“The raffles are part of larger revitalization efforts in honor of the 100th anniversary of the church’s building”

photo by James0806

From a press release:

“The Shrine of the Sacred Heart off of 16th Street NW is hosting two raffles to raise funds to update its lighting and sound systems.

The Mother’s Day Raffle boasts a first prize of a 60-inch smart television, a second prize of an HP laptop, and third and fourth prizes of iPad Airs. The drawing is Sunday, May 14 and tickets are $5.
You can also enter for a chance to win a Toyota Highlander Hybrid XLE, just don’t plan on making it a Mother’s Day gift. The winner of the car will be drawn on August 6, and tickets are $20.

The raffles are part of larger revitalization efforts in honor of the 100th anniversary of the church’s building, a celebration delayed a year due to the pandemic. The Byzantine-style church is made out of decorative reinforced concrete pioneered by sculptor John Joseph Earley, who also worked on Malcolm X Park down the street and the Franciscan Monastery in Brookland.

“After a century things start to break down, so we need to make some repairs” Fr. Emilio Biosca, the pastor, said. “But we are also eager to welcome everyone back to the church now that the greatest COVID fears have subsided.”

Sitting between the Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods, the Roman Catholic parish has been a spiritual home for Salvadorans and other Central Americans for decades. Every Sunday, however, there are Masses not only in Spanish but in English, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Brazilian Portuguese. The vibrant multicultural parish serves the local community through a weekday evening soup kitchen and low-cost English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

Most of the 100th anniversary commemorations will be in June and include a family field day, a Brazilian festival, and the return of the famous PupusaFest, featuring thousands of delicious homemade filled corn tortillas.

Tickets for both raffles can be purchased at the parish house office (3211 Sacred Heart Way NW) Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. and on weekends from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The odds of winning the Mother’s Day Raffle are 1 in 12,000 and the odds of winning the car are 1 in 15,000. Both are licensed by the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming.

For more information about the raffles or other celebrations, call 202-234-8000 or visit https://sacredheartdc.org.”