Franciscan presence leaves Sacred Heart Parish after 150 years
An archive photo dating from 1928 shows the campus of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Indianapolis. The 165-foot tall twin steeples continue today to dominate the skyline of the near southside of the city. (Used with permission from Indiana Album: Joan Hostetler Collection)
By Jennifer Gill (Special to The Criterion)
It’s time to say goodbye to the Franciscan priests and brothers who have guided Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Indianapolis for 150 years, but parishioners said they will never forget the foundation of faith they were given as they get ready to welcome an archdiocesan priest to lead the parish for the first time.
“It’s a very emotional time for us and hard to deal with,” said longtime parishioner Alma Blake, who was baptized at the parish and whose granddaughter is the fifth generation to attend Sacred Heart. “I can’t imagine what it will be like to not have them here.”
Blake credits the Franciscans with showing her how to live, saying, “I understand and love other people because of what they showed me.”
Blake has many memories, but said she is mostly grateful for what the parish has meant in her life. She was a member of the first liturgy committee of the parish and said the women she served with continued to meet around a kitchen table for the next 32 years as friends.
“I will never forget all that the Franciscans did for us,” Blake said. “They gave us a belief in the faith, the most wonderful thing in our life.”
The Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe of the Order of Friars Minor, headquartered in Atlanta, determined it could no longer staff the Indianapolis parish due to a decreasing number of friars in its community.
Franciscan Father Ducanh Pham, or “Father Duc” as he was commonly known in the parish, began ministry in Sacred Heart in 2019. A native of Vietnam, he emigrated to the U.S. and has been a Franciscan for more than 30 years.
In an Oct. 10, 2025, article in The Criterion, Father Duc said the brick-and-mortar repairs of the church that he oversaw in his time at the parish provide the faith community a firm foundation for the future of Sacred Heart to move forward as a “beautiful worship space.”
“We’ve taken care of the roof,” he continued. “We’re taking care of the bricks and mortar. We’re sealing our windows and restoring the artwork on the inside. We want to make sure that … the people in the future can continue to use this as a beautiful worship space.”
The church is known for its twin 165-foot steeples and its beautiful carved wood high altar and artwork inside that brings many visitors to the church to see what parishioners call the “Splendor of the Southside.”
The Franciscans came to Indianapolis from St. Louis to help the increasing number of German-speaking Catholics on Indianapolis’ near southside by founding the parish and building the church in 1875. At the time, Indianapolis was a rapidly growing railroad hub with unpaved dirt streets and horse-drawn carriages. Ulysses S. Grant was president when the Franciscan Friars began their legacy at Sacred Heart.
Rosie Pittman, who lived just down the street from the church, saw many changes through the years. She witnessed the Great Depression and said everyone took solace through the years at the parish that “instilled in us a deep faith.”
“All we knew was a Franciscan priest,” she said.
Sacred Heart has weathered other storms in its extensive history. When the friars first arrived, they had to pay off large debts for building the church and begged like they had done in in its early history by the example given to them of their founder St. Francis of Assisi. Any money received by the Franciscans, who took no salary, was put toward the parish debt, according to church histories.
A fire in April 2001 brought another challenge that parishioners met by having their beautiful church restored. They moved back into the church 18 months after the fire.
Parishioners celebrated a lifetime of memories on June 28, with a Mass of Thanksgiving and dinner honoring the presence and service of the Franciscans for the last 150 years as they also bid farewell to Father Duc.
(Jennifer Gill is a freelance writer and a member of Holy Family Parish in Oldenburg.) †
