A History of St. William Church at 525 West Fifth Street, London, KY 40741 US - Home
A History of St. William Parish in London, KentuckyWelcome to our church history web site. We'll upload the text of Carl Keith Greene's history of the parish written in 2000 to coincide with the dedication of our new church building. We'll show historical photos that appear in the book, as well as others that we find.
Introduction
Father Joseph Volk had a dream. Father Ambrose Reger had a dream. Father Cletus Gillson had a dream. And now those dreams, combined with the dream of Father Jerome Stern and the rest of his predecessors in the pulpits of St. Sylvester and St. Andrew and St. William churches have borne fruit. A ...
Chapter I
"These mountains do preach a wonderful sermon on the glory, beauty, majesty and gentleness of the God who is our love." Sister Rose Edna Higdon Father Joseph Volk officially brought the Roman Catholic Church to southeast Kentucky in the late 19th Century. Before he came to the area the ...
CHAPTER II "... we have one, but I don't know where it is."
Chapter II "When I moved to London in July 1931 one of the first things I did was to ask about the Catholic Church. The standard answer was, 'Yes, we have one, but I don’t know where it is'.” Luvinia Crittendon When the Catholics did come to London, they came in full force. It was 1946. ...
A Short History--To Begin With
It was the archbishop of Louisville, Paul McCloskey, who sent Father Paul Volk into this territory to see to the propagation of the faith in the mountains. Volk founded St. Boniface Church in Jellico and St. Sylvester Church was founded at East Bernstadt in April 1888. The church served the ...