WELCOME
Sacred Heart Brant is a warm, welcoming community in the town of Paris, Ontario.
SACRED HEART ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
A WARM WELCOME
Father Joseph Okoko welcomes you to take part in the celebration of God's love. Sacred Heart is a warm, welcoming community in the picturesque town of Paris, Ontario. Our parish strives to bring the message of Jesus to our homes and community through living out what we have received from Jesus, his love and mercy.
LIVING OUR FAITH SINCE 1837
During the early settlement of Paris, Catholics mostly of Irish descent, had to make the 36.5 km journey to Dundas to attend Mass. It was in 1836 that men from Brant County met to decide where they would build the first Catholic Church in the county. They built a small frame church in 1837 on land donated by Hiram Capron, founder of Paris. Priest's from Dundas served the community.
The present church was built in 1857, under the direction of Father Jeremiah Ryan, and the first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Day. The Sisters of St. Joseph arrived to teach in 1858; they served the parish until the 1970's.
During the pastorate of Father Thomas Dowling, who would later become Bishop of Hamilton Diocese, the superstructure and the tower of the Church were added in 1880. The present sanctuary was added in 1912 and the tower bell was installed in 1937. The interior of the church suffered extensive damage from a fire in 1953. Since the 1970's there have been changes to the interior décor, most notably the removal of the Gothic sanctuary and side alters.
Today's parish leadership are working to once again add to the existing structure to further serve the parish and the community. Planning for a new Parish Centre was formalized in 2020, a modern meeting hall to provide new service and event opportunities. The new community hall celebrated a grand opening in 2023.
