A newly constructed adoration chapel behind St. Denis Church in Havertown will serve as a welcoming space for all who seek to adore Christ in the Eucharist.
Finishing touches are being completed on the Sacre Coeur Perpetual Adoration Chapel, and Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez will celebrate a Mass of Dedication at St. Denis Church on June 12, the feast of the Sacred Heart.
The chapel name was inspired by a world class Sacred Heart Statue procured three years ago during the chapel’s conception which providentially now coincides with the decision by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11 as America prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Using the French translation of Sacred Heart also will help distinguish the chapel from nearby Sacred Heart Parish.
The Sacre Coeur Chapel has been designated an official shrine of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The impetus for this project stems from Kathy and Ward Fitzgerald’s desire to help the Archdiocese of Philadelphia make the Catholic faith accessible to more people.
An architectural elevation drawing shows the planned exterior of the Sacre Coeur Perpetual Adoration Chapel on the campus of St. Denis Church in Havertown. (Courtesy Photo)
“We wanted to create a space where people can introduce themselves to the Lord, to Christ’s heart, inviting them the way that He did to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in France,” Ward Fitzgerald said.
He explained that some people feel uncertain about what they need to do when they attend a Catholic Mass.
“The doors are open, but it’s too scary for someone who hasn’t been inside a church or who doesn’t know when to sit and kneel and stand,” Fitzgerald said. “People should know they’re welcome, but we also know we have rituals that are intimidating.”
The Fitzgeralds, members of St. John Neumann Parish in Bryn Mawr, also saw a need for a larger adoration and contemplation space for people living in Delaware and Chester Counties.
Ward Fitzgerald estimates about 12 parishes in those counties either have small adoration chapels or don’t offer ongoing adoration opportunities.
“There is a bit of a void,” Kathy Fitzgerald said. “We wanted to create a space for people who may not always feel connected to the sacramental life of the Church, but who are still searching for a quiet place to come, sit, and be with the Lord.”
Spending time with the Lord in adoration is an important faith practice for the couple.
“Kathy and I find it very freeing,” Ward Fitzgerald said. “When you’re there, you’re in dialogue with the Lord. It is one of the most peaceful and liberating gifts in our lives.”
Their hope is for the chapel to be a place of peace, prayer, and welcome, where people feel gently drawn into the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
“I wanted to create a perpetual adoration chapel that felt inviting, warm, and beautiful, a place where people would not feel nervous walking in, but would feel as though they were being welcomed into the Lord’s presence,” Kathy said. “We are all broken in some way, and we all long to be healed, but sometimes we do not know where to turn. My hope is that, inside the chapel, people feel held in prayer and surrounded by the love, peace, and comfort of Christ.”
Designated an official shrine of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Sacre Coeur Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Denis Church in Havertown was built to foster prayer, silence, and devotion to the Eucharist. (Photo by Elena Perri)
Just outside the chapel, Kathy also envisioned a courtyard where people could gather for quiet and reflective conversation, surrounded by beauty, soft prayerful music, and the gentle sound of water, creating a sense of calm, renewal, and the Lord’s living presence before and after prayer.
Kathy Fitzgerald is overseeing the design and aesthetics of the 1,575 square-foot chapel, and she has been working with Archer & Buchanan Architecture and Baroni Building Company for about three years.
“She conceived it, she designed it, she did it all,” Ward said. “She worked hand in hand with an architect and contractors, but the vision for the entire thing was hers.”
Father Kevin Gallagher, pastor of St. Denis, said his parishioners are looking forward to the chapel being completed.
“From the very beginning there was an excitement that we were the recipients of such beauty on our campus,” Father Gallagher said. “The parish is 200 years old, so it’s perfect timing to see growth.”
No adoration chapel has ever been built on this scale in the Archdiocese, he added.
Father Gallagher emphasized the importance of adoration in the faith lives of Catholics.
“Adoration in and of itself draws us into the mystery of God’s love for us, the mystery that he gave us His Body and Blood,” he said. “Adoration also allows for silence. This is really a preserved place of silence, and that is a key element of this chapel.”
The pastor recalled the story of St. John Vianney asking a peasant farmer what prayers he says during adoration. The farmer told St. John that he couldn’t read and didn’t know any prayers.
Father Gallagher explained that the farmer then responded, “I just come. He stares at me, and I stare at Him.”
“I love that story, and I think that is what’s going to happen here,” he said. “The Lord will stare at us as we can stare at Him, simply put.”
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