Let's Pray Together! - Join us for Lent Pray40: The Return.

Pray40: The Return is an invitation to come home—to God, to one another, and to the truth of who we are. Just as the Prodigal Son rises and returns to his father’s embrace, this challenge invites us to make that same journey of repentance and renewal. Drawing from The Brothers Karamazov and its call to “active love,” we’ll explore what it means to live as people who take responsibility “for all and on behalf of all.” The road home is not a solitary one; like the brothers in Dostoevsky’s story, we find our way by learning to love in action—through mercy, humility, and the willingness to bear one another’s burdens.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is collaborating with Hallow, the leading Catholic app, to deepen our parish’s spiritual life. This partnership is a significant step in fostering a vibrant culture of prayer within our community, offering resources and support to help each member grow closer to Jesus Christ. Together, we aim to nurture a prayerful environment that strengthens our faith and unity.

The crucifix is THE Christian symbol commemorating Jesus’ suffering and death for the salvation of humanity. “For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21).

Every time, place, and culture has varied representations of the Crucifixion, depicting Christ as dying or deceased or in another state of ecstasy or resurrection glory. In this case, the goal was to create an ethereal representation, one that is detailed but not exact, allowing for personal interpretation by the viewer.

As part of the redecorating project For Such a Time as This, we have created  an adoration chapel in the underutilized space to the right of the altar. In honor of Sacred Heart’s history and relationship with the Marist community, the chapel is named – The Marist Chapel of St. Peter Chanel.

In 1897 the Marist Order was invited by the Bishop of Savannah to take over pastoral care of Sts. Peter and Paul from diocesan clergy.  Under the direction of the new pastor, Rev. William J. Gibbons, S.M., the parish was moved to its current location and the titular patron was changed to Sacred Heart of Jesus. On May 1, 1898 the new church was blessed and opened for services.

Discover the artistry behind the meticulously crafted faux stone blocks, columns, and figural murals, all of which will be hand-painted to perfection by skilled Conrad Schmitt Studio, Inc. artists. The journey of creating figural murals begins with talented Mural Designers. Each mural is meticulously designed to capture the essence and grandeur of the intended space. CSS designers pour their creativity and expertise into every sketch, ensuring that the final piece will be a true work of art. Stencils are indispensable tools for creating intricate designs at CSS. These tools allow CSS artists to achieve a level of detail and precision that would be difficult to replicate freehand. Each stencil is carefully crafted to match the design rendering, ensuring consistency and accuracy in the final product.

Using a combination of stencils and freehand techniques, CSS artists meticulously applied layers of paint to create the illusion of real stone. Each faux grout line is hand-painted, adding to the authenticity and detail of the finish.

The totality of the colors and finishes are specifically designed to accentuate the numerous architectural details within the Basilica, which actually makes the space appear larger.