A Franciscan Parish Thrives in Danbury, Connecticut 

Danbury, Connecticut

Today, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Danbury, Connecticut is a thriving and energetic community led by the Conventual Franciscan Friars. Its history dates back more than 80 years.

In the mid 1920s, Danbury had a need for a Catholic parish. Polish Catholics had been settling in the town since the 19th century. They had already built a school to educate their children, but still needed a place to satisfy their spiritual needs.

Conventual Franciscan Friars from Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Danbury, Connecticut

By 1924, the Bishop of Hartford gave permission for the construction of a church building. Masses were first held at the Danbury Town Hall. The following year, the new Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish raised funds to pay for the construction of the current church building; in October the actual construction process began.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Danbury, Connecticut

About six months later in April, 1926, the church building was finished and a dedication ceremony took place. Since that time, 83 years have elapsed; and Danbury's Sacred Heart of Jesus community is as strong as ever.

The Conventual Franciscans have played an integral part in the vitality and stregnth of Sacred Heart. Rebuilding churches – in a physical and spiritual sense – is a vital part of their charism dating back eight centuries to Assisi, that small town in the Umbrian Valley where St. Francis was born.