Throughout its 100-year history, the Shrine of the Sacred Heart has had many firsts. It was the first Roman Catholic parish in the Columbia Heights/ Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods. The parish opened the first elementary school in 1930 that educated both Catholics and non-Catholics in Washington, DC. One of the first permanent deacons in the United States, James Quander, an African American, was Sacred Heart’s first permanent deacon. Sacred Heart was the first parish to initiate the “Walk with Mary” procession in honor of our Lady of Guadalupe which has become an annual Archdiocesan event. The Shrine of the Sacred Heart is a multicultural parish that has always welcomed all people to pray and worship together. Although we are many, we are one in faith.
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