About Our Lady of Guadalupe · Carlisle, Kentucky
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Roman Catholic parish and shrine serving Carlisle, Kentucky, and the surrounding rural Nicholas County area in the Diocese of Lexington. Founded in 1962, it is one of the smallest parishes in central Kentucky with only about 29 registered households, yet it holds the distinctive honor of being designated a diocesan shrine under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Marian apparition of Tepeyac. The parish is pastored from Annunciation Church in nearby Paris and offers a single weekly Sunday Mass along with Holy Day vigils. As a shrine it functions both as a local parish church and as a regional pilgrimage destination devoted to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.
- Established
- 1962
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe (Virgin of Guadalupe / Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe)
- Rector
- Rev. Jeff Estacio (resides at Annunciation, Paris)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lexington
Why belong here
This is a small but devoted rural Catholic community in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass where families can experience an intimate parish life rooted in traditional devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. With only about 29 households, members know one another personally, and the shrine's dedication to the Patroness of the Americas makes it a unique pilgrimage stop in the Diocese of Lexington for those devoted to the Tepeyac apparition. The accessible single-floor building with no steps welcomes elderly and disabled worshipers, and the parish's link to Annunciation in Paris ensures regular priestly pastoral care for Sunday Mass, Holy Day vigils, and the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 3rd Sunday of the month, 7:45–8:15 AM
- By appointment
History of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish was founded in 1962 in Carlisle, the seat of Nicholas County, Kentucky. It was established under the Diocese of Lexington (then part of the Diocese of Covington) to serve the small Catholic community of this rural Bluegrass county. The parish was later elevated to the status of a diocesan shrine, gaining the designation 'Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe' as recorded in the official diocesan directory and by GCatholic. The shrine's spiritual heritage is rooted in the 1531 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City.
- Founded in 1962
- Elevated to diocesan shrine status
- Patron: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Tepeyac apparition, 1531)
Parish Identity and Shrine Designation
While many Catholic parishes take the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, relatively few are formally designated as shrines. The Carlisle parish holds this special designation from the Diocese of Lexington, making it a regional center for devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe. As a shrine, it exists both as a parish church for local Catholics and as a destination for pilgrims and devotees of the Guadalupan tradition throughout central and eastern Kentucky.
- Diocesan Shrine designation
- Regional pilgrimage destination
- Connected to the universal Guadalupe devotion
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently served by Rev. Jeff Estacio, who also serves as pastor of Annunciation Church in Paris, KY, and as Dean of the Bluegrass West Deanery of the Diocese of Lexington. As of the 2023 diocesan directory, Rev. Daniel Fister was pastor; by the 2025–26 directory, Rev. Estacio had taken over the assignment. The pastor resides at Annunciation, Paris, and travels to Carlisle for Mass and sacramental ministry.
- Current Pastor: Rev. Jeff Estacio
- Resides at Annunciation, Paris (1007 Main St.)
- Previous Pastor: Rev. Daniel Fister (per 2023 directory)
Parish Demographics and Scale
Our Lady of Guadalupe is among the smallest parishes in the Diocese of Lexington, with just 29 registered households according to the diocesan directory. Despite its small size, the parish maintains a regular weekly Mass schedule and offers the sacraments, supported by the pastoral link to Annunciation in Paris. This tight-knit character is a hallmark of many rural Catholic parishes in eastern Kentucky.
- 29 registered households
- Small rural parish
- Pastoral link with Annunciation, Paris
Diocese and Deanery
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe belongs to the Diocese of Lexington, a Catholic diocese covering central and eastern Kentucky. Within the diocese, the shrine is grouped under the Bluegrass East Deanery, alongside parishes in Paris, Winchester, Richmond, Mount Sterling, Owingsville, and Morehead. The diocese is led by its bishop and supported by an active Office of Catholic Schools, Diocesan Development Office, and other curial offices in Lexington.
- Diocese of Lexington (cdlex.org)
- Member of the Bluegrass East Deanery
- Sister parishes include Annunciation (Paris), St. Joseph (Winchester), St. Mark (Richmond), St. Patrick (Mount Sterling), St. Julie (Owingsville), Jesus Our Savior (Morehead)
Visiting the Shrine
Pilgrims and visitors are welcome at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The most accessible time to attend Mass is Sunday morning at 8:30 AM. The church building features handicap access with no steps at the entrance, making it welcoming to elderly visitors, those with mobility impairments, and families with strollers. Carlisle is the county seat of Nicholas County, located roughly between Lexington and Maysville in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky.
- Sunday Mass: 8:30 AM
- Handicap access: no steps
- Address: 617 East Main Street, Carlisle, KY 40311
The Significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe traces to December 1531, when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the recently converted Chichimec peasant Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. According to the Nican Mopohua account, Mary identified herself in Nahuatl as the mother of the true God and asked that a church be built at the site. The image that miraculously appeared on Juan Diego's tilma (cloak) was enshrined at Tepeyac and later moved to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the most-visited Catholic shrine in the world. Pope John Paul II declared her Patroness of the Americas in 2000, and her feast day is celebrated on December 12. The Carlisle shrine brings this deep Marian tradition to the rural heart of Kentucky.
- Apparitions: December 1531, Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City
- Witness: Saint Juan Diego
- Feast Day: December 12
- Declared Patroness of the Americas by Pope John Paul II (2000)
- World's most-visited Catholic shrine: Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexico City
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Daniel Fisteras of 2023 diocesan directory
Pastor; resided at Annunciation, Paris
- Rev. Jeff Estacioas of 2025-26 diocesan directory / current
Current pastor; resides at Annunciation, Paris; also Dean of the Bluegrass West Deanery