Diocese of Covington - Messenger at 402 E. 21st Street, Covington, KY 41015 US - St. Charles Borromeo celebrates 150th

The St. Charles Borromeo church building, a white-washed stone edifice sharing a small hill with the county courthouse, overlooks the central intersection of Flemingsburg (population 3200). The church was dedicated 150 years ago, on Sept. 11, 1859, just six years after the founding of the Diocese of Covington. Its size, design and construction, though simple and modest by today’s standards, underscore a fundamental reverence, simple beauty and strength that has given the Catholic faith and the Catholic Church a living presence in this city and Fleming County for decades.

The 80 families of the parish and their pastor, Father Verne Hogan, began planning for this anniversary year five years ago. Father Hogan and Steve Kelly co-chaired the planning of events and fund raisers, with special emphasis on the months this year leading up to last weekend’s culminating events, the bishop’s visit and parish dinner.

During the 11 a.m. Mass there was another dedication — this time, Bishop Foys consecrated a new altar, in an elaborate ritual preparing the altar as a place for Eucharistic sacrifice. He also blessed a new ambo and presider chair. A central part of their anniversary observation was the parishioners’ decision to provide a new altar and sanctuary furnishings.

It’s a “marvelous thing we celebrate today,” Bishop Foys said in his homily, noting that the first recorded Mass in the area was in 1847, six years before the diocese itself existed. “The church stands as testament and witness to the faith of the people in Fleming County.”

The items consecrated and blessed today are “significant in the life of the Church,” Bishop Foys said. The altar is the place of sanctification, of Eucharistic sacrifice, “the source and summit of our lives as Christians,” Bishop Foys said, using the words of the Second Vatican Council. “It is on the altar that Jesus Christ become present to all believers.”

From the ambo the Gospel is proclaimed and the priest teaches through the homily; the presider’s chair represents the pastor’s responsibility to govern and keep good order in the faith community.

“Thank you for your fidelity to the Church — for 150 years the people of St. Charles have served as a witness to all in town … and this building has been a concrete example of the people’s faith.”

In remarks at the end of Mass, Father Hogan thanked Bishop Foys for participating in the day, saying, “Your presence makes the ceremonies more special.”

“We also celebrate the sacrifice of so many ancestors whose sacrifice and dedication made the parish the visible presence of our Church and of our faith in Jesus Christ. … We are thankful for the respect and friendship we enjoy in the community, county and state.”

All the shared activities, especially the 12x12 community quilt made up of squares created by each family, have resulted in a lot of parish unity. It’s a “good thing to have the parish work together, to have a goal. It worked out beautifully — it brought us together more than at any time before.”

“I couldn’t be more proud than to be pastor of this parish,” Father Hogan said.

“It was a great joy to celebrate 150 years of faith with the pastor, former pastor (Father James McHugh) and parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo Church,” Bishop Foys said. “Father Hogan and the parishioners of St. Charles did a remarkable job in preparing for this significant day in the history and life of their parish. It was a joyous and memorable occasion and I am pleased to have been a part of the celebration.”