oak, and the church could seat 600.  The organ, a two manual, nine rack trakcer pipe organ, was made in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

In 1902, Fr. Schneider was transferred to Ironton, to the shock of the people of Pomeroy. Fr. J. J Mattes was appointed as his successor. In 1903, a fire completely destroyed the rectory. A new rectory was built, and Fr. Mattes moved in in January 1904.

The school associated with Sacred Heart closed in 1904 due to the declining number of parishioners. However, in 1907 or 1908 under Fr. Fladung, the school was restablished with a lay teacher. In 1910, the Sisters of Divine Providence from Newport, Kentucky took over the teaching duties of about 80 students. The school was remodeled during the pastorate of Fr. Theodore Igel (1923-1927). Fr. Igel became ill as pastor at Sacred Heart and died after three and a half years as pastor in 1927. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery. 

Msgr. Edwin Murphy served the parish from 1934 until 1945. During his pastorate, he baptized Donald Edwin Horak, native son of Pomeroy, who later became a priest for the Diocese of Steubenville and was pastor of Christ the King Parish in nearby Athens for many years. In his retirement, Fr. Don assisted the parishes in Athens and now assists in Pomeroy as well. 

                    

In 1945, the Diocese of Steubenville was established, and in 1948, the parish celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the laying of the cornerstone on Sunday, May 23.

By the mid 1950s, the school was in fear of closing again because of lack of students. It closed its doors for the last time in 1958 during the pastorate of Fr. John Turel. Fr. Turel was very popular among Catholics and non-Catholics alike because of his love for Christmas decor. Fr. Turel became ill in 1968, and the spiritual needs of the parish were met by six area priests: Fr. John Sherry, Fr. George Yontz, Msgr. George Coye, Fr. Dennis Lyden, Fr. Donald Manica, and Fr. F. E. Maloney.



In 1968, a parish council was established. In 1969, Fr. Bernard Krajcovic was installed as pastor. He oversaw repairs and redecorating of the interior of the Church.

In 1986, under the pastoral leadership of Msgr. Anthony Giannamore, the church's sandstone exterior was sandblasted clean to give a much needed facelift.
 
His successor, Msgr. Michael Hellmer oversaw a renovation and painting of the church interior in 1988-1989.

Fr. Walter Heinz was sent to Sacred Heart in 1990 and served the 175 families of the parish for many years. Sr. Fidelis Bell came in 1991 and served as pastoral associate to Fr. Walter until her retirement in 1998. During Fr. Walter's tenure, many improvements were made to the church, rectory, and activity building. Handicap ramps and an elevator were installed to make the church more accessible. Parking lots were established and improved around the church.  Sacred Heart Cemetery was also updated with paved roadways, improved records, and general maintenance.  In addition to all of these physical improvements, outreach to the broader Pomeroy and Meigs county community was a hallmark of Fr. Heinz’s ministry at Sacred Heart.
 
Fr. Walter retired in 2011, and Fr. Timothy Kozak arrived in Pomeroy to lead the parish from 2011 until 2016.

In July 2016, Fr. Mark Moore, pastor of the St. Paul and Christ the King Parishes in Athens, was named pastor of Sacred Heart Church. He is the first alumnus of the Pontifical College Josephinum, part of the beloved Fr. Jessing's legacy, to serve as pastor of the Church. He was installed as pastor by Bishop Monforton on August 27, 2016.

The following clergy have served Sacred Heart - Pomeroy as pastor:
Fr. Theophile Krapf (late 1840s-1851)
Fr. Nicholas Wachter (1851-1854)
Fr. J. C. Albrinck (1854-1858)
Fr. B. Maria Gells (1859-1862)
Fr. Tappert (1862-1863)
Fr. J. F. Kalenberg (1863-1870)
Fr. Joseph John Jessing (1870-1876)
Fr. J. W. Kempen (1875-1879)
Fr. Ignatius Luettig (1879-1883)
Fr. Bede Hansen (1883-1889)
Fr. P. T. Thurheimer (1889-mid 1890s)
Fr. John J. Schneider (mid 1890s-1902)
Fr. John Mattes (1902-1907)
Fr. Oeink (1907)
Fr. Edward L. Fladung (1907-1914)
Fr. P. Cornelius Schneider (1914-1923)
Fr. Theodore Igel (1923-1927)
Fr. Eugene Dunn (1927-1936)
Msgr. Edwin Murphy (1936-1945)

Fr. William Riley (1945-1950)
Fr. George Voytko (1950-1953)
Fr. George Adams (1953-1954)
Fr. John Turel (1954-1968)
Fr. Bernard Krajcovic (1969-1974)
Fr. Paul D. Welton (1974-1982)
Msgr. Anthony Giannamore (1982-1988)
Msgr. Michael Hellmer (1988)
Fr. Robert Borer (1989)
Fr. Walter E. Heinz (1990-2011)
Fr. Timothy Kozak (2011-2016)
Fr. Mark A. Moore (2016-present)