Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart stands in Lauriston, a short walk from Edinburgh’s Grassmarket and Tollcross, beside the historic Old Town. Built in 1860, it is a category A listed building designed by Father Richard Vaughan SJ, a Jesuit priest who also happened to be uncle of the well-known preacher Bernard Vaughan. The church began in a temporary chapel on Hunter’s Close while the permanent structure rose, and its first Mass took place there on 31 July 1859. Bishop James Gillis, Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District, invited the Jesuits to create a city-centre parish. The completed church opened on 8 July 1860 with Bishop Gillis preaching and Father Thomas Seed SJ celebrating. The interior has seen several changes across the centuries. A mural above the altar was painted in 1957 by Derek Clarke, an Edinburgh School of Art lecturer, but it was covered over in the 1960s to suit post-Vatican II requirements. The organ arrived in 1907 and was later modified twice. Structural work in the 1990s reinforced trusses and restored the north wall. The Jesuits still live next door and run daily Mass plus weekday Rosary at lunchtime. They also once worked with the Little Sisters of the Poor care home until it closed in 2018. Beside the church is the Edinburgh Jesuit Centre, originally the Lauriston Centre. It offers talks on Ignatian spirituality, social justice and modern Jesuit thinkers. Speakers such as Michael L. Fitzgerald have addressed Christian–Muslim relations, and the centre has won awards for its ecological events. Since 2020 it has hosted series on contemporary issues, including a talk by Sir Tom Devine on Scottish Catholic emancipation since 1945. Talks during the Covid period drew record attendance and remain available online.