Sacred Heart Club in Medina adds displays to recognize long-time members
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Mike Snyder, left, vice president of Sacred Heart Club, stands with president John “JT” Thomas next to the new plaque on the wall, where the names of members with 50 or more years of membership will be added. (Right) John Thomas looks at a list of the founding members of Sacred Heart Club, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024.
MEDINA – John “JT” Thomas, president of Sacred Heart Club, has unveiled a new way the club has started to honor long-standing members.
In the future, members who reach 50 years of membership will have their name on a plaque on the wall. The names have already been added of 45 members who reached that milestone. Topping the list is the late Stanley Stack, who was a member for more than 60 years.
“I wanted to acknowledge and recognize those members who do good things,” Thomas said. “It’s about thanking those guys. We couldn’t do it without you.”
The plaque has already been hung on the wall and 45 names are on it, and others will be added as they reach the 50-year membership level.
“We’ve never had anything like this here,” Thomas said.
Thomas shared the history of Sacred Heart Club, the church and school.
Polish settlers started arriving in Medina in the late 1870s. There was no Polish parish, so most of them attended St. Mary’s with a few going to the Polish parish in Albion. As Medina’s Polish community grew, Henry Piatek began to lay the groundwork for a parish. A delegation approached the Albion priest and on June 20,1909, he held the first Polish Mass in the home of Vincenty Wysocki on Commercial Street.
John “JT” Thomas, president of Sacred Heart Club, left, talks to a handful of members about a new feature he has started to honor longtime members. He has a plaque on the wall on which is placed the names of those with 50 years or more of membership. At right front is Jack Davis, 89, a member with 47 years at Sacred Heart.
Parish members began building a church on Ann Street in 1909 and it was completed Feb. 1, 1910. Founding members were Franciszek Waclowski, Andrew Kujawa, Wojciech Dorski, Leon Fracszak, Stanislaw Levandowski, Thomas Gottovi, Michael Balcerzak and Josef Maryjanowski.
As the church was being built, a group of 24 leading Polish men from the Sacred Heart purchased a plot of land on North Gravel Road to be used as a parish cemetery. The first interment in Sacred Heart Cemetery was Sept. 4, 1910.
Sacred Heart members next purchased a clubhouse on North Gravel Road, and it became the Sacred Heart Club. It was officially incorporated as the Sacred Heart Society on May 24, 1924
In 1925, the Sisters of St. Joseph were petitioned to come to Medina and establish a school. A school was built and on Jan 2, 1926, it officially opened, admitting 61 students. Hundreds of students were educated there until its closing in 1969.
The church suffered a tragic fire in 1981, when an arsonist set it ablaze. The interior was badly damaged and took two years to remodel.
“The church may have survived the fire, but it couldn’t hold up to the economic decline of the region,” Thomas said. “In 2008 the Sacred Heart of Jesus joined with St. Mary’s in Medina and St. Stephen’s in Middleport to create the Holy Trinity Parish, resulting in the closing of Sacred Heart Church.”
The mission previous members passed down to Sacred Heart Club is dedication to support local worthwhile charities financially and otherwise, including youth, seniors and a veterans’ group. They continue to support St. Peter’s Food Pantry, the yearly Veterans’ trip to Washington, D.C., Wreaths Across America and other multiple veterans’ causes, the Orleans County 4-H Fair, YMCA, Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, police and fire departments and a $500 yearly scholarship at Medina High School.
In closing, Thomas said they honor, not only members who have passed, but they honor and thank members who have served Sacred Heart Society for 50 consecutive years or more.
“Without the pillars you created, this Society would not be in existence,” Thomas said of the long-term members. “Your legacy of service inspires us all, and we are eager to continue building on the foundation you have helped create for the future of this Society. Thank you for being a vital part of our past, present and future. We are incredibly proud to celebrate your service and accomplishments and to share our deepest appreciation for all you’ve done for the Society.”
