Blessed Sacrament Parish

Blessed Sacrament Parish was dedicated on September 14, 1924 at a Pontifical Field Mass celebrated by Bishop James A. Griffin on ground that was formerly an oat field on Laurel Street between Walnut and Glenwood. Worshippers attended from throughout the city. The new parish would meet the needs of the quickly growing population on the southwest side of Springfield. At the time, there were no houses that far south on Walnut or Glenwood.

The newly appointed pastor, Father (soon to be Monsignor) Michael A. Tarrent, first asked the members of his new parish to construct a Catholic school. The building would consist of ten classrooms, a domestic science room, an office, a library, a nurse’s office, two playrooms, and a faculty lounge. The school was to be staffed by Ursuline sisters.

In August of 1925, the school opened with 284 students enrolled. The costs of constructing the school, estimated at $100,000, were completely paid by 1928.

A development campaign for a permanent church structure began in 1928. Every working adult in the parish was asked to make a financial pledge, and upon agreeing to do so received a souvenir picture of the new church that stated, “I HAVE DONE MY SHARE”. Donors were encouraged to display the picture in their front windows. It became quickly apparent that the $350,000 campaign would be a success.

A groundbreaking ceremony, for the church, was held on March 13, 1929. Some modifications to the design were necessary in light of the Great Depression, but the construction continued and the church was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1930.

By 1934, with school enrollment reaching 500, Monsignor Tarrent asked for additional architectural plans that would increase the size of the Blessed Sacrament School by adding more classrooms and a convent for the teaching sisters. At a cost of $94,000, the addition was completed and the school continued to grow.

Through the years Blessed Sacrament Church and School have continued to prosper. Several projects were undertaken over the years to modernize the campus, and in 2005 a comprehensive renovation of the church was completed at a cost of $2.3 million, restoring it to its original beauty.