Sacred Heart of Jesus, Baton Rouge

In 1924, a mission was founded to meet the spiritual needs of Catholic families living in the then eastern suburb of Baton Rouge. Father Dominic Blasco, a native of Sicily, was placed in charge of the new mission in response to the large Italian immigrant population living in that section of the city.

The mission’s congregation soon proved its ability to spiritually and financially support an independent parish. On December 21, 1928, the parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus became the sixth Catholic parish in Baton Rouge with Father Blasco as pastor. In September 1929, Sacred Heart Parochial School was established, staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

By the end of the 1930s Sacred Heart had developed into one of the most important parishes in the area, with a population of over 4000. The continuing generosity of its congregation facilitated many improvements in the physical plant and made it possible to fulfill the parish’s long held dream of a large beautiful church. The magnificent Sacred Heart Church, a Baton Rouge landmark, was dedicated in May 1942. Designed by the New Orleans architect Albert Bendernagel, it features murals by Gregory deWit, O.S.B., and stained glass by the Emil Frei Glass Studios. The construction was underway at the same time the United States became involved in World War II, underscoring the incredible commitment of the parishioners to the building of the church.

The congregation reached its peak with almost 6500 members in 1947, but, by the late 1950s, the population of Baton Rouge began to shift to the outlying suburbs. The changing demographic dramatically affected Sacred Heart Parish which reached a low point of less than 850 members by the early 1990s. Although reduced in size, the spirit and involvement of the Sacred Heart family remains strong. The success of the “Creating a Renaissance” master plan in 1997 proved the energetic determination of the parishioners to maintain and increase the vitality of Sacred Heart. In December 2003, a Jubilee Mass commenced a nine-month-long celebration of the parish’s 75th anniversary, concluding with the commemoration of the school’s jubilee in September 2004.