Sacred Heart Church

The Sacred Heart Church is the church of the parish of Rooierheide, located at Patersplein in Diepenbeek. The Passionist fathers came to Rooierheide in 1912, where they provided education and dedicated themselves to the spiritual care of the local population. In 1915, a school was established, initially led by the Passionist fathers and later by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary, a congregation of sisters from Hannuit. This school was initially for girls, but in 1928 a school for boys was also opened. In 1933, the Sacred Heart Church was built. This served as the church for the Passionist congregation. From 1958, Rooierheide became an independent parish. Before that, this church was under the parish church of Saint Servatius, the central parish of Diepenbeek. The monastery of the Passionists was sold in 2003 due to a lack of vocations, a problem that arose in the 1960s. More specifically, due to secularization and the Second Vatican Council. Because of this crisis, the monastery buildings were sold and service flats were constructed. The parish church continued to be served by Passionist fathers until 2004. The last Passionist, E.P. Mazijn, left in 2004, after which the parish was further served by the diocesan priests of the Diepenbeek federation. A memorial plaque in the community center commemorates their commitment to Rooierheide.

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