Get those saint costumes ready and mark your calendars for this year’s All Saints’ Eve Celebration! We appreciate your RSVP here.

October 7 , 2025

Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Grand Rapids, MI will host a year-long choral festival called Palestrina 500, celebrating the quincentennial birthday of the great Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-94). This anniversary provides our parish a lens through which we can promote the good, true, and beautiful to our greater community.

1 Year. 12 Monthly Events.

Each event contains:

a Choral Meditation • Solemn Mass • Reception Afterwards

THE TRINITY CHOIR (TORONTO)
Missa O Rex gloriae
Our Lady of the Rosary

5:30 PM Choral Meditation
7:00 PM Solemn Mass
8:30 PM Reception

Help us fund Palestrina 500: https://palestrina500.org

Special nod to our festival media partner, Blue Lake Public Radio. 

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Palestrina 500 is proud to partner with Blue Lake Public Radio for this year-long music festival.

Sacred Heart will host a year-long choral festival called Palestrina 500, celebrating the quincentennial birthday of the great Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-94). This anniversary provides our parish a lens through which we can promote the good, true, and beautiful to our greater community. There will be monthly events starting December 2024 and ending December 2025 each with a Choral Meditation, Solemn Mass, and Reception.

We have decided that moving forward we would have one sign up per monthly event. Thank you for donating your time. The full list of dates is below.  If you are able to sign up for all events, let us know and we will sign you up.  Mike Tober dre@shgr.org or Laureen Fish lfish@shgr.org

If you’d like to volunteer at any upcoming event, click on a date below.  If you can help at the remaining events, please let us know and we will sign you up

Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Monday, November 3, 2025
Monday, December 8, 2025

Any questions or to sign up, please reach out to Mike Tober dre@shgr.org or Laureen Fish lfish@shgr.org. 

Descriptions for the various volunteer positions can be found here. 

As we retire our annual Auction and implement a new advancement strategy for our Academy alongside the Parish Commitment of Fidelity, we wanted to offer a new opportunity to bring together the whole Sacred Heart community for a night out-thus the creation of Hearts in Harmony!

This is a cocktail-style event that will not only provide time to enjoy each other’s company, but a chance to showcase and experience the gifts and work of beloved parishioners and Academy students.

Join us on October 16th for Live Music & Performances by talented community members, Strolling Dinner & Drinks, and four Fund-a-Need Tables directly supporting our apostolates. These tables will be the only fundraising element of the event.

Hearts in Harmony

October 16, 2025
6pm-9pm
at The Broadway Avenue, 1140 Broadway Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

On October 4th at 10:30 am (following the 1st Saturday devotions and catechesis) all are asked to gather at Our Lady’s grotto in the courtyard to join in a six-mile pilgrimage.

This pilgrimage is especially offered to those of us who will not be able to join those making the Three Hearts Pilgrimage. United in spirit, we will offer this walk for the defense of the traditional family and the sanctity of life. For information email Sr. Jacinta Miryam at srjacintamiryam@shgr.org

Please join us in praying for our Seminarians.

Our upcoming Authenticum lecture features Dr. Daniel Wagner, Chair of Philosophy and Director of Catholic Studies at Aquinas College. 

Join us Wednesday, October 1st in Cebelak Parish Hall for his talk titled: “PHILOSOPHY OF NATURE & ENVIRONMENT IN SYNTHESIS: A Thomistic Model.” 

DR. WAGNER holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of St. Thomas. His most recent publication is titled Thomas Aquinas: Teacher of Humanity, Co-Editor with John P. Hittinger, (London, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015). He is the Director of Catholic Studies and Chair of the Philosophy department at Aquinas College. Dr. Wagner is the Co-founder of The Society for 21st Century Thomism. His professional interests are Philosophy of Nature and Science, Metaphysics, Philosophical Anthropology, and the Principles of Ethics in St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle. 

