In the historic parish of St. Augustine in Lebanon, Ky., the history of Catholicism stretches back to the town’s origins.
The community’s beginnings date back to Benedict Spalding, often credited as one of the founders of the city of Lebanon, who set aside four acres of land for a Catholic church in 1813.
Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre has designated the parish as a pilgrimage site for the Jubilee Year.
St. Augustine Church is one of six pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of Louisville. Each site offers an opportunity for the faithful to receive a plenary indulgence. (See the decree from Archbishop Fabre listed below.)
The following is a brief history of the parish:
In 1815, Father Charles Nerinckx established a church, which was completed in 1821 and known as St. Hubert Church.
During the pastorate of Father Robert A. Abell, a second church, larger than the first, was built on the original site. Consecrated in 1837, the parish was dedicated to St. Augustine.
“The people in all the parishes around here, they’re either kin by blood or association. So if anything’s going on, we all go together. If you need something, we always volunteer. Because that’s part of being part of the parish.”
— Mary Jane Schockency
Then, in 1868, during the pastorate of Father Ivo Schacht, construction began on the present church, and in 1872, the old church was razed.
In 1908, under the pastorate of Father Joseph Hogarty, the parish underwent renovations, including the replacement of its windows with stained glass, the addition of Stations of the Cross oil paintings and new pews.
Also under his pastorship, St. Monica Church, a separate church for Black Catholic parishioners in Lebanon, was established. Its cornerstone was laid in 1914. A school was operated in the church basement, and the parish served Black Catholics until 1962.
That year, under the pastorship of Monsignor Joseph D. Gettlefinger, who served the parish from 1937 to 1968, the parishioners of St. Monica joined with St. Augustine Church, and the building was razed.
Parishioner Mary Jane Schockency, a third-generation parishioner of St. Augustine, has ties to St. Monica Church, she said in a recent interview.
“I’m 89, so I’ve been here 89 years,” said Schockency, who was baptized at St. Monica Church and attended the old St. Monica School.
She was one of five students in her grade who were educated in the two-room basement school. Each room held four grades and was staffed by one Sister of Loretto, she said. During recess, she remembers playing “simple games” like “ball” and “hopscotch,” she added.
She’s been involved in most parish organizations during her lifetime, from the choir to the parish council to the bereavement committee. Even as one of the eldest parishioners, she still plants the flowers next to the parish’s outdoor Mary statue, noted Father Daniel Whelan, parish administrator.
To Schockency, volunteering is part of being a parishioner.
“The people in all the parishes around here, they’re either kin by blood or association. So if anything’s going on, we all go together. If you need something, we always volunteer. Because that’s part of being part of the parish,” she said.
The parish has also contributed many priests, including an archbishop and a bishop, to the wider church, noted long-time parishioner John Thomas.
“There’s not many parishes in any diocese that can say that they have an archbishop and a bishop from this parish,” he said, noting that Archbishop of Indianapolis Charles Thompson and Bishop of Nashville Mark Spalding served together as pastors of St. Augustine in the late 1990s.
Thomas, who has served the parish as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, lector, sacristan, server and as chair of the finance council, said his favorite memories at the parish are of watching his three kids receive the sacraments.
For those making a visit to the parish, Father Whelan encourages time for silence with God.
“The greatest thing we can do when we come to visit any church is just to be silent with God,” he said. “When you enter into the church, it’s okay to look around, because we’ve got a lot of beauty here. But then, just sit down and be quiet with him.”
For those able to make the pilgrimage, the following are some sights to see during a visit:
- Statues of St. Augustine and St. Monica
The statues of St. Augustine and St. Monica sit on opposite sides of the church, facing one another, bringing to mind the history of the parish, Father Whelan.
He considers both of the saints as patrons of the parish, and asks for their intercession for the parish during the Eucharistic Prayer, he said.
“When I do the Eucharistic Prayer III, you pray for the patron saint. But I always add her in as well. So I always say St. Monica and St. Augustine, because I like that richness of the two of them together.”
- Altar
A second interior restoration of the church in 2000 included the construction of a new altar, which incorporates marble from the church’s old altar rails.
- Stations of the Cross
Oil paintings depicting the Stations of the Cross have lined the parish’s walls since its 1908 renovation.
- Stained Glass
The church’s original windows were replaced with stained glass during its 1908 renovation. The stained glass bears images of several saints, including St. Augustine and St. Monica, as well as religious symbols, such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The stained glass windows are a favorite of Schockency, who said she’s always enjoyed looking at them, “especially when you were in church and the sun was shining through.”
- Old confessionals and pews
The parish’s carved wooden pews are original to its 1908 renovation.
The facade of the parish’s two wooden confessionals, which were originally in the front of the church, were reconstructed and moved to the rear of the church in the early 2000s. Their facades lead to a cry room and a reconciliation room, constructed during the 2000 renovation.
Other archdiocesan pilgrimage sites include the Cathedral of the Assumption, the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours, the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Ky.; Holy Cross Church in Loretto, Ky., and the Church of St. Helen in Glasgow, Ky.
For more information about St. Augustine Church, visit staugustinechurch.net or call the parish office at 270-692-3019.
This is the sixth article in a series featuring the archdiocesan pilgrimage sites for the 2025 Jubilee Year. Tim Tomes, archivist of the Archdiocese of Louisville, contributed to this story. Sources included “Faith and Mission: Parish Histories,” the parish directories and The Record archives.
