About Christ the King · Tompkinsville, Kentucky
Christ the King is a Catholic mission church located at 1000 Celina Road in Tompkinsville, Monroe County, Kentucky, in the rural south-central part of the state. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Louisville and is attended from Christ the Healer Parish in Edmonton. Established in 1965 and serving roughly 147 parishioners — over three-quarters of whom are Hispanic — the mission is well known for its Community Outreach (COR) nonprofit, which provides shelter, food, and clothing through The Village Shop, and for a July youth-volunteer repair ministry that draws groups from New York, Illinois, and beyond.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- Christ the King
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Thomas, C.M.I. (Administrator; attended from Christ the Healer, Edmonton)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Louisville
Why belong here
Christ the King welcomes those seeking a small, mission-sized Catholic community with a clear outreach identity — the parish's own 1983 mission statement commits it to forming a loving, hope-filled community and to reaching out wherever needs are found. Worshippers can attend Sunday Mass in English (8:30 a.m.) or Spanish (2:00 p.m.), receive religious education in single-grade classes, and be part of an active Hispanic ministry. The parish's Community Outreach (COR) and The Village Shop, along with the annual July youth volunteer repair week, make it a place where faith shows up as practical help for neighbors in Monroe County.
Mass times at Christ the King
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment
Parish Overview
Christ the King is a small Catholic mission church on Celina Road in Tompkinsville, the seat of Monroe County in south-central Kentucky. It is one of the rural missions of the Archdiocese of Louisville and is attended from Christ the Healer Parish in Edmonton. With roughly 147 parishioners and a heavily Hispanic worshipping community, the mission runs both a regular Sunday schedule in English and Spanish and a vigorous outreach network through its own incorporated nonprofit.
- Type: Mission (attended from Christ the Healer, Edmonton)
- Established: 1965
- Archdiocese of Louisville
- Parishioners: ~147 (over three-quarters Hispanic)
- Registered households: 55
History
The mission opened in 1965 under Father John Molloy, C.P.M., of the Fathers of Mercy, as an outreach of St. Helen Parish in Glasgow. Its early years were marked by the social hostility of rural Monroe County: building materials were stolen from the site and a tent served as the first worship space until 1967, with Masses also held in private homes — including a mobile home on the church grounds. In 1980 the mission was transferred to Christ the Healer in Edmonton, and Sister Mary Frances Honnon, S.S.J., began religious-education ministry there. In October 1983 the community formally adopted a mission statement that still frames parish life today.
- 1965: Founded as a mission of St. Helen Parish, Glasgow, by Father John Molloy, C.P.M.
- Pre-1967: Mass celebrated in a tent, private homes, and a mobile home on church grounds
- 1980: Reassigned as a mission of Christ the Healer, Edmonton (~20 families / 47 parishioners)
- 1980s: Religious education conducted one-on-one by Sister Mary Frances Honnon, S.S.J.
- October 1983: Parish mission statement adopted
- 2001: Religious education reorganized as one class per grade
Parish Mission Statement (1983)
"We, the family of Christ the King Parish, dedicate ourselves to forming a loving and hope-filled community by joyfully living the Christian life, by celebrating and affirming our belief in God with one another and with all believers, by freely sharing our material resources and our personal gifts, and by reaching out to serve the needs of others wherever we find them."
Staff, Clergy & Pastoral Ministers
Day-to-day administration is provided by a C.M.I. priest who serves as Administrator, with a separate priest assigned for Hispanic Ministry and a permanent deacon. Parishioner-led ministers staff formation and worship roles.
- Administrator: Rev. Joseph Thomas, C.M.I.
- Hispanic Ministry: Rev. Silvio J. Fonseca Martinez
- Permanent Deacon: John G. Froehlich
- Formation Minister: Enedina Pascual Lopez
- Worship Minister: Vonda Dunagan
- Business Manager and Bookkeeper: Kenneth Scheller
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Faith formation at Christ the King traces back to Sister Mary Frances Honnon, S.S.J., who taught students one-on-one after the 1980 reassignment. Since 2001 the parish has run one class per grade level, and more than two-thirds of current students are Hispanic — reflecting the broader demographic of the parish and reinforced by the dedicated Hispanic Ministry.
- One class per grade (since 2001)
- Bilingual reach via Hispanic Ministry
- Roots in one-on-one instruction by Sr. Mary Frances Honnon, S.S.J.
Outreach: Community Outreach (COR) & The Village Shop
Outreach is at the heart of Christ the King's identity. Parishioners founded Community Outreach (COR), later incorporated, to complement the work of other local service organizations by providing shelter, food, and cash (when available) to people in crisis. The Village Shop, a thrift component of COR, sells donated clothing and other items at reduced prices. Together, these efforts have served many families in Monroe County.
- COR — incorporated nonprofit: shelter, food, and emergency cash assistance
- The Village Shop — reduced-price donated goods
- Local families served across Monroe County
July Youth Volunteer Repair Week
Each July, youth groups from New York, Illinois, and elsewhere come to Tompkinsville for a week of service at the COR shelter. Volunteers assist elderly and handicapped neighbors with personal care, build and repair steps, fix floors and roofs, and serve the area's needy — making the parish a regional hub for hands-on mission service.
- Annual July mission week
- Volunteers from NY, IL, and other states
- Home repair, personal care, and shelter service
Contact & Visiting
The church sits at 1000 Celina Road in Tompkinsville. Because it is attended from another parish, the mailing address is c/o Christ the Healer, P.O. Box 599, Edmonton, KY 42129-0599. The parish shares phone lines and a general email with Christ the Healer.
- Location: 1000 Celina Road, Tompkinsville, KY 42167
- Mailing: c/o P.O. Box 599, Edmonton, KY 42129-0599
- Phone: (270) 432-0686 / (270) 432-5024
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://christ-the-king-tompkinsville.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John Molloy, C.P.M.1965 (founding)
Fathers of Mercy priest who opened Christ the King as a mission of St. Helen Parish in Glasgow in 1965.
- Sister Mary Frances Honnon, S.S.J.from 1980
Served as pastoral minister after the mission was reassigned to Christ the Healer in Edmonton; conducted religious-education classes on a one-to-one basis.