Gardner, founded in 1857, was named after Massachusetts Governor Henry Gardner and saw a Confederate attack just four years after its establishment. In 1875, 15 families, concerned about their children's education and faith, built St. Columbia Church, which became the Sacred Heart Parish in 1958. The church, originally a mission of Olathe, was relocated in 1912 to make way for a new red brick Sacred Heart Church, dedicated on October 12, 1912. Over the years, the church saw various improvements, including new altar donations in 1917, a redecorated interior in 1938, and major renovations in 1974, which modernized the building with new features like HVAC, updated stained glass windows, and a redesigned altar.

In the following decades, the parish continued to grow and evolve. In 1988, a new Parish Center was built with donations from parishioners, and by 1993, a committee began planning for the future of the parish. In 2004, a new church was completed, and the Parish Center continued to serve until the Christian Formation Center was built in 2014. The Sacred Heart of Gardner and Assumption of Edgerton parishes merged in 2011, forming the Divine Mercy Parish.