As mentioned in a previous post concerning Father Moran’s quest for a new Catholic church in 1939, had some major obstacles to over come. First and foremost, was his crusade would coincide with World War II, the latter overshadowed much the daily life of the parishioners and the community as a whole.

However, everything was not so bleak. In the fall of 1944, Father Moran stated one-third of the funds had been raised for the new church. It should be duly the original plans were for a brick church at a cost of $34,000.  Moran went on an active campaign to solicit funds and by early 1945, one-half of the funds had now been raised. It would take another three years to reach the goal, though now the new church was expected to cost $50,000.

In the spring of 1948, it was announced that work would begin that year for the new church–the plans modified for a Spanish-American architecture style building. The new church would be three times the size of the current one.

In the summer of 1948 the old church was advertised for sale, but there were no takers. It was decided to dismantle it as quickly as possible so construction would begin. However, delays were encountered and groundbreaking did not occur until September 3, 1948.  On Sunday, July 9, 1949 the first Mass held in the new church, though there was work still to be done. On May 21, 1950, the new Sacred Heart Church was dedicated by the Most Reverend Robert J. Armstrong, Bishop of the Sacramento Diocese.

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