BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) -A local congregation is celebrating a centennial of worship in its ornate church building, and they have a high-profile special guest scheduled to join them.

More than a hundred years ago, immigrants who moved to Bluefield West Virginia founded the first Roman Catholic church in Bluefield, West Virginia. But the city’s growing population meant they soon had to expand the building as well.

Under the leadership of Father Olivier, the church’s priest at the time, they built the Sacred Heart Catholic Church building in medieval Spanish Gothic design, using local sandstone.

“Yes, this area was built by immigrants. Many Irish, Italians, Hungarians, and they were Catholics too, and they grew so fast that they outgrew the small churches, so when you have a large Catholic population, you have to have a church that meets the needs, and it works,” says the lecturer at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Theresa Bales.

They built the building on Wyoming Avenue and laid the cornerstone in 1924, a hundred years ago this year.

To celebrate this big milestone, they opened their doors to the community and invited them for tours on Saturday.

The celebration will continue Sunday with a special service and dinner, and a special guest: Bishop Mark Brennan of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

“Well, we should celebrate the beauty of this building. This is just a magnificent building. The masses are amazing… tomorrow’s service will be amazing. The bishop comes, the big celebration and then dinner. We had to celebrate the centennial of the most beautiful building in Bluefield,” says Bales.

This service will be held with dinner at Fincastle on Sunday at 4pm. Bales encourages church seekers to consider coming to Sacred Heart Catholic, saying the church is an active church that is there for anyone in need.

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