Contact Us & Directions

Clergy & Staff

Parish Registration 

Parishes are established for a territory so the community of believers in that area join together to worship and to participate in the life of the parish so that the ministry of the Church can continue in that area. 

Our parish territory includes the communities of Shelby, Rising City, Gresham, and Surprise. 

All are welcome at any time to come and worship with us. 

All Catholic who line in this area are encouraged to register in the Parish as members. This connects you with the parish for communications and activities. Unless Catholics register in the parish, they are not known to be active members in the parish. To register, please contact the pastor. 

History

                The first Mass of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Shelby was celebrated in the home of John Krumbach in 1895. Mr. Krumbach would drive to York with horse and buggy over open prairie to get Father Thomas Cullen. He would stay the night with the Krumbach family and would say Mass the next morning. Visiting priests offered Mass on occasion in the Henry Augustin home, and in the Shelby Town Hall. Sometimes a priest from Columbus would be brought out to say Mass. Often times it would be a month before a Mass could be arranged but whenever Mass was offered, many people came long distances to attend. By 1897 the parish had some fifty families. Rather J.T. Roche of David City and Father Cullen of York began conducting instruction classes for the young people of the parish as well as organized a subscription drive to build a Catholic Church. In 1898 a cornerstone was blessed and laid, and a frame church, 50’ x 30’, was started. By the end of that year both rectory and church were completed.

                In 1905, two acres of land were purchased for a cemetery. In 1917, the original rectory was replaced with a new structure. By 1929 the parish had outgrown the church and a committee began raising funds for a new church. The design was by Lohr and Carl Stengel, Omaha architects, contractor was Leo Woerth of Columbus. It is 54’ x 115’, with a 37 foot ceiling and a 90 foot tower that was inspired by the Nebraska State Capital Building. The Cornerstone was laid in 1930, and the church was dedicated by Bishop Louis Kucera on December 3, 1930. The cost was $78,095.69. The old church was torn down in 1940, and the lumber was used to build a parish hall south of the present buildings. I t was used for dances, basketball, roller skating, wedding receptions, parish picnics, parish fundraiser dinners, and other parish activities.

                In 1954, construction was begun on a new parochial school and convent. It was dedicated in 1956 and cost approximately $78,000. Franciscan sisters from Colorado Springs staffed the school. It was open until 1968.  The parish hall and convent were both torn down to give the current layout of the parish grounds.

                The interior of the church was remodeled in 1968, and in 1995 the church interior was again renovated. In 2001 the rectory was renovated at a cost of $60,000. In 2011, the parish had the tile roof re-laid at a cost of $180,000, and in 2012, the handicapped parking area was installed north of the church and a new garage added to the rectory for about $80,000.  The front steps and railings were installed in 2014.  And most recently in October of 2022 the Sanctuary was tiled to give it its current appearance.