Our History
Prior to 1870, there was no Catholic Church or school between Baltimore and Westminster. In 1873, Sacred Heart Parish was established as a mission of St. Charles Borromeo Parish of Pikesville. The Little Church was built in 1875 and was dedicated on May 21, 1887. It has been in continuous use for over a hundred years. Under the direction of Fr. Ambrose Beaven of St. Charles, a Sacred Heart Parish School was established in 1928. The school was staffed by the Daughters of Charity from St. Charles who commuted from Pikesville to Glyndon each day. The school remained active in the 1930s, but during the years of the 1940s, continuation became impossible and the children were transported to the school at St. Charles.
Sacred Heart was named an independent parish in 1946. In August of 1956, Father Thomas Caulfield, pastor of Sacred Heart, arranged for a new parish school to be staffed by three members of the Sisters of Charity from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Teaching began on October 29, 1956 in a parish hall until three classrooms were completed. The school was officially dedicated in November 1956. Through the ‘50s and ‘60s the school grew to sixteen rooms housing students of grades one through eight. At one time, enrollment increased to eight hundred students. In June of 1965, the White Building, providing two additional classrooms, was built and located adjacent to the school lobby. The school successfully completed an archdiocesan self-study in 1978, and it was first accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1983.
The Sisters of Charity staffed the school until June of 1984. In July of 1984, Sister Madonna Geis, a Sister of Mercy, began three year tenure as the school’s administrator. Sr. Madonna left Sacred Heart in July of 1987 to provide missionary service in Appalachia. The new Sacred Heart School Board was established in 1987. Sacred Heart School began the 1987-1988 school years with an all lay faculty and administration.
Refurbished classrooms and a new science lab enhanced the facilities and academic offerings in 1988. With the closing of St. Charles Borromeo in 1989, Sacred Heart School was designated an inter-parish school serving the children and parents of St. Charles in Pikesville and Sacred Heart in Glyndon. After 1989, a preschool and full day kindergarten program were implemented, four new classrooms were added, the library was expanded and relocated, a new gymnasium was completed, and a computer lab became operational. Owing to the success of two parish capital campaigns, we welcomed the new millennium with a major expansion of the school building. Our school facility now proudly includes a new second floor middle school wing, state-of-the-art science and computer labs, a library/media center, a foreign language lab, additional school offices and parish meeting rooms.
A qualified, caring, and dedicated staff, up-to-date instructional materials, and enhanced course offerings continue the Catholic tradition of quality education at Sacred Heart Inter-Parish School. During our history, Sacred Heart School has experienced rapid growth, withstood declining numbers, and enjoyed a return to burgeoning enrollment. Today, with a beautiful new church for prayer and worship, the restoration of our historic Little Church and a new middle school addition, we are enjoying modern, state-of-the-art parish and school facilities. Grateful that Sacred Heart School’s future is bright, we celebrate our 47th birthday this year confident that our school community continues to be a visible sign of the vitality of the Gospel message.
