Sacred Heart Parish was organized in 1935, with the construction of a chapel at Washington Street near Lincoln Avenue, in Pasadena. The parish extended from the Arroyo to Raymond Avenue and from Mountain Street to San Gabriel Mountains on the north. The first pastor was Rev. George Scott. A house on Forest Avenue was rented for use as rectory and property at Wyoming and Lincoln Avenue was purchased by means of a loan from the Archdiocese. This year saw the coming of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus from Mayfield School to instruct the children in catechism. They were aided by volunteer workers of the parish.
In May 1939, Father Thomas Dowling, succeeded Father Scott as pastor. In 1940 an assistant pastor assigned and our present pastor Father Timothy J. O’Keeffe arrived in our parish.
In 1942, Mrs. Pauline Griffith donated two houses on Del Monte Street which served as temporary office and rectory. In the same year the debt on the chapel and property was liquidated. In 1943 the property was disposed of, with the exception of the chapel, and new property at Mariposa and Lincoln Avenue, was acquired.
In 1946 an old house was moved on the new property and renovated to serve as a rectory. And in the following year a parish hall was improvised from construction sheds donated by Bullocks of Pasadena.
Construction of the school was started in May 1948. In September of that year classes convened with 140 pupils, staffed by sisters of Saint Francis of Penance and Christian Charity from Sierra Madre. The first principal was Sister M. Arthur, assisted by Sister Cletus, Rosalie and Marry. Friends and parishioners provided all of the equipment and part of the school building was transformed into a chapel, which served as a church until our new church was built. In 1951 additional property on Lincoln Avenue was acquired. The men of the parish remodeled the existing house into a convent to accommodate five Sisters. Thus the good teachers no longer needed to commute from Sierra Madre.
1952 saw the ground breaking ceremony for the new church. The first shovelful of dirt was turned over by Father O’Keefe. The formal opening of our new beautiful church took place in May, 1953, with a solemn procession of school children carrying flowers, which culminated in the crowning of our Blessed Mother.
Throughout the years the parish has been enriched by the activities of many organizations which have contributed to its spiritual, material, and social growth. Among these organizations are the Altar Society, Mothers Club, Holy Name Society, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, The Ushers Society and the Choir. The newly formed Parish Council of Catholic Women coordinates the work done by all the women of the parish.
Charter building organizations include the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scout Mother Auxiliary and Girl Scouts.
Through the zealous and persistent effort of our Pastor, Father O’Keeffe, and with the cooperation of the parishioners, our dreams became a reality in the establishment of our school and now our beautiful church.
1) Rev. Fr. George Scott - 1935-1939
2) Rev. Fr. Thomas Dowling - 1939-1940
3) Rev. Fr. Timothy Joseph O’Keeffe – 1940-1972
4) Rev. Fr. Eugene John Duffy – 1972-1988
5) Rev. Msgr. Jarlath Cunnane – 1988-1995
6) Rev. Msgr. Jerome Schmit – 1995-2005
7) Rev. Fr. Jose Vaughn Banal – 2010-2020
8) Rev. Fr. Gilbert Guzmán - 2020- to the present
1) Rev. Fr. Robert Victoria – 2005-2007
2) Rev. Fr. Tovia Lui – 2007-2009
3) Rev. Fr. Sergio Garcia – 2009-2010
1) Rev. Fr. Louis W. Buechner – 1939-1942
2) Rev. Msgr. Michael Joseph Condon – 1946-1949
3) Rev. Fr. Regis Vincent Combs – 1946
4) Rev. Fr. John Francis Killeen – 1950-1951
5) Rev. Fr. William Lundy – 1956-1958
6) Rev. Fr. Martin McGovern – 1958-1959
7) Rev. Fr. Frank John Infuhr – 1959-1963; 1968-1988
8) Rev. Msgr. Joseph Cosgrove – 1967-1968
9) Rev. Fr. Patrick Comerford – 1988
10) Rev. Fr. Alberto Arreola – 2004-2006
11) Rev. Fr. Tovia Lui – 2006-2007
12) Rev. Fr. Cyril Nnadi – 2007-2008
13) Rev. Fr. Gilbert Cruz – 2008-2013
14) Rev. Fr. Wayne Noble – 2009-2011
1) Rev. Fr. Nghiem Minh Vu, CSsr – 1979-1990
2) Rev. Fr. Bao Q. Tran, CSsR. – 1990-1994
3) Rev. Fr. Phan Van Nguyen, CSsr – 1994-1995; 2000-2002
4) Rev. Fr. Hung Quoc Pham, CSsR. – 1995-1998; 2002-2005; 2007-2010
5) Rev. Fr. Hai Tat Nguyen, CSsR. – 1998-1999
6) Rev. Fr. Thoa Dinh Ngo, CSsR. – 1999-2000
7) Rev. Fr. Phuc Trong Pham, CSsR – 2005-2007
8) Rev. Fr. Paul Thac Nguyen, CSsR. – 2010-2013; 2014-to the present
9) Rev. Fr. Cuong Ba Nguyen, CSsr – 2013-2014
1) Most Reverend Juan Arzube – 1996-2002
2) Rev. Fr. Cletus Madu – 2004-2005
3) Rev. Msgr. Loreto Gonzales – 2014-to the present