In Pioneer Days, from time to time, Catholic families in Manatee, were visited by priests from Key West, Jacksonville and Tampa. The oldest proof of priestly work in the area (except in Spanish days) was a baptismal record dated May 4, 1869. In June of 1884, Captain Tole and Mary Ellen Fogarty donated 2½ acres of their land to Bishop Moore, Bishop of St. Augustine, as the site of a Catholic Church. The land was along 1st Avenue at 31st Street West, just two blocks from the water. By July 1888, the 40 x 22 foot, steeped roofed Chapel with a porch was completed. On the 18th of that month, Father Clavreul said the first Mass in the 1st St. Augustine Diocesan Church which was dedicated to the Sacred Heart. There were 16 people present: 6 non-Catholics and 10 Catholics. Of the 10, there were 6 people who received Holy Communion according to the records. Soon after the opening of the Church, the Jesuit Fathers from Tampa began to care for the Mission. Bradenton was growing rapidly in size. As a result, in 1915, a 2nd Mission Chapel was built at 6th Avenue and 8th Street West, on land that was donated by Mrs. Ada Hubbell. The Mission Church of St. Joseph held its 1st Mass for 15 families on Christmas Day, 1915. In the period of 1922 to 1927, before Diocesan Priests were assigned to the Church of Bradenton, Father Charles Elslander visited Churches in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. In 1926, the St. Joseph Mission was moved to 12th Avenue and 15th Street West, which is the present location of Sacred Heart Church, and a more central location. The two Missions of St. Joseph in Bradenton and St. Martha in Sarasota became official parish churches on October 1st, 1927. Father Elslander was temporarily assigned to both parishes. Before the end of 1927, Father Patrick Halligan was assigned to St. Joseph Church in Bradenton. He was the first resident Pastor of the parish, while Father Elslander remained at St. Martha’s Church in Sarasota. In 1942, as World War II revived the military stations in and around Bradenton, Mass was being offered on the lawn so that the increased congregation could participate in the liturgy. In 1945, the small Church was split and separated, and a new middle section was added to accommodate twice as many people. Despite the establishment of parishes in Palmetto, Holmes Beach and the Whitfield area, the small church on 12th Avenue became inadequate for the 194 families registered in the Parish. In 1958 a new church was built on 26th Street West and the old church on 12th Avenue West was maintained as a Chapel. The old Chapel was demolished in late 1966 to make way for the building of a new chapel. Masses were held in the St. Joseph Catholic Center, which was part of a strip mall in Samoset. Some of the lumber from the old Chapel was used inside, under the roof of the new structure and can still be seen today. This Chapel was completed in 1967. The statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which stands in the sanctuary of the Chapel, as well as the statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, were hand-carved in Ortisei, Italy. The Diocese of St. Petersburg was established in 1968 and the church of St. Joseph was divided. The new building became the Mission of St. Joseph as Sacred Heart Chapel. In 1969 the Chapel of Sacred Heart became a Parish. This is the church location as you see it today. Father Timothy Cronin, I.C. became the first pastor. As our numbers grew, there was a need for a gathering place, a parish hall. The downstairs of our Parish Center was constructed in 1972. In 1974, the beautifully faceted glass windows containing the Beatitudes, replaced the plain glass windows in the church. As our families grew, there was a need for religious education. Thus, the classrooms upstairs were constructed in 1981 under Father James Nugent. In 1986, with the help of Miguel and Alicia Aponte, Father Bruce King, I.C. established the Hispanic Apostolate. Sermons were translated because there was no Spanish-speaking priest available at that time. A guitar player and soloist accompanied the priest at the Mass. Evangelization was brought to the community through the use of an old white van. The Administration Building / Rectory were built in 1986. With the growth of residents during the winter months, the church was remodeled to accommodate the seating of more parishioners. Father Rick Pilger, I.C. completed re-modeling in 1990 and installed above the main entrance of the church, the stained glass logo of the pelican, which is the symbol of the Rosminian Fathers. The faceted glass windows in the rear of the church were created and installed in 1996 under Father Michael Mullen, I.C. In 2001, Father Joseph G. Clifford added the stained glass windows in the doors that bear the Celtic cross. Under the leadership of Father Julio B. Rivero, T.O.R.; a shrine was built in 2003. This was dedicated in early 2004 as the Grotto of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Sacred Heart has been well served by diocesan priests as well as priests from the following orders: Rosminians (I.C.), Holy Ghost Fathers (C.S.Sp.), and Franciscan Friars Third Order Regular (T.O.R.). The pastors who have served our parish are: 1969 - 1979 Fr. Timothy Cronin, I.C. 1979 - 1989 Fr. James Nugent, I.C. 1989 - 1995 Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C. 1995 - 1998 Fr. Michael Mullen, I.C. 1998 - 2000 Fr. Normando Feliz 2000 - 2002 Fr. Joseph G. Clifford 2002 - today Fr. Julio B. Rivero, T.O.R. Sacred Heart has always been blessed with committed parishioners, as evidenced by the number of ministries it has embraced. Central to all, is our proud tradition of Eucharistic Adoration, which surely brings manifold blessings on all who are remembered in our well-known Chapel which is located in the Administration Building. We are a proud family with a varied mixture of communities. Among them are the Hispanic Community and the Haitian Community which both serve in various ministries of the parish. May our humble inner-city parish continue to uphold its proud tradition, graced as it is, by the love of Jesus’ Sacred Heart.