About Good Shepherd · Whitley City, Kentucky
Church of the Good Shepherd (also known locally as Good Shepherd Catholic Mission) is a small Roman Catholic mission church at 130 N Main Street in Whitley City, McCreary County, Kentucky, in the heart of the southern Appalachian hill country. It is the only Catholic parish in McCreary County and belongs to the Mountain West Deanery of the Diocese of Lexington. The mission was started in 1974 by the Good Shepherd Sisters from Connecticut, who converted an old automobile repair garage into a residence, a second-hand clothing shop, and an attached chapel to serve the scattered Catholic population of one of the poorest counties in the United States. Today the parish is celebrated at a Sunday morning Mass and a midweek Wednesday afternoon Mass, keeping the Eucharist accessible across a widely dispersed mountain community.
- Established
- 1974
- Patron
- Good Shepherd (Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd)
- Rector
- Rev. Carlos Martinez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lexington (Mountain West Deanery)
Why belong here
Good Shepherd is the only Catholic parish in McCreary County, one of the most economically distressed counties in Appalachia, and its ministry is small by design — keeping the Eucharist and the sacraments available to Catholics scattered across the southern Kentucky mountains. The parish celebrates Sunday Mass and a Wednesday afternoon Mass, offers confession by appointment, and is the spiritual anchor for a wider community-outreach network that includes a Christian Care Center, a food pantry, a medical facility, and a home-build program. Visitors and parishioners will find a quiet, mission-style Catholic community where the focus is on sacramental life and direct service to neighbors in need.
Mass times at Good Shepherd
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment — call the parish office at (606) 376-1840 to schedule
Overview & Identity
Good Shepherd Catholic Mission is the Catholic presence in Whitley City and across McCreary County, in the southern Appalachian hill country of southeastern Kentucky. It is classified as a mission of the Diocese of Lexington and sits in the Mountain West Deanery. The parish's own self-description — 'We are a mission church here to serve the people of McCreary County' — captures both its scale and its purpose. The mailing and physical address is 130 N Main St, Whitley City, KY 42653, and the parish can be reached at (606) 376-1840 or [email protected].
- Diocese of Lexington — Mountain West Deanery
- 130 N Main St, Whitley City, KY 42653
- Phone: (606) 376-1840
- Email: [email protected]
History
Good Shepherd was established in 1974 when the Good Shepherd Sisters from Connecticut repurposed an automobile repair garage in Whitley City into a residence, a clothing shop, and a small chapel. The chapel building itself had been built a few years earlier by LAMP, the Louisville Archdiocese Mission Promoters. Father Carroll Howlin of the Diocese of Joliet became the first resident priest in 1975, beginning with twelve members and shepherding the mission for roughly twenty-five years through its transition into the newly created Diocese of Lexington in 1988. After Father Howlin's departure, the mission continued under Rev. Jeffrey Estacio and is currently served by Rev. Carlos Martinez.
- Founded 1974 (per GCatholic)
- Good Shepherd Sisters from Connecticut — founding community
- Chapel building erected by LAMP, Louisville Archdiocese Mission Promoters
- Father Carroll Howlin — first resident pastor, 1975
- Became part of the Diocese of Lexington at its creation in 1988
Mission Context: McCreary County
McCreary County sits in Appalachia in southern Kentucky, roughly ten miles north of the Tennessee border in the Cumberland Lake area. A partner-parish description from St. Ignatius of Loyola in Cincinnati notes that, according to the IRS, McCreary County has been the poorest county in the United States. Many of the men are former coal miners whose mines closed years ago; residents get by on odd jobs and mountain crafts. Against that backdrop, Good Shepherd's small sacramental schedule and its on-site care ministries — Christian Care Center, food pantry, medical clinic, home-build program — function as essential community infrastructure.
- Southern Kentucky, Cumberland Lake region
- Adjacent to the Tennessee border
- Historically a coal-mining region
- Site of the Christian Care Center, food pantry, and a home-build program
Clergy
The current pastor is Rev. Carlos Martinez, listed on the Catholic Diocese of Lexington parish finder. He also serves on the diocesan Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors. The most recent previous pastor named on public directories is Rev. Jeffrey Estacio (c. 2016). Father Carroll Howlin, the founding resident priest, served from 1975 until his administrative leave in 2002.
- Rev. Carlos Martinez — Pastor (present)
- Rev. Jeffrey Estacio — Pastor (c. 2016)
- Rev. Carroll Howlin — first resident pastor, 1975–c. 2002
Outreach & Partner Parishes
When the Good Shepherd Sisters were recalled to Connecticut due to age and health, local laypeople took over the social ministries they had started. The mission site is now the home of a Christian Care Center, food pantry, medical facility, and home-build program. St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Cincinnati has partnered with McCreary County since 2005, organizing a Lenten 'Cart Sunday' collection of toiletries and cleaning supplies, a 'Christmas in July' food drive, and a November toy drive that supplies gifts for about 300–400 children at the county's Christmas party each year.
- Christian Care Center
- Food Pantry
- Medical facility
- Home-build program
- St. Ignatius of Loyola (Cincinnati) — Lent Cart Sunday, Christmas in July, November toy drive
- St. Mildred's (Somerset, KY) — historical pastoral link
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Carroll Howlin1975–c. 2002
First resident priest; arrived from the Diocese of Joliet with permission of Archbishop Thomas J. McDonough of Louisville. Served ~25 years. Placed on administrative leave in April 2002 by Bishop J. Kendrick Williams of Lexington pending an investigation of a 1970s allegation; retained affiliation with Joliet.
- Rev. Jeffrey (Jeff) Estacio
Listed as pastor of Good Shepherd on third-party parish directories c. 2016. Later served as Vicar Forane (Dean) of the Bluegrass West Deanery of the Diocese of Lexington.
- Rev. Carlos Martinezpresent
Current pastor per the Diocese of Lexington parish finder; also a member of the Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors.