A small, rural parish nestled in southern Kentucky — spiritual home to about 25 registered families — is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Christ the Healer Church was established as a mission parish in 1975. The congregation consisted of five worshippers who would meet on Sunday mornings in a farmhouse living room.
As the number of attendees grew, the congregation moved into a renovated barn, which they called “The Stable.”
In 1982, the present church, which seats 250 people, was built in Edmonton, Ky. No longer a mission, it remains the only Catholic parish in Metcalfe County.
Christ the Healer was built next to a park created by the late Father George K. Bowling, a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville who ministered in the county for years before the parish was established. Father Bowling served as the parish’s first pastor.
In 1972, Father Bowling, who was assigned to Holy Redeemer Church in the nearby Green County, founded the Municipal Area Recreational Community (M.A.R.C.) Park in Edmonton and served as its director. The park includes a playground, multiple courts and fields for sports, a food pantry and a homeless shelter.
In a story published by The Record in 1975, Father Bowling described his efforts to build the park as “pre-evangelization,” noting that the park aimed to “show the community that the church will serve the people.”
The park was renamed “George K. Bowling Community Park” in 1994, and its services are still active today, facilitated by a director and an executive board.
“Father Bowling was a very big influence in Edmonton,” said Deacon John Froehlich, who serves as a deacon at Christ the Healer and represents the parish on the park’s board. “People will speak of him very reverently.”
Father Bowling’s aim to introduce the Catholic faith to a largely Protestant county has had long-lasting effects, as skepticism has lessened through the decades, said parishioner Kathy Frick.
The Catholic community has been accepted in Metcalfe County, she said. “They don’t have as many qualms; they’ve gotten to know that we are just like them.”
Christ the Healer parishioners are active members of the community, serving at the area nursing home, food pantry and in the Relay for Life, said Deacon Froehlich. Parishioners are also involved in Angel Tree and backpack programs, noted Frick.
The parish participates in a monthly community meal hosted at Bowling Park. Each month, the meal is sponsored by a different church or organization in the area, said Frick.
The parish also hosts a monthly potluck for parishioners, and those who attend the parish’s Wednesday Mass often gather for lunch afterward, noted Deacon Froehlich.
For Deacon Froehlich, the small parish is family. He and his wife moved to the area from Alaska in 2007, and he has served the parish as its deacon since his ordination in 2016.
He visited the parish once before moving to Kentucky and immediately felt welcomed, he said.
“I felt more welcomed at Christ the Healer after one time than I did at my home parish in Alaska,” he said.
With about 25 registered families, parishioners notice if someone misses Mass, he said.
“It’s a close-knit parish. The people are wonderful; they truly care,” he said, adding, “Here, we know each other and we are a spiritual family.”
Frick “found a home” in the parish in 1990, she said.
“It’s small and welcoming and family,” she said. Parishioners “get to know each other,” and they can tell “when someone needs that hug. I really love the community of it, the friendship and love and concern.”
Former and current parishioners will mark the parish’s anniversary with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre and a luncheon on Oct. 26. The Mass will begin at 11 a.m. CST.
