Sacred Heart

On Easter Sunday, 1953, church bells were rung for the first time over the rolling vineyards of Etiwanda from the new Sacred Heart church on Route 66. Under the leadership of Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Masi and Mr. & Mrs Lisk land was bought, a converted wine shop was the first “church”, and a Catholic community began to grow. For four years Fr Horvath, the founding pastor, lived in one room behind the “church” until the rectory was built in 1957, soon followed by a church in 1958, the elementary school in 1964, a convent (now the Pastoral Center) in 1969, and two large halls and kitchen (substantially donated by Mr & Mrs Biane) in 1979.

Fr. Horvath continued as pastor until 1971, and was followed by Fr. Snoj (1971-1983), Fr Rabatsky (1983-1985), Fr Gaglia (1985-1997), and Fr Porter (1997-2003). In 2003, the San Bernardino Diocese implemented a change in the parish leadership structure. Sacred Heart was assigned a pastoral coordinator, Dr. Peter Newburn, who provides overall pastoral and administrative leadership. Various priest ministers serve to meet the liturgical and sacramental needs of the parish and provide pastoral care. To serve the ever increasing population in the area, a new larger church was built and dedicated on August 20, 2006. Sacred Heart is a vibrant asnd growing parish community. Our ethnic and cultural make-up is very diverse. After over 50 years of Catholic service we continue to strive to be a welcoming community that is faithful to authentic Catholic tradition practice.