About St. Francis of Assisi · Guthrie, Kentucky
St. Francis of Assisi is a Roman Catholic parish in Guthrie, Todd County, Kentucky, in the Diocese of Owensboro. It was canonically established on Holy Thursday, March 24, 2016, by Bishop William F. Medley, through the merger of St. Susan Parish in Elkton and SS. Mary and James Parish in Guthrie after an electrical fire destroyed the Guthrie church and fellowship hall on February 10, 2015. The parish sits in mission territory where Catholics are less than 2% of the local population, and it serves a rapidly growing bilingual community of roughly 95–105 Hispanic and 65–75 Anglo households. Its current church, built on land donated by parishioners Ed and Dorothy Slack just north of Guthrie, is shared with St. Susan's in Elkton and offers Mass in both English and Spanish.
- Established
- 2016
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Fr. Ken Mikulcik
- Diocese
- Diocese of Owensboro
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi is one of the few Catholic parishes in rural Todd County and serves a close-knit, bilingual mission community where households know each other by name. Newcomers will find a parish that openly welcomes both English- and Spanish-speaking families — every weekend includes a Saturday evening Mass in Spanish and a Sunday noon Mass in Spanish alongside the Sunday English Mass — along with weekday Eucharistic Adoration, regular Reconciliation, and the full sacramental life of the Diocese of Owensboro. It is also a community built on real sacrifice: the current church only exists because two congregations chose to merge after their Guthrie church burned, and because one family donated the land it stands on, so joining this parish means becoming part of a living story of faith, resilience, and Hispanic-Anglo unity.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Offered after Mass (per the parish Sacraments page)
- Additional opportunities during Advent and Lent
Adoration times
- Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Adoration of the Holy Eucharist)
- Friday 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Adoration of the Holy Eucharist)
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Guthrie, Kentucky, is the merged Catholic parish for Todd County in the Diocese of Owensboro. Its stated mission is to serve the community with time, talent, and treasure; to unite the local faith community; to deepen understanding of the Eucharist; to enhance Catholic education for all ages; and to serve the wider community through works of charity and mercy. The parish is one of the few Catholic outposts in a rural mission region where the faith community is less than 2% of the population, and it is deliberately and openly bilingual in English and Spanish.
- Located in Todd County, Kentucky — Diocese of Owensboro
- Mission territory with fewer than 2% Catholics locally
- Bilingual English/Spanish parish life
- Mission: unite the faith community, deepen Eucharistic understanding, serve through charity and mercy
History: From Two Parishes to One
The parish's history is recent but dramatic. St. Susan Parish in Elkton and SS. Mary and James Parish in Guthrie had long shared clergy and pastoral coordination across only ten miles of Todd County. A February 10, 2015 electrical fire destroyed the Guthrie church and fellowship hall, and the loss accelerated a long-discussed merger. On Holy Thursday, March 24, 2016, Bishop William F. Medley formally decreed St. Francis of Assisi Parish into existence, combining the two communities on land donated by parishioners Ed and Dorothy Slack just north of Guthrie.
- Feb. 10, 2015 — electrical fire destroys SS. Mary and James Church and fellowship hall in Guthrie
- Mar. 24, 2016 — Bishop William F. Medley and chancellor Kevin Kauffeld sign decree establishing St. Francis of Assisi Parish
- Predecessor parishes: St. Susan (Elkton) and SS. Mary and James (Guthrie)
- Land for new church donated by Ed and Dorothy Slack
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by a pastor supported by a sacramental minister, a permanent deacon, and the founding parish life coordinator. Day-to-day contact runs through the parish office at 270-265-5263.
- Fr. Ken Mikulcik — Pastor ([email protected], 270-726-6963)
- Fr. Al Bremer — Sacramental Minister ([email protected], 270-726-6963)
- Deacon Tony Carmona — [email protected]
- Deacon Heriberto Rodriguez — Parish Life Coordinator since 2010
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all seven Catholic sacraments and offers preparation programs for each stage of Christian initiation and the sacraments at the service of communion. Couples must contact the priest at least six months before a proposed wedding date and must be 19 or one year out of high school to marry in the parish. Youth Confirmation preparation is a one-year process typically offered to 8th- or 9th-graders every other year.
- Baptism — infant and adult (RCIA)
- First Reconciliation and First Eucharist preparation for children
- Confirmation — one-year youth process, every other year
- Eucharist — weekend and holy day Masses
- Reconciliation — after Mass plus Advent/Lent
- Anointing of the Sick — by request
- Holy Orders — referrals to Diocese of Owensboro vocations
- Matrimony — six months' notice; age 19+
- Funerals — coordinated with parish office
Bilingual & Hispanic Ministry
Hispanic ministry is central to parish life. The Saturday evening and Sunday noon Masses are celebrated entirely in Spanish, and the Hispanic community has been the fastest-growing segment of the parish since Deacon Heriberto Rodriguez arrived in 2010. Community leaders such as Leobardo Lopez have described the parish's name and mission as a gift from God for the whole bilingual community.
- Saturday 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 12:00 p.m. — Spanish Masses
- Hispanic families grew from ~15–20 to ~95–105 between 2010 and the mid-2010s in Guthrie
- Bilingual sacramental preparation available
- Community leadership includes Leobardo Lopez and other Hispanic parishioners
Notable Facts & Stories
The story of St. Francis of Assisi is one of community resilience. When the Guthrie church burned, the wider Todd County community — Baptists, Mennonites, and Catholics — physically carried the tabernacle, crucifix, statues, and other sacred items out of the flames. That act of neighborly solidarity, combined with the Slack family's land donation and Bishop Medley's decree, gave rise to the current parish. The name itself layers three inspirations: St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis, and Fr. Frank Ruff, GHM — a Glenmary missionary whose own baptismal name is Francis.
- Fire rescue by interfaith community (Feb. 2015)
- Slack family land donation
- Three inspirations for the parish name
- Fr. Frank Ruff, GHM — Glenmary priest who served both predecessor parishes
- Parish operates in mission territory (<2% Catholic population)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Frank Ruff, GHMPrior to 2016 (shared priest of the predecessor parishes)
Glenmary Home Missioner who provided Mass and sacramental services to both St. Susan (Elkton) and SS. Mary and James (Guthrie) before the merger; his baptismal name 'Francis' was one of the inspirations for naming the new parish St. Francis of Assisi.
- Fr. Ken MikulcikCurrent (as of latest parish website update)
Current Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish; parish office 270-726-6963; [email protected].
- Fr. Al BremerCurrent
Sacramental Minister assisting at St. Francis of Assisi; 270-726-6963; [email protected].