Even before the First World War, plans were discussed for a new parish on the right bank of the Dender in Aalst. The working-class neighbourhood and nearby farms were some distance from the city’s existing churches.
The war of 1914–1918 interrupted those plans. Canon Roelandts nevertheless promised to build a chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart if Aalst was spared destruction.
After the war, the diocese established the new Sacred Heart parish. It was recognised by royal decree on 8 December 1925, and Renatus Kockuyt became parish priest on 10 March 1926, before the church itself had been built.
Mayor Felix De Hert initially offered a different plot for the new church. The church council, chaired by Kamiel Podevijn, preferred the more central site donated by Cyriel Coen and Senator De Blieck, where the building stands today.
Arthur Van Overstraeten designed the church and Van Pottelberghe completed the structural work. Bishop Honoré Coppieters laid the foundation stone on 17 June 1928. The church opened on 10 August 1929, was consecrated on 8 July 1930, and the parish was dedicated to the Sacred Heart on 19 July 1935.
Source and photographs: ©padro dekenaat aalst
