LORETTO, Ky. — Holy Cross Church, the first Catholic parish in Kentucky, doesn’t get visitors for Mass often, said Father Richard Goodin.
“We’re not ‘on the way’ to anywhere,” said Father Goodin, who also serves as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in St. Francis, Ky.
“I had never been inside (Holy Cross) until I was assigned” as pastor, said Father Goodin, who grew up attending St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, Ky. — a 25-minute drive from Holy Cross.
Holy Cross may get a bit more traffic this year. The church, along with five others, has been designated a pilgrimage site by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre for the 2025 Jubilee Year, themed “Pilgrims of Hope.” Each site offers an opportunity for the faithful to receive a plenary indulgence — see the decree from Archbishop Fabre listed below.
“I know when they’re sick, where they sit. You know immediately when someone is new”
Father Richard Goodin, pastor of Holy Cross Church
Standing on more than two centuries of history, the picturesque parish, surrounded by Holy Cross Cemetery, offers pilgrims a glimpse into the past.
“The history is phenomenal,” said Father Goodin.
In 1785, the first Catholic settlement in Kentucky, which then was part of Virginia, was established on the site of Holy Cross by a group of Catholic pioneers from Maryland. They were part of a migration of Catholics from Maryland who moved west to what is now known as the Kentucky Holy Land in search of religious freedom.
In 1792, the first church was built on the site. The log structure was the first Catholic church in Kentucky. In 1823, the log structure was replaced with a brick church building, where parishioners still worship today.
In an area where the Catholic faith has been passed down from generation to generation, practicing the faith “is what we do, and what we’ve been doing,” said Fr. Goodin. “It’s a rural rhythm.”
The small community of Holy Cross Church, composed of about 125 registered families, is “by far the calmest” parish of any he’s pastored, said Father Goodin. “I know when they’re sick, where they sit. You know immediately when someone is new.”
“It may look boring, old and quaint to the outside world, but its stability is calm, tranquil,” he added.
Each year, Holy Cross hosts a highly attended church picnic and turkey supper, said Father Goodin. This year, the picnic will be hosted on June 14 and the turkey supper will be hosted on Oct. 4.
For more information regarding events, hours and Mass times, visit sfahc.com.
Following are six sights to see on a pilgrimage to Holy Cross Church.
- The arch
An iron arch welcomes visitors to the parish. It reads, “Holy Cross Church 1792,” the year the original church, a log structure, was built.
- The original church
The site of the first Catholic church in Kentucky is marked with a large crucifix, which dates to the early 1900s.
The original church — a log structure — was used for more than 30 years. But on one Sunday in the fall of 1822, Father Charles Nerinckx — who was serving as temporary pastor of Holy Cross — surprised the congregation by telling them that a new church would begin construction the following day.
Father Nerinckx requested that the parishioners contribute what funds they could and assist with the labor. The next morning, the congregation came to the site with their tools.
- The altarpiece
The altarpiece, which is not original to the church, was recently embellished with light green and gold accents, as well as symmetrical paintings of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Latin text, “Stat Crux Dum Volvitur Orbis,” was also added recently. It translates to, “The cross stands while the world turns,” said Father Goodin.
He chose the phrase because it fits the history of Holy Cross Church. “Holy Cross has been stable here, worshipping God as the world changes,” he said.
- True Cross Relic
On the left side of the high altar is a relic of the True Cross, which was obtained for the church during Father Nerinckx’s leadership in the early 1800s.
Holy Cross Church was originally known as “the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” After the arrival of Father Nerinckx, the church became known as “Holy Cross.”
In the time of Father Nerinckx, many of the churches were named after a statue, painting or relic the church contained. Therefore, the church may have been renamed “Holy Cross” when it received the relic of the True Cross.
- Sanctuary tiles
The sanctuary floor is accented with white, gold and green tiles. “They’ve been here a long time,” but haven’t been visible in the past few decades, said Father Goodin.
Until recently, carpet — glued to the tile — covered the sanctuary floor. When the carpet was pulled up, a thick glue covered the tile, he said. Five men from the parish volunteered their Saturdays for three months, removing the glue to reveal the tile underneath, he said.
- The cemetery and grotto
Holy Cross Church’s cemetery, which surrounds the church, marks generations of Catholic families, including the pioneers who settled in 1785 and their descendants — many of whom bear the family names of the settlers.
Early settlers, such as Basil Hayden, whose name is indicated on a historical marker on the site, and his wife, Henrietta Hayden, are among the pioneers buried at Holy Cross without grave markers.
One area of the cemetery holds a grouping of very old grave markers, which had shifted away from the graves they marked over the years.
Pilgrims can also take note of the grave markers of American Revolution patriots and eight Trappist monks.
Pilgrims can conclude their pilgrimage by pausing for prayer at a grotto depicting Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette, located to the left of the church in the cemetery.
Other archdiocesan pilgrimage sites include the Cathedral of the Assumption and the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours in Louisville, the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Ky.; the Church of St. Augustine in Lebanon, Ky., and the Church of St. Helen in Glasgow, Ky.
This is the second of a series featuring the designated archdiocesan sites for the 2025 Jubilee Year. Tim Tomes, archivist of the Archdiocese of Louisville, contributed to this story. The following resources were used as sources: “The Abbey of Gethsemani: Place of Peace and Paradox” by Dianne Aprile, a worship aid from the present church’s sesquicentennial in 1973 and a worship aid from the bicentennial of the first Catholic settlement in 1985.
