Saint Catherine

New Haven, Nelson Co.
Established 1844
Registrations: 373

Address

Saint Catherine Church
(Please note: parish mailing address is different from its location.)
Location: 174 N. Main St.
New Haven, Ky. 40051-6342

Parish Information

Mail To: 413 N. 1st St., New Haven, KY, 40051-6392
Phone: (502) 549-3680
Fax: (502) 549-5410
Email: parishoffice@saintcatherineschool.com
Website: www.stcatherinenewhaven.org
Saint Catherine School >

St. Catherine Parish

Clergy

Pastor: Rev. Matthew T. Hardesty
Permanent Deacon: Dean R. Giulitto

Pastoral Staff

School Principal: Jessie Reed
Business Manager: Dawn Scamihorn
Bookkeeper: Marda Weakley
Administrative Assistant: Katie Robertson

Mass Schedule

Sundays — Sat evening: 4:00 p.m.; Sun: 10:00 a.m.
Holy Days — See bulletin
Daily — Tue-Thu: 8:45 a.m.

Reconciliation

Saturdays — 3-3:45 p.m.
Sundays — 9:40-9:55 a.m.
Any time by appointment

History

When Catholic settlers migrated to New Haven, Mass was celebrated irregularly in a small, rough-hewn log house belonging to the Bowles family. When no priest could come, Catholics journeyed many miles to Holy Cross for services, carrying their shoes to protect them from the rough country roads.

As the number of Catholics grew, and the area became a bustling shipping port, the congregation outgrew the log house. Services for worshippers of every faith were moved in 1804 to a large warehouse built to store commodities and bacon. The jockeying for this warehouse space soon caused a competition, and the Catholics won the right to worship there after the priest bested the Protestant minister in a debate. New Haven’s Catholic population continued to grow, and in 1845 the first pastor, Father Robert Abell, arrived. He constructed the first Catholic church and a rectory.

The second pastor, Father Francis DeMeulder, was known for his humility and simplicity. After the Civil War, he built schools for the Catholic African-American and white children. He also built a convent for the Sisters of Loretto, who came to New Haven in 1868 to teach at the parish’s two segregated schools, and he constructed several log cabin churches.

In 1886 a grand church was erected, modeled on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. After it was destroyed by fire in 1928, the present church was built in 1929 with a blend of Romanesque and modern architecture.

In the 1920s, a storage building was remodeled and furnished for a high school (closed in 1971), and the Ursuline Sisters of Mount St. Joseph replaced the Loretto Sisters. In 1929, the present school building was constructed to accommodate both the primary and secondary levels.

Spiritual ministries include a Eucharistic Adoration chapel near the Gym and School buildings, a Latin Novus Ordo Mass celebrated monthly and on most Holy Days, and a May Crowning. With about 400 registered families, St. Catherine continues to be the community’s backbone with an elementary school and its community-wide bereavement ministry.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email