Campbellsville, Taylor Co.
Established 1879
Registrations: 284
PARISH OFFICE
425 N. Central Ave., Campbellsville, Ky. 42718
Phone: (270) 465-4282
Rectory: (270) 465-5280
FAX: (270) 789-9669
E-mail: olph@onfirecatholic.com
Web site: www.onfirecatholic.com
CLERGY
Administrator: Rev. James M. Reinhart
MASS SCHEDULE
Sundays — Sun: 10 a.m.
Holy Days — See bulletin
Daily — Mon, Tue: 7 a.m.; Wed: 5:30 p.m.; Sat: 8 a.m.
HISTORY
In 1879 Father John Paul Kelleher, following the wishes of Bishop William G. McCloskey, rode a train from Lebanon and established a mission church in Campbellsville. History portrays the area as thriving, with the biggest threat to Catholicism being disease and the mode of transportation; three of the first five pastors suffered typhoid or fell from their horses while making rounds in the country.
Before Father Kelleher began erecting the church, Masses were celebrated in a house on the present church property, the former residence of C.W. Wright. Mr. Wright deeded three acres to Father Kelleher on November 19, 1879, for $900. That purchase led to two years of preparation before the church was erected and services began on a regular basis at the present location. Up to that point they had been held in the home of John T. Newton. Eventually the church grew from ten parishioners to almost 700 parishioners today.
Eight pastors served from 1879 to 1895. Seventeen priests took up residency over the next fifty-nine years. An elementary school educated parish children from 1948 to 1970, when declining enrollment led to its closing.
In 1962 Our Lady of Perpetual Help was raised canonically to parish status. Because the number of parishioners had grown beyond the capacity of the worship space, ground was broken on February 13, 1966, for a new church building that would seat four hundred. In 1976 the old church building was razed.
Beginning in 1995, parishioner Butch Wheatly started working on new stained-glass windows for the church. Today Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a vibrant parish which has benefited greatly from the leadership of its priests and from the commitment of its people.