HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hot Springs Village celebrated its 25th anniversary as a parish community June 15.
Immediately following the Mass, Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert, administrator for the Diocese of Little Rock, dedicated the parish’s Administration and Education Building addition. Following tours of the new addition, nearly 500 guests and parishioners attended a dinner in the parish hall.
The new annex, which features the same Spanish mission style of the church, includes the parish office and classrooms for children and adult religious education and Scripture study. The 4,100-square-foot building cost about $1.19 million to construct.
Of particular interest to parishioners was the enlarged parking lot for handicapped parking, which has direct access to the church through the annex. Also, the portico and driveway at the front doors of the church was enlarged to make access easier for those who are disabled.
Ground was broken in October 2006.
Sacred Heart, which has nearly 800 registered households, is the only Catholic church in Hot Springs Village.
The current sanctuary was dedicated in 1994, replacing the original church that was built in 1982. From 1979 until that structure was completed, the congregation met at the Coronado Center. The first Mass offered in “the Village” was in June 1973, celebrated by Father Bernard Malone, who is now a monsignor and pastor of the church since 2002.
On the back of the church property, accessible only through the parking lot, a new rectory and office was built for the priest assigned to Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. Landscaping for the rectory was the project of Joe McMinn, as part of his work as a Master Gardener.
