About Sacred Heart · Morganfield, Kentucky
Sacred Heart Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in Union County, western Kentucky, within the Diocese of Owensboro. The church is physically located at 674 State Route 141 North in Morganfield, while the parish's mailing address is in nearby Waverly. The parish traces its roots to 1812, making it one of the oldest Catholic communities in western Kentucky, founded by English-descended Catholic settlers who had migrated from Maryland. It is currently served by Fr. David Johnson, who also pastors the neighboring St. Peter of Antioch Parish in Waverly, and the two parishes share the same mailing address and contact information. Sacred Heart gathers its faithful for Sunday morning Mass and a Wednesday noon Mass, with confessions heard before the Wednesday Mass.
- Established
- 1812
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Fr. David Johnson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Owensboro
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in western Kentucky, with roots going back to 1812, and remains a small but faithful community of Union County Catholics. Members gather for a reverent Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM and a Wednesday noon Mass, with confession available before the Wednesday liturgy — a quiet, sustainable rhythm well suited to a small-town parish. Fr. David Johnson pastors both Sacred Heart and the neighboring St. Peter of Antioch Parish in Waverly, so families across the area are served by one priest who knows both congregations personally. Anyone seeking a historic, intimate Catholic community along Kentucky's western Ohio River country would find a warm home here.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM
Parish History and Heritage
Sacred Heart Parish is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in western Kentucky, with origins reaching back to 1812, when English-descended Catholic settlers who had migrated from Maryland established a Catholic mission near present-day Waverly in Union County. The area was then on the southwestern frontier of the young United States, sparsely settled and adjacent to the Ohio River. Sacred Heart and the nearby St. Ambrose Church in Henshaw (1829) were among the very first Catholic foundations in what would become the Diocese of Owensboro. In 1820, just eight years after the parish's founding, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth established the Academy of St. Vincent right next to the church, beginning a remarkable 150-year tradition of Catholic education in Union County. Other schools followed: St. Agnes in Uniontown (1870), St. Peter in Waverly (1910), St. Ann in Morganfield (1912), and Blessed Martin in Waverly (1944).
- Founded 1812 by English-descended Catholic settlers from Maryland
- 1820: Sisters of Charity of Nazareth found the Academy of St. Vincent next door
- 1937: Diocese of Owensboro erected by Pope Pius XI; first bishop Francis R. Cotton
- One of six Catholic parishes serving Union County's ~15,000 residents
The Diocese of Owensboro
Sacred Heart belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, which covers the western 32 counties of Kentucky. The diocese was erected on December 8, 1937 by Pope Pius XI, carved out of the Archdiocese of Louisville (itself a successor of the original Diocese of Bardstown, erected in 1808). Bishop Francis R. Cotton was the diocese's first bishop; today's diocesan offices and Cathedral are in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Diocese of Owensboro maintains an online parish directory that confirms Sacred Heart's pastor, address, and contact details.
- Diocese erected December 8, 1937
- Covers 32 western Kentucky counties
- First bishop: Francis R. Cotton (1938)
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Sacred Heart Parish is currently served by Fr. David Johnson, who also serves as pastor of the neighboring St. Peter of Antioch Parish in Waverly. The two parishes share the same mailing address (201 E Market St., Waverly, KY 42462), the same phone number, and the same parish email ([email protected]), reflecting the close pastoral collaboration typical of small rural Catholic communities in the diocese.
- Fr. David Johnson — Pastor of Sacred Heart and St. Peter of Antioch
Catholic Education in Union County
Sacred Heart Parish sits at the historical root of Catholic education in Union County. In 1820 the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth established the Academy of St. Vincent, a boarding school for young women, adjacent to the church — the first of what would become five Catholic schools in the county. Over the twentieth century those schools gradually closed: St. Vincent Academy in 1967, the school at St. Peter in 1973, St. Agnes in 1989, and St. Ann in 2015. In August 2015 the inter-parochial John Paul II School opened in Morganfield to serve all six remaining Catholic parishes in the county, including Sacred Heart.
- 1820: Sisters of Charity of Nazareth found St. Vincent's Academy beside Sacred Heart
- St. Peter's School, Waverly (1910) — closed 1973
- St. Agnes School, Uniontown (1870) — closed 1989
- St. Ann School, Morganfield (1912) — closed 2015
- John Paul II School, Morganfield (opened August 2015) — serves all six Union County Catholic parishes
Visiting and Contacting the Parish
The church building sits at 674 State Route 141 North in Morganfield, Kentucky (ZIP 42437), with a mailing address of 201 E Market Street, Waverly, KY 42462. The parish office can be reached at (270) 389-4224 or by email at [email protected]. The parish also maintains an active Facebook presence under the StPeterWaverly page, where bulletins, announcements, and pastoral updates for both Sacred Heart and St. Peter of Antioch are shared.
- Church: 674 State Route 141 N, Morganfield, KY 42437
- Mailing: 201 E Market St., Waverly, KY 42462
- Phone: (270) 389-4224
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/StPeterWaverly