By David Eck

SIDNEY DEANERY — More than 700 parishioners at Sacred Heart Church on June 17 welcomed Archbishop of Cincinnati Daniel E. Pilarczyk and nearly two-dozen other priests to dedicate a new Sacred Heart Church.

The 640-seat church was standing-room-only during the moving 2-hour service. Parts of the dedication Mass included blessing the baptismal font, sprinkling the congregation with holy water, anointing the altar and walls of the church with oil, and burning incense at the altar to signify the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

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Megan Goettemoeller of McCartyville during the dedication Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in McCartyville. She is a junior at Anna High School and a member of Sacred Heart Parish.

Earlier , Archbishop Pilarczyk led the priests and the congregation across the parking lot from the parish school to the doors of the new church. The key to the locked church doors was turned over to the archbishop. who asked Father Patrick Welsh, pastor, to unlock the church.

Many of the parishioners had never been to a church dedication Mass before.

"It blended a lot of interesting aspects of how the church is dedicated," said Marian Spicer, a parishioner since 1993 and chair of the building steering committee.

The dedication Mass was broadcast on Radio Maria, 88.7 FM.

During his homily, Archbishop Pilarczyk explained the dedication Mass and congratulated the parish.

"Congratulations to you for what all of you have done, under the leadership of Father Welsh, to bring this beautiful new church to completion. Congratulations to all of God’s people for the gifts that Christ has given us, spiritual gifts to His church that we remember in this liturgical event," Archbishop Pilarczyk said. "It is good to be together here this afternoon. It is good to share in the life of the church. It is good to be part of God’s loving plan for His good creation."

The new church, which took about 10 months to build, connects to the old church, which is now used as a gathering space, and includes a chapel and a nursery.

The new 9,200-square-foot building seats about double what the old church did. It cost $2.4 million, parish officials said. Planning and discussion for the new church took about five years.

The church is decorated in maroon and gold carpet with light wood pews and woodwork. The Stations of the Cross and three statues were moved from the old church. The new building is also air-conditioned and has an elevator leading from the parking lot into the church.

Dozens of parishioners volunteered to help with the new building. They did such things as painting, landscaping, woodworking and decorating, Spicer said.

"It’s amazing the talent that is within a small community," Spicer said. "I think this has brought us even more together. I think people really feel an ownership in their own church."

The parish also celebrated its 125th anniversary during the dedication. "It’s very nice that the parish gets to celebrate in this way," Spicer said.

A reception after the Mass featured sandwiches and cake. Photos of the new building under construction lined the walls of the basement of the old building. There were also photos of the original Sacred Heart Church.

Located in a rural, but growing area, the parish needed more seating. There was also the thought that a larger facility could accommodate a future with fewer priests, Spicer said.

The parish originally wanted to enlarge the old church, but that couldn’t be done because of structural issues. The new building was designed so that it could be expanded, if needed.

The end result was well received.

"It’s way beyond what we ever thought it was going to be," said Cindy Naseman. "People took a lot of pride in donating money and their time and items to for the church."