Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery

Beneath the outstretched arms of Jesus, a silent story unfolds at Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery. Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery isn’t just a place of rest. It’s a testament to a community’s enduring faith, nestled in Palos Hills. The cemetery shares its roots with the Sacred Heart parish, a beacon of hope for French-Canadian descendants who settled along the Blue Island Ridge. These hardworking families, many employed at the Purington Brickyard, established their parish in Alsip around 1892. A devastating fire in the early 1900s couldn’t extinguish their spirit. They rebuilt their church at its current Chicago location on 117th and Church Street, completing the charming brick structure we see today in 1904. Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery holds not just the departed, but also echoes of the parish’s rich history of healing and miracles. Stories abound of Father DeMers, who offered holy water, medicine, and blessings to the sick. This legacy continues today, with prayers for loved ones offered at every Mass. Sacred Heart, once a predominantly French national church, embraced Irish and German families into its fold, growing to over a thousand families by 1979. A temporary closure ordered by Cardinal Cody brought heartache, but the “Save Our Shrine” committee fought tirelessly. Their appeals reached Rome and the media, culminating in the church’s reopening in 1982 under Cardinal Bernadin. Today, the Sacred Heart community, small but vibrant, welcomes visitors with open arms. Their story, like the cemetery itself, whispers of resilience, faith, and the enduring power of community.