In 1944, the Dean of Springfield, Monsignor Martin Varley, saw the potential for a Church in New Carlisle and insisted on purchasing the property on West Lake Avenue. By 1950, there were 45 Catholic families in the New Carlisle area, who built the first mission parish under the direction of Brother Bertrand Bailey. At the time, these chapels were widespread throughout the diocese and were affectionately called “Brother Bertrand’s Chapels”. They had an efficient design which provided a reverent sanctuary for the Holy Eucharist and seating for many parishioners.

​

Father Paul Golembiewski was appointed the first resident pastor in 1954. He also cared for Sacred Heart Mission in St. Paris. The parish rectory was built in 1955, the architectural plans taken from the rectories of the old North Dayton parishes. It had offices for the pastor and secretary, quarters for a live-in housekeeper, and three guest rooms. On Sundays, the lower level was used for religious education classes.

​

At first, Sacred Heart attracted many growing families returning from the Second World and Korean wars. The advancing residential population prompted a need for more educational space, and a social and catechetical center was dedicated in 1961. By that time, the parish had grown to some 250 families and 300 children regularly attended religious education classes.

​

Significant in the history of the parish was the first Mass of Father Dennis Dettenwanger in 1964 and of his brother, Father George Dettenwanger, in 1967. The Dettenwanger family was one of the original 45 Sacred Heart families. Another parishioner, Jesuit Father Frank Pedrotti, celebrated his first Mass in 1970.

​

The decision by the Sisters of the Precious Blood to build a convent and maintain a presence in New Carlisle led to an expansion of the catechetical center and, by 1966, the parish numbered more than 400 families with 515 children in religious classes.

​

During the 1960s the church reached out to the migrant workers in the area, sponsoring migrant fiestas each year and focusing on Hispanic culture.

​

By 1975 the parish consisted of 532 families with 683 students attending religious education.

Over the past 60+ years, the parish has welcomed numerous pastors, including Father Paul Golembiewski, Father Robert Schutte, Father Charles Blum, Father Clarence Diegelman, Father William Wood, Father John Burns and son of the parish Father John MacQuarrie, Father Robert Marine, Father Michael Bidwell, Father Kenneth Hummel and Fr. Thomas Nevels. Serving the large and growing Hispanic Community, were Father Samuel Gonzalez and Father Ariel Pico Rincon, both natives of Colombia, South America, in the position of Chaplain in Hispanic Ministry for 15 and 5 years, respectively. Father Paul Vieson, SM, was a beloved assistant pastor spanning 25 years until his death in 2014.

​

Under Father Michael Bidwell, the parish built a new church that was dedicated in 2005. It was designed for all the parishioners to worship in one body, rather than half seated in the main body and the other half on the annex. The 2005 church also features generous natural lighting, a raised sanctuary, ample gathering space in the narthex for fellowship before and after Mass, and a separate Eucharistic chapel for one-on-one time with Jesus present in the tabernacle.

​

Today, parishioners continue to work in Springfield, Dayton, and the surrounding areas. Many have come to Sacred Heart because a family member has found employment at “the Base”—Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the largest employer in the state of Ohio.

​

In 2012, 136 children were in the Catechism program. Fr. Kenneth Hummel became pastor. Registered parishioners consisted of 700 families, of which 200 are of Hispanic origin. Many of families can trace their origins back to the Mexican states of Michoacán and Guanajuato. In 2012, Mass in Spanish was held two weekends per month. Many of Latino parishioners have long become citizens and have lived in the Dayton area for decades. Sr. Maria Stacey, Sr. Heleen Hehman and Fr. Samuel Gonzalez worked closely with our Latino community, serving them and building capable leadership for more than a decade, until their departure in 2015.

​

In 2014, the Mass schedule changed to include Mass in Spanish every week.

In 2015, a new pastor was welcomed, Fr. Tom Nevels. Father Ariel Fernando Pico Rincon arrived this same year to serve the parish in Spanish.

In 2016, a new Priest-in-Residence, Fr. James Schimelpfening, SM, stayed in the rectory and generously served both the English-speaking community and the Spanish-speaking community with ease. The worthy work of directing seminarians called him away to St. Meinrad's Archabbey in Indiana in 2019. 

In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic shook up the country and the world. At Sacred Heart, Masses continued almost continuously despite the uncertainly found everywhere. 

In 2022, the Beacons of Light initiative was implemented and a new pastor, Fr. Jason Bedel, alongside 3 Parochial Vicars, came to lead the parish into a new "Family of Parishes." This in reality is 6 churches, including all of Greene County and Sacred Heart in New Carlisle.