Dear Friend of Sacred Heart,
 
It is five years since we celebrated the 100 ^th Anniversary of the dedication of Sacred Heart Church, and since that celebration, we have learned that the ravages of time have taken a serious toll on the north wall of the church (the wall beside the driveway leading to the gymnasium.)
 
The bad news is that it will take a minimum of $800,000 to repair the wall. We know that is an enormous sum.   We also know that you are assailed on all sides by your parish, your diocese, your school, etc. for help.  Moreover, there are so many worthwhile causes competing for our charity, many with compelling stories about how a contribution will help unfortunate individuals.  Therein, the dilemma.
 
Who will care about the crumbling wall of a church in the poorest congressional district in the nation, if not those who grew up there, or whose parents grew up there and who received sacraments and untold graces through that church?  Sacred Heart from its inception to the present has welcomed immigrants, educated their children and brought them their faith.  It carried them though the First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War.
 
          However, starting in the mid-sixties, a tidal wave of urban decay and lawlessness overflowed the neighborhood, causing a massive flight of people and institutions.  National chain stores such as A&P and Grand Union abandoned the neighborhood as crime, drugs, and violence skyrocketed.  In this period, many apartment buildings that were less than 50 years old were abandoned and others burnt down.  The Highbridge Library was torn down and replaced by a building that looks more like a bomb shelter than a library.  Hopelessness reigned, as the poor who had moved into the neighborhood seeking a better life were cruelly disappointed.
 
Virtually alone among neighborhood institutions, Sacred Heart Church and Sacred Heart School remained a beacon of hope in a sea of chaos and despair.  Amidst all the turbulence, the church was an island of tranquility and calm where people could commune with their creator and seek solace in the sacraments.  Reminiscent of the soldiers immortalized in our national anthem who took great comfort when, after a night of horrendous bombardment, they saw that “our flag was still there,” poor Catholics in the neighborhood took both comfort and courage from the fact that Sacred Heart was still there.  Sacred Heart, built with the sacrifices of earlier waves of poor, continued to dispense God’s graces and educate poor children during a siege by forces of decay, disorder and despair that lasted nearly two decades.  Truly, the gates of Hell did not prevail against our beloved Sacred Heart.
 
          We cannot be indifferent to the spiritual need of current and future generations of poor who desperately need the graces and blessings that have always been available at Sacred Heart.  Accordingly, we are beginning the “Heed the Call to Fix the Wall” Campaign.  When Jesus summarized the commandments, He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:37-39  Surely, we show our love of God by maintaining His house and we also show our love of our neighbor by helping preserve our neighbors’ house of worship.
 
As mentioned above, Sacred Heart is in the poorest congressional district in the nation, so the amount we can raise from current parishioners is limited.  Make no mistake, the current parishioners love their church and parish and are being as generous as they possibly can be, but they simply cannot do it alone.
 
Please consider reaching deep for this vital cause.  Those contributing $1,000 or more will be recognized on a new plaque in the church, either in their own name or as a memorial to their parents, grandparents or other loved ones.  Please give what you can, however small you think it is.  Remember Christ’s observation to his Apostles when a poor widow contributed two almost worthless coins to the temple treasury:   “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offering from their surplus wealth, but she from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." Luke 21: 3-4   It is precisely such deeply sacrificial contributions that will make our drive succeed.  In addition, please pray for the success of our campaign.
 
If you would like more information about the project, click on north wall or to make a donation by phone, please contact Michael Grogan during regular business hours.  He may be reached at 718-293-2766, ext. 104.  To make a donation online, click here.

May God Bless you and your families always and thank you for any consideration you give to this request.