About St. Anthony · Utica, Kentucky
St. Anthony Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the rural Browns Valley farming community south of Owensboro, Kentucky, in Daviess County. A mission of the Diocese of Owensboro, it is led by Fr. John Ighacho (pastor) and Dr. Deacon Timothy Nugent, who together shepherd roughly 340 registered Catholics in about 150 families. The parish, founded in 1902, offers a Saturday Vigil Mass and a Sunday morning Mass along with weekday noon Masses on Tuesdays and Thursdays at its country church on St. Anthony Road.
- Established
- 1902
- Patron
- St. Anthony (of Padua)
- Rector
- Rev. John Ighacho
- Diocese
- Diocese of Owensboro
Why belong here
St. Anthony offers a classic small-country-parish experience: a tight-knit Catholic community of roughly 150 families in the Browns Valley countryside south of Owensboro, where the priest and deacon know their people by name. Weekend Mass is offered Saturday evening and Sunday morning, with weekday noon Mass on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the parish has an active religious-education program, a music ministry, and youth ministry. It is a welcoming place for rural western Kentucky Catholics seeking a parish with deep roots — founded in 1902 — and a parish cemetery ties it to the surrounding farming community across generations.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Anthony Parish
St. Anthony Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Owensboro serving the Browns Valley farming community south of Owensboro, Kentucky, in Daviess County. The parish was founded in 1902 and continues to worship at its country church on St. Anthony Road. According to the diocese's parish directory the community numbers roughly 340 Catholics in about 148 families.
- Patron: St. Anthony (feast day June 13)
- Diocese: Diocese of Owensboro
- Founded: 1902
- Located in the Browns Valley community south of Owensboro on Hwy 431
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently led by Fr. John Ighacho as pastor and Dr. Deacon Timothy Nugent as deacon, both listed on the Diocese of Owensboro parish page. Earlier diocesan directories show a small staff including an office assistant, religious-education coordinator, music minister, bookkeeper, and parish/finance council chairs.
- Pastor: Rev. John Ighacho ([email protected])
- Deacon: Dr. Dcn. Timothy Nugent ([email protected])
- Parish office: 270-733-4341
Parish Ministries and Groups
Like most small rural parishes, St. Anthony has a core set of lay-led ministries supporting catechesis, music, youth, and parish governance. Directories show active Religious Education, a music ministry, and youth ministry for both middle-school and high-school students, along with parish council, finance council, and stewardship leadership.
- Religious Education / Catechesis (coordinator Tammy Nugent in 2009)
- Music Ministry (Gary Weilage II in 2009; Eunice Taylor in later directory)
- Middle School Youth Ministry
- High School Youth Ministry (Trudy Thomas in later directory)
- Parish Council (chair Margaret Whitehouse in later directory)
- Finance Council (chair Steve Lamble in later directory)
- St. Vincent de Paul Conference (Utica)
Parish Mission and Devotional Life
The parish welcomes outside preaching missions: the Fathers of Mercy conducted a four-day Parish Mission at St. Anthony from February 18–21, 2023, open to the wider community. Fr. Mark Buckner was noted for arriving hours before Mass and greeting every person who came through the door — a hallmark of the parish's devotional life under his pastorate.
- Parish Mission — Fathers of Mercy, Feb. 18–21, 2023
- Confession and adoration times not published on the diocese listing
Cemetery and Parish Grounds
Diocesan records mark St. Anthony Parish as having an associated Catholic cemetery ('CEM'), which is common for rural mission parishes founded in the early 1900s. The Diocese of Owensboro maintains a research guide on Catholic cemeteries that lists parish cemeteries across the diocese.
- Parish cemetery on the grounds (per diocesan directory notation)
- Listed in the Diocese of Owensboro Catholic Cemeteries Research Guide
Visiting and Contact
St. Anthony is easy to find for anyone traveling south of Owensboro on US-431. The parish office can be reached by phone during limited hours, and email is available for parish business and the pastor and deacon. Visitors are welcome at any scheduled Mass.
- Address: 261 St. Anthony Rd., Utica, KY 42376-9730
- Phone: (270) 733-4341
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Deacon email: [email protected]
- Directions: Five miles south of Owensboro on Hwy 431 South
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Mike Clarkas of 2009 directory
Listed as pastor in the 2009 Diocese of Owensboro parish directory; parish then had 467 members in 163 families.
- Rev. Mark Buckner2017 – April 2024
Served as pastor from 2017 until his death on April 26, 2024, at age 65. Remembered for his hospitality and for personally greeting every parishioner at the door.
- Rev. John Ighachocurrent
Listed as current pastor on the Diocese of Owensboro parish listing.