Shoppers find religious books, knickknacks, fellowship at Bloomfield’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Store
Each person who enters Sacred Heart of Jesus Store in Bloomfield leaves with something, even if they don’t make a purchase.
“The blessing doesn’t go on the items we sell; the blessing goes on literally everyone that comes in,” says Sister Mary Madalyn Schleifer, who runs the Liberty Avenue shop with Sharon Oldaker.
Some visitors have broken the Thou Shall Not Steal commandment and taken off with religious books and statuary. Schleifer once stared down the barrel of a robber’s gun. In that moment, there was no fear, only faith.
That, she says, is what’s kept the business – and the world – going all these years.
Oldaker, a former Protestant, says she had a spiritual encounter with Joan of Arc while visiting the saint’s hometown of Domrémy, France. She converted to Catholicism in 1973 and was inspired to open a bookstore that specialized in devotional texts.
She considers every book an apostle.
The original Sacred Heart of Jesus debuted in Chicago. Over the last three decades, various incarnations have popped up throughout Pittsburgh.
The current location has been in operation since 2003. It’s filled with ceramic nuns, decorative crosses, Virgin Mary trinkets and old tomes, many of them rare and unedited. The goods are often donated by parishes, convents and seminaries looking to downsize.
Religious leaders from around the world make the pilgrimage to stock up on out-of-print reading materials. The store has been blessed by more than 900 priests, six bishops, three cardinals, one rabbi and a couple of ministers, but 90 percent of the clientele are young people.
“There’s been a resurgence in Catholicism,” Schleifer says. “People are waking up thanks to a lot of good, young priests. The church is alive.”
Natalie Grabowski, 29, of Morningside is a regular. A labor and delivery nurse at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, she dropped by on a recent afternoon to chat and peruse the new literary arrivals.
“It’s more about educating myself and maintaining my own spirituality,” she says, clutching a Christian prayer book. “People want truth and, in truth, they’re finding fulfillment.”
Each visitor is asked to sign a register, so staff members know who they’re praying for and who is praying for them. There are hundreds of pages of names and addresses, representing every state and 65 countries.
A pot of coffee is perpetually percolating in the front of the store. Friends, neighbors and even a few atheists come by to sit and sip. People who are too intimidated to enter a church find peace and fellowship here.
Years ago, Etna resident Ruth Brannigan purchased four dozen Steelers rosaries to pass out at the funeral of her mother, a lifelong black-and-gold fan. Now she drops in for a cup of coffee and good conversation.
“I always come in and say hello,” Brannigan says. “I’ve brought a number of people by and it’s always a wonderful experience. It’s like the bar Cheers with prayers.”
Sacred Heart of Jesus Store is located at 4515 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday and 10:30 to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The store is cash only.
Kristy Locklin is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.
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