Sacred Heart Parish was established in 1879. Ground was broken for the present church building in 1922, and it was completed two years later. Later in 1924 the Apostolic Vicariate of North Carolina was elevated to the Diocese of Raleigh, and Sacred Heart Church became the diocesan cathedral. North Carolina was the last state to have a diocese established within it, and Catholics were small in number. The rectory, which sits behind the church, was completed in 1917, the convent that housed Dominican sisters was completed in 1927, and the school building was completed in 1938. While the buildings in the complex differ in style, they each feature irregular rough hewn ashlar stone with raised mortar joints. The church building itself is rather simple in its design. It features Gothic elements, such as pointed arches, lancet windows, mock buttresses, and a corner tower with a spire. There is a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus above the main entrance. With seating for about 300 people, Sacred Heart had become the smallest Roman Catholic cathedral in the continental United States and the second smallest in the country. Due to the church's size, eleven masses were necessary per weekend to accommodate all of the attendees. In 2011, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge announced the construction of a new cathedral to replace Sacred Heart, which could no longer accommodate the growing parish and diocese. Fund-raising began in September of that year for the new facility, and it is located on the where the diocesan offices and Cardinal Gibbons High School were formerly located. Groundbreaking for the new Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral took place January 3, 2015. Built for $41 million and seating 2,000 people, the new cathedral was dedicated on July 26, 2017. Sacred Heart continues to be used for daily Mass, weddings, and funerals but no longer holds Sunday Mass.
School
Cathedral School is a Pre-K through eighth-grade school located next to Sacred Heart Church. The school was established in 1909 and educates young Catholics and prepares them for High School. Cathedral School feeds into Cardinal Gibbons High School. Cardinal Gibbons High School had originally been at Sacred Heart Cathedral and was called Sacred Heart High School and then Cathedral Latin High School. In 2007, Cathedral School received a National Blue Ribbon of Excellence Award. The Cathedral School will move to the new cathedral site when complete.
