THE HISTORY OF OUR PARISH
1835 First Mass celebrated in Lebanon by Fr. O'Reilly.
1856 Storage building at 10 Parkhurst Street was purchased and converted into a chapel for the 15 Catholic families of Lebanon.
1876 Establishment of Sacred Heart Parish in Lebanon for about 100 families.
1879 Blessing of the first parish church on School Street.
1889 Opening of first Sacred Heart School on Granite Street near West Street. This school was staffed by lay teachers for about 100 students and closed in 1900.
1901 Building of Holy Redeemer Chapel in West Lebanon as a mission of Sacred Heart.
1909 Opening of Sacred Heart School on Eldridge Street and the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy who staffed this school.
1932 School enrollment jumps to 407.
1932 New convent is built on Hanover Street.
1942 Dedication for new Sacred Heart church and rectory on High/Hough Streets.
1971 Sacred Heart school is closed.
1976 Parish celebrates 100th Anniversary.
1979 Sacred Heart Parish is entrusted to the pastoral care of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette.
1985 House adjoining parish property is purchased as offices for Religious Education.
1992 The current Sacred Heart church (building) celebrates 50th Anniversary.
2003 Merging of Holy Redeemer Parish in West Lebanon with Sacred Heart Parish.
2004 Sacred Heart celebrates 25th anniversary of being staffed by La Salette priests.
2010 Interior of the church was renovated and Bishop John McCormack rededicated the church
on Palm Sunday weekend.
2015 Sacred Heart Parish is entrusted back to the pastoral care of the Diocese of Manchester on January 3, 2015.
2016 The pipe organ dating back to 1885 (installed at Sacred Heart in 1941 and not having been used since the 1980s) undergoes restoration work and is completed on the feast of St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians,
November 22, 2017.
2017 A majority of the sanctuary (floor/woodwork) is restored to its original 1941 beauty during the Lenten
season and the front doors of the church are restored.
2018 In the spring, the Church Hall kitchen undergoes a complete renovation, doubling the size of the kitchen and
adding a new coffee/drink bar.
2019 In the spring, four new side altars are built and installed. The altar of Mary, the altar of the Sacred Heart, the altar of Our Lady of La Salette, and the altar of St. John the Baptist.
2019 In August, portions of the church were painted restoring the original burgundy color.
2020 In February, the altar rail was restored to the sanctuary using all of the original pieces that were removed in
the mid-1970s.
2020 During the Lenten season and Covid-19 Pandemic, and with Catholic churches suspending the
celebration of public Mass, the high altar is restored.
2021 The original church bell from 1879, that was moved from the old church to the current church in 1941, was
restored. It rang for the first time on Holy Thursday, April 1, after 40+ years of being out of service.
1856 Storage building at 10 Parkhurst Street was purchased and converted into a chapel for the 15 Catholic families of Lebanon.
1876 Establishment of Sacred Heart Parish in Lebanon for about 100 families.
1879 Blessing of the first parish church on School Street.
1889 Opening of first Sacred Heart School on Granite Street near West Street. This school was staffed by lay teachers for about 100 students and closed in 1900.
1901 Building of Holy Redeemer Chapel in West Lebanon as a mission of Sacred Heart.
1909 Opening of Sacred Heart School on Eldridge Street and the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy who staffed this school.
1932 School enrollment jumps to 407.
1932 New convent is built on Hanover Street.
1942 Dedication for new Sacred Heart church and rectory on High/Hough Streets.
1971 Sacred Heart school is closed.
1976 Parish celebrates 100th Anniversary.
1979 Sacred Heart Parish is entrusted to the pastoral care of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette.
1985 House adjoining parish property is purchased as offices for Religious Education.
1992 The current Sacred Heart church (building) celebrates 50th Anniversary.
2003 Merging of Holy Redeemer Parish in West Lebanon with Sacred Heart Parish.
2004 Sacred Heart celebrates 25th anniversary of being staffed by La Salette priests.
2010 Interior of the church was renovated and Bishop John McCormack rededicated the church
on Palm Sunday weekend.
2015 Sacred Heart Parish is entrusted back to the pastoral care of the Diocese of Manchester on January 3, 2015.
2016 The pipe organ dating back to 1885 (installed at Sacred Heart in 1941 and not having been used since the 1980s) undergoes restoration work and is completed on the feast of St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians,
November 22, 2017.
2017 A majority of the sanctuary (floor/woodwork) is restored to its original 1941 beauty during the Lenten
season and the front doors of the church are restored.
2018 In the spring, the Church Hall kitchen undergoes a complete renovation, doubling the size of the kitchen and
adding a new coffee/drink bar.
2019 In the spring, four new side altars are built and installed. The altar of Mary, the altar of the Sacred Heart, the altar of Our Lady of La Salette, and the altar of St. John the Baptist.
2019 In August, portions of the church were painted restoring the original burgundy color.
2020 In February, the altar rail was restored to the sanctuary using all of the original pieces that were removed in
the mid-1970s.
2020 During the Lenten season and Covid-19 Pandemic, and with Catholic churches suspending the
celebration of public Mass, the high altar is restored.
2021 The original church bell from 1879, that was moved from the old church to the current church in 1941, was
restored. It rang for the first time on Holy Thursday, April 1, after 40+ years of being out of service.
