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Los Gatos Weekly-Times file photograph
Along with preparing Jesuit novices, the former Sacred Heart Novitiate also prepared 'devilishly good' wines.
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Picture from the Past
Sacred Heart Novitiate turned out wines as well as priests
By John S. Baggerly
Los Gatos' Sacred Heart Novitiate has been out of the winemaking business for many years, but its winery is still in use by Mirassou Vineyards for making wine and hosting tastings at the site. Mirassou, in turn, leases to Testarosa Winery.
This was the second winery built at Sacred Heart Novitiate--now Sacred Heart Jesuit Center--at the top of College Avenue overlooking Santa Clara Valley. The winery dates back to the days when novices were in training for the Jesuit Order. They worked in the Novitiate and other local vineyards. Upon completing four years of study at the Novitiate, novices moved across the canyon to Alma College, where they completed their studies to enter the priesthood.
When Novitiate wines were sold publicly they carried the slogan "Heavenly Wines, Devilishly Good."
In 1934, the Society of Jesus purchased the estate of Dr. Harry Tevis with 50 acres plus 212 additional acres for $85,000. This complex of buildings on Bear Creek Road became Alma College. It was the first house of theology in the West in which members of the Society of Jesus received the last four years of their 13 years of training.
In 1969 Sacred Heart became the head office of the California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah Province. It also was affiliated with five high schools and three universities: San Francisco, Loyola and Santa Clara.
In early days, Santa Clara College (now University) prepared novices, but Jesuit Fathers wanted a quieter place for a novitiate. After declining several proposed sites, they were invited to view the property of Harvey Wilcox, which stood just south of Los Gatos at an altitude of 700 feet. A photo of the Wilcox home was displayed in this space last week, thanks to Province archivist Tom Marshall of Sacred Heart Jesuit Center.
The prospective site contained 39 acres, including a vineyard and an orchard with 1,200 orange trees and a variety of other fruit. The Society of Jesus was pleased with the location and on March 18, 1886, paid $15,000 for the nucleus of what became Sacred Heart Novitiate.
Los Gatos residents with long memories recall seeing novices in the beds of trucks coming down College Avenue onto Main Street to pick grapes at vineyards whose owners sold their crops to the Novitiate.
Another local sight was trainloads of novices' relatives disembarking from trains in the old station at the southwest corner of W. Main Street and N. Santa Cruz Avenue. Some were met by cars, while others took taxis, and some walked up to the College venue.
Students of World War II will recall the similarity of Sacred Heart Novitiate's commanding view and that of Monte Casino Benedictine Abbey midway up the Italian boot. Italy had dropped out of World War II, and the Germans had taken over the Abbey from which they directed deadly cannon fire on the Allies.
It was a tough call but the Allies elected to bomb the Abbey to dislodge the Germans. The Allies pressed northward into Germany, and with the Russians pressuring Germany from the east, were victorious at Stalingrad. The war soon came to a close.
According to Brother Marshall, donations flowed in from all parts of the world to help rebuild Monte Casino Benedictine Abbey.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
