About St. Anthony of Padua · Grand Rivers, Kentucky
St. Anthony of Padua is a small Catholic parish in Grand Rivers, Kentucky, in the Lakes Deanery of the Diocese of Owensboro. Founded as a mission of St. Pius X Parish in Calvert City in the late 1960s to serve Catholics and tourists visiting the Land Between the Lakes, it celebrated its first Mass in an open-air pavilion in 1968 and formally became a parish in 1987. Today the parish is served by Fr. Brian Johnson, with parish offices co-located at St. Pius X in Calvert City, and offers a year-round schedule of daily, Sunday, and summer Saturday Masses.
- Established
- 1987
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Fr. Brian Johnson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Owensboro
Why belong here
St. Anthony of Padua offers a warm, year-round Catholic home in Grand Rivers with weekday Masses (Wed/Fri 9 a.m.), Sunday Mass at 8 a.m., and a summer Saturday evening Mass for visitors and locals. It is grounded in a real pioneer story — worship that began in an open-air pavilion served by a priest who camped on site — and that heritage of hospitality to travelers still shapes the parish today. Active ministries (Eucharistic Ministers, lectors, choir, quilters, garden, bereavement meals, and a Wednesday Scripture Reading group) make it easy to plug in, and the Bereavement Council and visiting of the homebound, nursing-home, and hospital patients put Catholic fellowship into action.
Mass times at St. Anthony of Padua
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Friday of the month, following the 9:00 a.m. Mass and Adoration (about 9:00 a.m.)
- By appointment — contact Fr. Brian Johnson
- Communal Reconciliation is celebrated twice a year
Adoration times
- First Friday of every month, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. (begins after the 9:00 a.m. Mass)
Our Story — From Open-Air Pavilion to Year-Round Parish
The parish was born out of the post-1966 boom around the Land Between the Lakes. In July 1966 about six acres were purchased from Mrs. Dorothy Thompson, with Father Leonard Reisz of St. Pius X in Calvert City arranging the deal. In Spring 1968 an open-air pavilion was built — a metal-frame roof on a concrete slab — and from that summer Msgr. George H. Hancock drove down on weekends from Owensboro to celebrate Mass there and at St. Henry's in Aurora, at first sleeping in a pup tent Saturday nights. The pavilion served tourists and locals for nearly two decades.
- 1966 — six acres purchased from Mrs. Dorothy Thompson (Fr. Leonard Reisz, St. Pius X Calvert City)
- 1968 — open-air pavilion ('open air church') built in Spring; first summer Masses celebrated there
- 1968 onward — Msgr. George H. Hancock, diocesan chancellor, celebrates summer weekend Masses
- 1985 — pavilion enclosed; partial completion
- Christmas Day, 1986 — first Mass celebrated in enclosed church
- September 4, 1987 — parish formally erected by decree of the Bishop
- October 19, 1987 — blessed and dedicated by Bishop John J. McRaith
- 2001–2002 — final exterior/interior completion: lighting, enclosed ceiling, separate mezzanine
Sacraments & Sacramental Preparation
The parish prepares Catholics for all seven sacraments in cooperation with St. Pius X in Calvert City. Preparation is required before infant Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick; couples are asked to give six months' notice before a wedding. The sacraments page quotes the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) on each sacrament and offers the parish office and Fr. Brian Johnson as the first points of contact.
- Baptism — three months' notice to the office or Fr. Brian
- Confirmation — completes Baptismal grace (CCC 1285–1321)
- Eucharist — celebrated at every Mass; First Communion through Faith Formation
- Reconciliation — First Friday after Mass, communal twice a year, by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — for the ill, infirmed, or pre-surgery; call Fr. Brian
- Marriage — six months' notice; appointment with Fr. Brian required
- Holy Orders — diaconate, priesthood, episcopate (CCC 1536–1600)
Liturgical Ministries
Liturgical roles are filled by trained parishioners — from age 9 up through adults — and training is provided for nearly every ministry. Greeters and Gift Bearers are especially easy ways to be involved as a family, while Sacristans and Money Counters keep the practical side of weekend worship running smoothly.
- Altar Servers (Acolytes) — ages 9 and up; mandatory training
- Eucharistic Ministers — at Mass and to the homebound / nursing home / hospital
- Lectors — readings and prayer petitions
- Gift Bearers — bring bread and wine forward (family-friendly)
- Ushers — seating, collection, bulletins
- Greeters — welcome worshippers at weekend Masses
- Sacristans — pre-Mass preparation and post-Mass checklist
- Money Counters — count the collection and make the bank deposit
Music, Prayer & Parish Life
Music ministry is open to all: choir practice follows the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass on most Sundays. A weekly Scripture Reading/Listening group meets Wednesdays from 10:00–11:00 a.m. at the parish, walking through the inspired word of God together. The Bereavement Council, Altar Society, Garden Ministry, Arts & Entertainment decorating team, and the Quilters for a Cause group at the Parish Hall round out a calendar of small, neighborly ways to belong.
- Choir — open to all; practice most Sundays following the 8 a.m. Mass
- Scripture Reading/Listening — Wednesdays 10:00–11:00 a.m. (Judy Forsythe or Fr. Brian)
- Bereavement Council — meals after funerals (Pat Gorbett)
- Altar Society — weekly church cleaning
- Arts & Entertainment — seasonal liturgical decorating and plant/flower care
- Garden Ministry — parish garden care (Dan O'Brien, Roy McFadden)
- Quilters for a Cause — meets at the Parish Hall (Georgia Bradshaw, Dolly Bardsley)
Parish Council & Governance
The Parish Council, chaired by Mike Drury, organizes the life of the parish through commissions for Family Life, Finance, Building & Ground, Social Concerns/Events, and Spirituality/Faith Formation. The council works with the pastor and parish staff to support the mission of being 'a faith-filled community' that gives glory to God, aids one another on the journey of salvation, and shares the Good News of the Gospel.
- Chair Person — Mike Drury
- Secretary / Family Life — Debbie Owens
- Finance — Shara Parish
- Building & Ground — Kelly Noonan
- Social Concern / Events — David Loxley
- Spirituality / Faith Formation — Steve Wilkes
Contact, Office & Visiting
The parish office is staffed by Fr. Brian Johnson (Pastor) and Paula Schmidt (CRE/Office Manager, handling the bulletin, website, and bookkeeping), and is physically located at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Calvert City — open Thursdays 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The mailing address remains St. Anthony of Padua in Grand Rivers, and the phone/fax lines are shared with St. Pius X. Visitors to the Grand Rivers church in the Land Between the Lakes area are warmly welcomed, especially on summer weekends.
- Parish Office — St. Pius X Catholic Church, 777 E. 5th Avenue, Calvert City, KY 42029
- Mailing Address — P.O. Box 447, Grand Rivers, KY 42045
- Phone — (270) 395-4727
- Fax — (270) 395-5747
- Office Hours — Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Email — [email protected]
- Fr. Brian Johnson — Office (270) 395-4727 / Cell 270-668-7675 / [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. George H. Hancock1968–c.1980s
Chancellor of the Diocese of Owensboro; celebrated the pioneer summer Masses at the open-air pavilion in Grand Rivers and at St. Henry's in Aurora from 1968, sleeping in a pup tent and later a larger tent on Saturday nights.
- Fr. Leonard Reisz1966
Pastor of St. Pius X, Calvert City; instrumental in finding and arranging the purchase of the original six acres of land in July 1966.