Alexis is now fifteen years old and a freshman at Plainfield Central High School. Roxiana has been at Sacred Heart “my entire life. I am 45 years old. My grandmother, Dorothy Fuqua, was a member here. And she got me when I was two and so I’ve been here with her ever since. And she was a member here for over 70 years. “

When asked why she had stayed here [at Sacred Heart], Roxiana replied, “Because it’s my home, my family home. . . .You know, it’s because I think once you walk in the door, and especially if you’ve been blessed to be here from childhood up, to leave is something you really can’t conceive of thought. You
can’t think of it, you know. Even through changes and whatever else may happen here, it’s where I have always been and will always be. Unless we move out of state, or the city, then yeah, we’ll be here. . . . I do still have the studio, Generation Dance Company. We are celebrating nineteen years on May
1st. Next year will be our 20th and of course, we started here. Fr. Ray Lescher, you know, was so kind to me and allowed us to start here. We started next door, what is now the banquet hall; it used to be the Oasis House, the nuns’ house. Our very first day, we had fifteen kids in the little living room of the Oasis House and then we spilled out onto the grass because we had too many for the little room. It was only fifteen but it was a tiny little house. And then he let us take over the upstairs which used to be our banquet hall area. And let us put in mirrors and ballet barres. We were here for three years until we moved into our own space. And he, you know, everywhere we went, he has blessed us or Sacred Heart has blessed us in our endeavors to offer dance to kids in the Joliet working area. “

“We tend to have … average 200 kids every year. I have ten [teachers] on staff. Kids start dancing at the age of three and they go up through seniors in high school. And then we had to have some adult classes and Zumba exercise classes. We’re going to be offering Yoga next year. So, we’re continuing to grow.”

“Our whole family has grown up here, there were three sisters, two other sisters and myself. Gloriana lives in Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio and my middle sister, Rose Lynch, who also attends church here and lives in Bolingbrook. My aunt comes from time to time, and she went to Sacred Heart Parish – she went to the school here. Her, my uncle and my mother – all attended the school until it was closed. So, I don’t know, I just think we’re deeply embedded in the church. And really, I think we all attribute our faith and the way we live our lives to, very much so, the teachings that we’ve learned here at Sacred Heart parish.”

“My daughter went to, initially started at St. Pat’s grade school, but graduated from St. Paul’s because St. Pat’s closed down. And so, it’s just something that’s important to us that we stay here at Sacred Heart. But more importantly to practice our faith that we’ve learned here.”

The Fuqua family embodies so much of what is so much the history, the qualities and the spirit of Sacred Heart.