This information was taken from the written history compiled for the 100th anniversary of the parish celebrated in 1989. It has been updated to record all of the building additions since that date. It is condensed from the original in that not all priest names nor family names of past parishioners have been included here. If you are interested in the complete history as written it can be found at the parish office.
According to early records from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Dexter was a mission stop served by a priest who came by train from Poplar Bluff as early as 1889. Since there was no church structure in Dexter at the time, Mass was held in various homes. Records at the courthouse in Bloomfield indicate that land was purchased from the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad Co of Missouri in the community of Dexter and the deed was recorded in September of 1898 to Rev. Cornelius Kane, Pastor. The deed was then transferred to the Most Reverend John Joseph Kain, Archbishop of St. Louis.
The property where the first church, a small white frame building, was built was semi-rural with a cornfield across the street and the circus grounds a block to the east. Since there were no city livestock laws, cattle grazed on the church grounds. A large tree behind the church served as the hitchin' post for members who drove their horses and wagons to Mass. 1908 is the earliest date found noting the name of the church as "Sacred Heart". One of the first priests to serve the Dexter community was Rev. M O'Flaherty of Poplar Bluff who came every other week to say Mass. Occasionally Rev. Breckmeir of Sikeston would come. Sometimes Mass was held only monthly, and one period when it was only every three months.
In 1909 Rev. Tesselaar arrived at Malden and served Dexter as a mission to Malden. His replacement was Rev. Bernard Ponce de Leon, O.S.M., who it was later discovered, was the last male descendant of the Florida explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon. He served the area for 23 years.
In 1937 Rev. Vincent Healy, O.S.M., was the fourth in a succession of priests after Fr. Bernard to serve the Malden/Dexter parishes. In 1949, after an appeal by Dexter parishioners for a resident priest, Rev. Raymond Slay was appointed to serve Sacred Heart. A house on the south of the church lot was purchased as a rectory.
In 1953 Father Slay obtained permission to start a new church building. The Most Rev. Charles Helmsing laid the cornerstone on July 21, 1953. The Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese was established in 1956 and Sacred Heart, Dexter, was transferred from St. Louis to the new diocese. With the success of monthly dinners and quilt raffles as fund-raisers, the mortgage on the new brick church was burned 10 years after groundbreaking.
Twelve additional priests have served at Sacred Heart since Fr. Slay. In addition, religious education and summer school instruction have been under the direction of various religious orders of nuns including the Ursulines, the Victory Knoll Sisters, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame. In 1977 the house currently serving as the parish office was purchased as a convent for the nuns.
Since the old parish hall, which was part of the 1953 brick structure, needed to be converted to additional classroom space, the construction of a new larger Parish Hall with kitchen and restrooms began in 1987. Through fundraisers and the generosity of parishioners, the mortgage was paid off in record time. The parish hall serves as both a parish and community resource for all manner of events from blood drives to not-for-profit fundraisers, weddings, parties, instructional seminars, and meetings.
The most recent addition to the property is the Gathering Space which was completed in 2010. It bridges both the Church structure and new Parish Hall so you can move from one space to the next without going outside. It allows for processions at weddings and funerals to be held indoors while waiting to enter the church proper.
The current pastor of Sacred Heart in Dexter is Rev. David Coon who began his tenure on July 1, 2021.