October 1, 2024
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
151 Garfield Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Doors open at 6:30 PM for Wine and Cheese Social
Lecture begins at 7:00 PM

Authenticum Lectures are now available in podcast format through Spotify, Anchor, and Sacred Heart Parish Website. ALL ADULTS OF EVERY AGE ARE INVITED. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.

Authenticum presentations are approved for Catechetical Credit in the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids.

As part of Strategic Planning at Sacred Heart Academy, there will be three facilitated listening sessions held in Cebelak Hall from 6:30-8:30pm. The new rescheduled dates are on October 20, 27 and November 17. All parishioners are very much encouraged to attend–this is your parish school. Your feedback is very important input for the strategic direction of Sacred Heart Academy into the coming years. Please note that the strategic planning of Sacred Heart Academy is nested within the strategic plan of Sacred Heart of Jesus parish

Find Beauty in Sacrifice

Each October, pilgrims from across the U.S. come together for a two-day, 35-mile penitential walk to offer physical and spiritual sacrifices for the defense of the traditional family and the sanctity of life. Open to the whole family, the Three Hearts Pilgrimage invites you to find the true, beautiful, and good in sacrifice, and to speak heart to heart with the Lord.  It’s not for everyone.  It’s tough, and painful, and grueling—sound fun yet?  It’s also profoundly powerful! Just ask those who attended last year.  For a second year in a row I am asking the parish to make this a priority, to set aside October 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th to make this pilgrimage.

For more information about the pilgrimage check out their website or check out information below.

As I said, it is not for everyone. If you don’t think you could physically make the pilgrimage, your family commitments don’t allow it, or you just don’t have it on your heart to do so at this time, I would still like to encourage each of you to set aside these days to make a pilgrimage spiritually—individually or as a family.

You can walk with us and support us spiritually by:   

·         Setting this weekend aside October 9^th – 11^th to rest in the Lord; 

·         Spending time with your family; 

·         Making an extra holy hour (perhaps each day);

·         Praying the Rosary (perhaps at the clinic for 40 Days for Life); 

·         Doing acts of penance in reparation for attacks on the family and on the dignity of human life;

·         Giving alms (perhaps at HELP Pregnancy Aid);  through the Knights of Columbus Baby Bottle Drive or sponsoring a pilgrim.

·         Walking some distance here in Grand Rapids united with the pilgrims in Oklahoma

·         Sponsoring a young person or family who is walking.

Three Hearts Pilgrimage Details

Sacred Heart of Jesus has secured a chapter, called Cor Jesu, to walk in the Three Hearts Pilgrimage again this year.  Please check out the detailed Pilgrims Guide below, to answer any questions you might have.  Please note there is a multi step process to sign up.

1.  Sign up for the Three Hearts Pilgrimage, via their site.  This ensures that you are connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus chapter.  While signing up, please use our promo code, SACREDHEART2025, and you will not be charged through their website.  All funds will be collected from you, by Sacred Heart of Jesus, and paid on your behalf.  See details below for cost breakdown.  

1. LINK TO SECURE TICKETS

2.  Once you have secured your tickets, please let us know of your confirmation by filling out the form below, so we can communicate with you regarding details of the Pilgrimage as we get closer.

3. LINK TO LET SH KNOW

4.  Please note the costs for the trip below, and the sponsorship opportunities to help defray the cost (see below.)  Still have more questions, check out the detailed Pilgrim Guide.

Details
October 8-12, 2025
10/8 Depart Sacred Heart in the evening
10/9 Arrive in Oklahoma by noon to set up camp
10/10 Start Day 1 of the walk
10/11 Start Day 2 of the walk, Mass at the abbey, depart from abbey via bus
10/12 Arrive back at Sacred Heart in the afternoon

Transportation via Coach Bus and Pilgrimage Cost
Youth $250
Adult $300

All ages welcome, when accompanied by a parent/guardian.  Students in Grades 8-12 are invited to attend on their own.

Those willing to arrange their own travel can discuss costs with Laureen Fish, the Parish Manager.  All are welcome on the bus.  Do not wait to register, we anticipate this trip filling quickly.