Sacred Heart to reopen in Jeannette, faces tough choice on costly water damage repairs

A Jeannette church this month will host its first Mass since August, when it was forced to close.

The interior of Sacred Heart Parish won’t look exactly the same, though, and costly water damage repairs loom amid hopes to revive the city’s Catholic presence.

Plaster has either fallen or been removed from most interior walls, exposing brick in the English Gothic-style building that dates back to the 1920s. Deacon Bill Newhouse, who has been appointed administrator, will be leading the work on a plan for the building and reinvigorating interest in Jeannette.

“It’s rebuilding the Church with a capital C, not just the facilities,” he said.

Catholic Diocese of Greensburg officials have been dealing with water damage woes at the church since 2012, about 90 years after it was erected at the intersection of Cowan Avenue and North Seventh Street.

Ground was broken for the church building in 1923 after members had contributed about $170,000 over 17 years. Sandstone was hauled in from Beaver County. The stained glass windows were created in Pittsburgh. The huge new home was a big deal for members of the parish — its first Mass after forming in 1889 was held in a blacksmith’s shop.

Renovations in 1974 were followed by ongoing maintenance of the aging building in a residential neighborhood during the following decades.

Five years after the water damage first took hold, a large section of plaster fell from a wall in the transept. Hundreds of hours have been dedicated to repairing the nave and sanctuary walls, but much of the plaster has been removed because of the water damage.

“The more we repaired, the more damage we found, including asbestos in the plaster walls which we’ve been mitigating since August of 2020,” said Jim Garvin, director of engineering and facilities management.

The building has been deemed safe for parishioners despite its cosmetic appearance, but repairs eventually will come with a price tag. Initial restoration is expected to be about $150,000. Further improvements, such as repointing the exterior and heating and air conditioning updates, could surpass $600,000 over the next few years. Recent insurance claims to restore the interior plaster have been denied, according to diocese officials.

The church was shut down in March 2020 during restrictions meant to slow the coronavirus pandemic, then reopened in June 2020 for a few months before the damage forced it to close. Parishioners have worshiped at home or visited other churches in the area, including partner Ascension Parish in Jeannette, Newhouse said.

“Compounding the devastation of this water damage was its timing,” said Bishop Larry Kulick. “When the rest of us began to emerge from the isolation of the pandemic to resume in-person worship inside the churches we know and love, parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish had to worship elsewhere.”

A few Sacred Heart mainstays were thrilled to learn that the church, home to about 500 families, would reopen the weekend of June 26 — with its first Mass on June 27, Newhouse said

“People are excited to be back, they miss the place,” he said.

But they have a tough task awaiting them — getting the pews filled and determining how to move forward.

‘Need to be needed’

Newhouse said he has been asked to get a handle on the partner parishes’ financial situations and church buildings and help leaders create viability plans while working to bring Catholics back. Their recommendations will be presented to Kulick.

“You have an older structure here that is need of repair right now,” Newhouse said while standing inside Sacred Heart, adding that amenities need to be added for aging worshippers.

Those who have been pleasantly surprised that the building is reopening for Mass, weddings, funerals, baptisms and other liturgies know they will be responsible for bringing the building back to life.

For the time being, the interior of Sacred Heart will stay as is while officials decide what option would be best to improve the look of the exposed brick. Newhouse said he hopes to make the building’s centennial celebration in the next couple years a big one.

“They know it’s the parish’s responsibility to start filling these seats,” Newhouse said. “If we want these churches to survive, they need to be needed. They can’t just be empty buildings.”

The Rev. Job Foote of St. Vincent Archabbey has been appointed parochial vicar of both Ascension and Sacred Heart parishes. The Rev. Michael Sikon resigned as pastor at the two parishes and will remain at St. Barbara Parish in Harrison City and diocesan director of worship.