Home Schooling Saved a Dying Church

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When I became pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2012, I inherited a parish on the brink of collapse. Established in 1904 by Polish immigrants, the parish had seen its once-thriving community move to the suburbs or abandon its faith. What remained was a crumbling rectory, a neglected church and a school with 68 students, down from about 900 in the mid-1960s.

Originally published: January 9, 2025