the Sacred Heart of La Chaux-de-Fonds needs support – Swiss Catholic Portal

Without ecclesiastical tax, parishes in the canton of Neuchâtel often struggle to finance the maintenance and renovation of their churches. This is the case in particular of the Sacred Heart has La Chaux-de-Fonds beneficiary of the traditional Epiphany collection 2025.

The parish church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built in 1926-1927. It is the youngest neo-Gothic church in Switzerland. On July 24, 2023, bad weather damaged the church tower so massively that it must be renovated to avoid even greater damage. Fortunately, these costs are covered by the building’s insurance.

Donations are the only source of funding

Inside the Sacré-Cœur parish church, however, renovation of the acoustic installation and soundproofing are absolutely necessary. The reverberation is so great that the faithful suffering from hearing problems no longer go to mass.

As there are no ecclesiastical taxes in the canton of Neuchâtel, the parish is financed solely by contributions and donations from the faithful.

Renovating the interior of the church cost 200,000 francs. The Sacré-Cœur parish of La Chaux-de-Fonds, already in debt, urgently needs external help to finance the necessary work. (cath.ch/com/mp)

Call from Swiss bishops
Churches and chapels require constant maintenance and regular renovations. Parishes and pilgrimage shrines deprived of ecclesiastical taxes or small parishes are often faced with financial burdens that they cannot assume on their own.
Among other things, through the quest for the Epiphany, the Interior Mission is committed to preserving these threatened churches so that they can remain community places. For 2025 three renovation projects will be supported: the Sacré-Coeur parish church in La Chaux-de-Fonds (NE). The pilgrimage shrine of Maria Bildstein in Benken (SG), the parish church of St. Maurice in Cama (GR).
The bishops recommend the quest for Epiphany 2025 to the goodwill of all Catholics in Switzerland. PM