About Holy Family · Booneville, Kentucky
Holy Family Catholic Church is a small Catholic mission in Booneville, Owsley County, in the eastern Kentucky mountains, belonging to the Diocese of Lexington. It is officially a mission of Queen of All Saints Parish in Beattyville and today consists of about 25 households, most of them converts to Catholicism. The parish is famous for its humble log-cabin church built in 1990 with a grant from the Catholic Extension Society, and for the Franciscan sisters — Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio — who have run the parish's outreach from the start. Weekly Mass is celebrated Saturday evening and Wednesday evening, with Reconciliation available before and after Mass.
- Established
- 1950
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Mark Ouma
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington
Why belong here
Holy Family is one of the smallest Catholic parishes in Kentucky but punches well above its weight in mission. Worshipping here means joining an intimate faith community of about 25 households — most of them converts — in a beautiful log-cabin church tucked into the eastern Kentucky mountains, served by Franciscan sisters who have built decades of trust with the wider Owsley County community. Members worship, receive the sacraments, take part in Vacation Bible School and RCIA, and join an outreach network that feeds neighbors, repairs homes, and helps families through crises. Visitors are welcomed just as they are.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before and after Masses (per 2024 Diocese of Lexington directory)
- First Saturday of the month, 4:30 PM (per 2023 directory)
History of Holy Family Parish
Catholic life in Owsley County is remarkably young. When Sister Marge Eilerman, OSF, of the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio, arrived in Booneville in 1986, there was no Catholic church in the county and, by her account, only one Catholic person living there. She converted an old smokehouse into a makeshift chapel and began a long ministry of door-to-door outreach in a community that initially met Catholicism with suspicion. In 1990 the Catholic Extension Society provided a grant that built the small log-cabin church that is Holy Family's home today, set on one of the rare flat patches in the surrounding Appalachian mountains. The Diocese of Lexington lists the parish's establishment year as 1950, when the area was first served as a mission station, and today Holy Family is chartered as a mission of Queen of All Saints, Beattyville.
- 1986 — Sr. Marge Eilerman, OSF, arrives; turns a smokehouse into a chapel
- 1990 — Log-cabin church built with a Catholic Extension Society grant
- Sr. Angie Kiel, OSF, joins the mission a dozen years after Sr. Marge
- Sisters live in a trailer next door to the church, gifted by Msgr. Ralph Beiting
- Today: about 25 households, most of them converts to Catholicism
Log-Cabin Church & Facilities
The church building is a small log-cabin structure nestled on a rare flat spot in the eastern Kentucky mountains. Inside, folding tables and closets hold the clothing, hygiene products, and household items that the parish distributes as part of its outreach. A handicap-access ramp serves the building. The modest footprint reflects both the parish's Appalachian setting and the Franciscan simplicity of the sisters who run its ministry.
- Log-cabin construction, built 1990
- Handicap-access ramp
- On-site food/clothing pantry storage
- Trailer residence next door used by the Franciscan sisters
Parish Leadership & Staff
Holy Family is a mission of Queen of All Saints, Beattyville, and shares its pastor. Rev. Mark Ouma is the current pastor (Diocese of Lexington directory, 2023–2024), with Sr. Judy Donohue serving as pastoral associate and the parish's English-speaking canonical advocate. Earlier online listings name Fr. Joseph Koury as a former pastor.
- Pastor: Rev. Mark Ouma (also pastor of Queen of All Saints, Beattyville)
- Pastoral Associate: Sr. Judy Donohue
- Mountain East Deanery, Diocese of Lexington
Outreach & Community Ministry
Holy Family's small Catholic community serves a region where more than 35% of Owsley County residents live below the poverty line. Working through the parish and through diocesan Catholic Charities, the sisters and parishioners run a food pantry at the church, a free community lunch program called 'Willy's Copper Top,' a clothing bank, a volunteer home-repair network, and an annual Christmas 'store' that lets elders and families choose gifts of soap, blankets, socks, and other necessities with dignity. The parish also welcomes non-Catholics who come for help or simply to find a peaceful place — staff note that the most frequent comment from visitors is how peaceful and welcoming the church feels.
- Parish food pantry (contact Sr. Judy at 859-433-1485)
- Willy's Copper Top free lunch — Tuesdays 5–6 PM, Saturdays 12–2 PM
- Clothing and household-goods distribution
- Volunteer home-repair network (ramps, plumbing, flooring, etc.)
- Christmas store for elders and families
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Holy Family runs a Vacation Bible School each year and prepares adults and older children for the sacraments through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The parish has welcomed entire families into the Church through RCIA, and its witness is a major part of how Catholicism has quietly grown in Owsley County.
- RCIA for adults and children
- Vacation Bible School
- Baptism preparation
- First Communion and Confirmation preparation as needed
Appalachian Cultural Life
Beyond its sacramental and charitable life, the parish works to keep Appalachian cultural traditions alive by bringing the community together to pass along skills like gardening and quilting to young people. The sisters also maintain a half-acre garden whose produce is given away to neighbors in need.
- Half-acre community garden (produce given away)
- Quilting and handicraft gatherings
- Gardening tradition passed to young people
Visiting & Getting Involved
Holy Family's location in the mountains of eastern Kentucky makes it a destination parish for those interested in small-mission Catholic life and Franciscan outreach. Visitors are warmly welcomed; the church is open, peaceful, and accessible. To get involved, travelers and locals alike can attend Mass or any of the outreach programs, or contact Sr. Judy Donohue, the pastoral associate.
- Address: 1439 KY 11 S, Booneville, KY 41314
- Phone: 606-593-6948
- Pastoral Associate: Sr. Judy Donohue (859-433-1485)
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Pastoral Associate email: [email protected]
- Handicap-access ramp available
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Mark Oumacurrent (as of 2023–2024 diocesan directory)
Also pastor of Queen of All Saints, Beattyville; the parish is a mission of that parish.