Sacred Heart RPRF Response Pages 1 and 2 of 4
On behalf of Sacred Heart parish, we would like to humbly propose some considerations
for the Real Presence, Real Future planning initiative in response to the second draft
models. As parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish, we respectfully acknowledge and
appreciate the time and effort put forth by Diocesan leaders to respond to the decline in
ordained priests and the decrease in practicing Catholics in the Diocese of Columbus.
I. Regarding the proposed model between Holy Name and Sacred Heart
We ask that you accept this letter as a written response to the Diocese’s proposed model
through Real Presence Real Future to combine Sacred Heart Parish with Holy Name,
maintaining Holy Name as the open and active location. Collectively, we would like to
address various points which may have been overlooked or points of which the decision
makers were unaware. Currently, Sacred Heart Parish is a experiencing a renewal, with
increasing attendance by young professionals, a is location in an urban area experiencing
exponential growth which provides boundless opportunities for outreach.
We believe there are many challenging aspects of the model presented, and that this
model fails to accomplish the core purpose of Real Presence Real Future, which is to
“better support evangelization and outreach.” To begin, Holy Name is only averaging 55
Mass attendees per weekend, while Sacred Heart is averaging over 130, with several
recent weekends reaching over 150 attendees. Our attendance figures have been
increasing steadily for the past eighteen months, even during the pandemic. These figures
alone show that Sacred Heart is reaching more people each week than Holy Name. In
addition, while Holy Name is near The Ohio State University, and could possibly reach a
few students, we argue that the Newman Center is already providing sufficient campus
outreach and is less than a mile from Holy Name.
College students are transient by nature, making it difficult to create stable communities
at both Holy Name and St. Thomas More Newman Center. Sacred Heart’s location in
Italian Village is attracting parishioners from the South Campus, Downtown, and Short
North communities. This area is distant from the Newman Center, so many graduate
students from OSU have found a home at their neighborhood parish of Sacred Heart.
This has enabled us to actively reach out to and evangelize a growing population of
young professionals and graduate students. In fact, this community has formed a “Young
Adult” group at Sacred Heart which meets weekly. Looking at the numbers of Catholics
in the Diocese attending Mass, this group should not be ignored. As young leaders, there
should be thoughtful consideration to this population as we look to expand Catholicism in
the city of Columbus.
There are several other practical concerns with closing Sacred Heart over Holy Name.
Not the least being that Sacred Heart’s parking lot and church are both handicap
accessible, where Holy Name’s lot and church are not. Sacred Heart is also home to the
active and thriving Syro-Malabar Community. Additionally, the strong community at
Sacred Heart has a proven track record of responsible financial stewardship and
community outreach. Even if Santa Cruz was to remain at Holy Name, Holy Name is
less financially viable than Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart is financially viable, has
increasing attendance, and is actively supporting evangelization and outreach with an ever-growing demographic of young professionals, shutting down this community, at a
time when growth is needed, would be more detrimental than productive to the Diocese
of Columbus.
II. Sacred Heart as a place of evangelization
The Sacred Heart Campus
Sacred Heart occupies a prime location in the center of Italian Village. Our neighborhood
had been in decline for decades, but in the past 15 years, it has experienced a renaissance
that continues today. The residential housing boom has brought new life and a flood of
full-time residents, most of which are young professionals and graduate students, to the
area. Our neighbor to the West, the Short North, has for years been a hub of new
residential construction. The Weiland Park area just north of us, is experiencing its own
resurgence thanks in large measure to the investments by Campus Partners and The Ohio
State University. In short, we are literally at the center of an area full of young, well
educated, energetic individuals and families that need a spiritual anchor. Over two
thousand residential units are planned or under construction within the Sacred Heart
parish boundaries.
St. Joseph Montessori School (SJMS) is the lessee of our school building with the
Diocese as the lessor. When the lease was signed over 25 years ago, our neighborhood
had decayed, and the school building was sitting empty. While the agreed to monthly rent
was certainly appropriate for market conditions at that time, there was no provision to
adjust the rent over the years as market conditions changed. The parish has suffered from
the inability to capitalize on stronger commercial markets, particularly in the past 10
years. If the rent were to be adjusted to reflect market rate at the earliest date
contractually possible, the parish could remain debt free, repair and upgrade the church
and convent buildings, improve the campus grounds, and institute programs of
evangelization and outreach to our neighborhood in conjunction with our growing young
professionals peer group. SJMS, with no ties to the parish and a minimal to nil Catholic
identity, is and has been a detriment to Sacred Heart serving the needs of the
neighborhood and the Gospel.
Future Use and Mission
While increasing the rental revenue at the school building would be an easy way to
increase funding, there is a much greater opportunity for substantial, long-lasting
revenue, as well as evangelization and outreach, through the development of our campus
real estate
The arrangement between Sacred Heart and SJMS has been of benefit primarily to SJMS.
We think it is time to take the real asset that the school occupies and capitalize on its full
potential. Catholic children account for roughly 10% of the current student body, with
Catholic faculty in that same 10%. It no longer has a viable Catholic identity and no
longer serves to pass on the Catholic faith. Our mission of evangelization and serving as
a resource for those in our parish boundaries and beyond cannot be fulfilled if the status
quo remains.
Jun 20, 2022