Sacred Heart Parish was established on June 21, 1884, when Rt. Rev. Bishop Nicholas A. Gallagher made a division of his parish in Galveston. He assigned the east end of the city to the Society of Jesus to be organized into a new parish. Reverend John F. O'Connor was given this responsibility. One of the Jesuits under Rev. O'Connor, Father Slevin, arrived July 15, 1884 and Sacred Heart had its first mass the following Sunday. However, Sacred Heart had its beginnings in 1854 when Col. Michael B. Menard donated the block bounded by 13th and 14th streets and Sealy (Ave. I) and Broadway, to Bishop Odin, then bishop of the Diocese of Galveston, with the condition that an educational institution for boys be erected. The school, St. Mary's University, was located in the 1300 block of Sealy until 1924. From 1884 until 1892, the Jesuits held Mass for the new parish in the University chapel. On January 17, 1892, Bishop Gallagher dedicated a new structure to the Sacred Heart of our Divine Redeemer. When finished, the church was the largest in Texas  and the third largest in the southern United States. Architect Nicholas Clayton designed the French Romanesque building which was situated at 13th and Broadway, facing south. Extremely ornate, it drew glowing praise from visiting members of the ecclesiastical family. However, the life of this impressive structure was short-lived, and on September 8, 1900, a storm that became the worst natural disaster to ever strike the United States, demolished the building. The destruction was complete except for two stained glass windows, the Mass bell, the statue of the Sacred Heart and the Crucifix which remains in the present day church. The parish family immediately made plans to replace their building. The present structure was designed by a Jesuit brother named Jimenez. The cornerstone was laid on June 21, 1903 by Bishop Gallagher and the church was consecrated on January 17,1904. The 1915 storm destroyed the dome of the church and Nicholas Clayton designed the present onion-shaped protuberance which graces the building today. The statue of the Sacred Heart which survived the 1900 storm was atop this dome until 1948 when once again a storm took its toll and the statue was struck by lightning. The parish ordered the Carrara marble replica of the Christ of the Andes which was placed on the dome in 1950. Designed in Clayton's architecture, natural light floods in from the dome and adds majesty and impressiveness to the Carrara-marble altar below. Covering the front of the altar is a large and lifelike representation of da Vinci's Last Supper in pure white marble. Years later, two side Carrara marbled altars of Mary and Joseph were erected. Above the main altar is a beautiful Munich stained-glass window bordered by two smaller windows, both ornate and colorful. Stain-glassed windows were installed throughout the church and Msgr. Chataignon installed the Stations of the Cross which were hand-carved in Switzerland.

Throughout the history of the parish there has been a spirit of dedication in the lives of the priests and the people of Sacred Heart which is reflected in the inscription of the church on its frontal face --AMDG-- Ad Majorem Del Gloriam ...To the greater glory of God. The Parish today has over 1,300 families

From the Texas Historical Commission marker:
The earliest Catholic services in the Galveston area were conducted in 1838. In 1884, as a result of the church's growth under the direction of such leaders as Bishop J. M. Odin, the Galveston Diocese established Sacred Heart as the fourth church on the island. Services for Sacred Heart Church were held in the St. Mary's University building until 1892, when the parish's first structure was completed. Designed by the noted Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton, it was destroyed in the 1900 hurricane. The present building, the second for the parish, was constructed in 1903-04 during the pastorate of the Rev. D. J. Murphy. A prominent landmark in the city, it features ornate octagonal towers, flying buttresses, elaborate ornamentation, and a variety of arches. The design reflects influences of the Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque styles. The building's original dome, damaged in a 1915 hurricane, was redesigned by Nicholas Clayton. Sacred Heart Church has played a significant role in the growth and development of Galveston. Since the 1880s, many of the city's prominent business, professional, civic and religious leaders have been associated with the parish. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1981

From the Texas Historical Commission marker:  
(September 17, 1886 - November 18, 1957)
A native of France, Marius Etienne Chataignon served in the French army before coming to the United States in 1907. He came to Texas in 1910 to attend St. Mary's Seminary in La Porte. After his ordination, he was appointed assistant pastor at St. Mary's Cathedral in Galveston in 1911.
Chataignon served as a chaplain in the U. S. Army in France during World War I. Appointed chaplain in the U. S. Army Officers Reserve Corps in 1923, he also served with the Texas National Guard, 36th Division. In 1924 he became pastor of Galveston's Sacred Heart Church.
In 1942 "Father Chat, Galveston's soldier priest," as he was fondly known, was promoted to the rank of colonel and served as chief chaplain of the II Corps, 5th Army in North Africa and Italy during World War II. Pope Pius XII appointed Father Chataignon to the rank of domestic Prelate in 1943. Monsignor Chataignon returned to Sacred Heart Church in 1945 a highly decorated veteran and retired from the army in 1953.
During his years as pastor at Sacred Heart, "Father Chat" was instrumental in the establishment of the Odin High School for Boys which became Kirwin High School, and he organized Boy Scout troops. He is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Dickinson.