About St James · Brooksville, Kentucky
St. James Catholic Church is a rural Roman Catholic parish serving Brooksville, the seat of Bracken County in northern Kentucky. Founded in the mid-1860s to serve scattered Catholic families along the Ohio River hills, it is one of the older parishes of the Diocese of Covington and today continues as a small parish church at 122 Garrett Avenue, celebrated as a Sunday Mass and weekday Liturgy with Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Worship and pastoral care are provided by Rev. Msgr. Dominic K. Fosu, Parochial Administrator (who also serves as Vicar Forane of the South West Deanery of the diocese), together with long-time Pastoral Minister Ms. Deborah Bartlett.
- Established
- 1866
- Patron
- St. James (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. Dominic K. Fosu (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Covington
Why belong here
St. James offers the rhythm of a small, traditional rural Catholic parish — weekly Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM, weekday Mass on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, a nearly day-long Thursday Eucharistic Adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Sunday Mass and during Thursday Adoration. Long-serving Pastoral Minister Debbie Bartlett provides steady continuity (in Brooksville since 2002), and the parish is cared for in the South East Deanery of the Diocese of Covington. Visitors looking for an unhurried, faith-rooted community with deep historical roots in Bracken County and the mission chapel of St. James in neighboring Minerva will find a welcoming parish at 122 Garrett Avenue.
Mass times at St James
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30–8:00 AM (before Mass)
- Thursday 5:00–6:00 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday 8:30 AM through 6:00 PM (per diocesan directory and discovermass.com)
- Thursday 8:00 AM through Friday morning (per masstime.us listing)
Welcome to St. James Catholic Church, Brooksville
St. James is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the seat of Bracken County in northern Kentucky. The parish is a member of the Diocese of Covington and gathers at 122 Garrett Avenue for Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM and weekday celebrations on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Pastoral care is provided by Rev. Msgr. Dominic K. Fosu (Parochial Administrator) and long-time Pastoral Minister Ms. Deborah Bartlett.
- Parish location: 122 Garrett Ave., Brooksville, KY 41004
- Diocese of Covington, South East Deanery area
- Sunday Mass 8:00 AM; weekday Mass Tue/Thu/Fri 8:00 AM
Parish History (1866–Today)
Catholic life in Bracken County dates back to at least 1840, when Dominican missionaries from Covington and Maysville began visiting scattered Catholic families. Missionaries on horseback celebrated Mass in private homes, especially in the house of Brooksville pioneer Dennis O'Brien after he settled there in 1859. In 1866, Rev. Alto Hoermann, O.S.B. organized the Brooksville congregation, a lot was donated by O'Brien to Bishop George Carrell, and the first frame St. James church was built.
- 1866 — Congregation organized; frame church begun
- 1868 — Rev. James McNerney appointed first resident pastor
- 1869 — Church formally dedicated under patronage of St. James
- 1874 — O'Brien residence purchased as first rectory (Rev. O'Donohue)
- 1876–1888 — Rev. John A. Redmond founds parish school and adds cupola/bell (1881)
- 1885 — St. James Cemetery blessed by Bishop Maes
- 1914 — Present brick church built; dedicated Dec. 6, 1914 by Bishop Maes
- 1916 — Golden Jubilee of the parish observed
- 1921 — Benedictine Sisters invited to take charge of school (Rev. Connolly)
Mass & Liturgical Schedule
The parish publishes a simple weekly schedule with Sunday as the principal celebration and weekday Mass offered three days a week. The full Mass and adoration schedule is also carried on the Diocese of Covington's parish directory.
- Sunday — 8:00 AM
- Monday — 8:00 AM
- Tuesday — 8:00 AM
- Thursday — 8:00 AM
- Friday — 8:00 AM
- Holy Days — 7:00 PM (vigils/weekdays)
Parish Staff & Pastoral Care
Day-to-day pastoral care at St. James is shared between clergy and lay minister. Ms. Deborah Bartlett has served as Pastoral Associate/Minister at the parish since 2002, and the parish is administered by Rev. Msgr. Dominic K. Fosu, who also serves the wider diocese as Vicar Forane of the South West Deanery.
- Rev. Msgr. Dominic K. Fosu — Parochial Administrator
- Ms. Deborah Bartlett — Pastoral Minister (since 2002)
St. James Mission, Minerva
St. James Parish's outreach into neighboring Mason County is the Mission of St. James in Minerva, a small Catholic station historically under the care of the Brooksville pastors and today administered together with St. Patrick Church in Maysville. Minerva (or 'Double Beach') and a mission at Brooksville's earliest congregation are mentioned as early as the 1870s among the missions attached to St. James.
- Mission of Saint James in Minerva (served from the Maysville area)
- Historically linked to St. James Parish under founding pastor Rev. McNerney
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors are welcome at 122 Garrett Avenue in downtown Brooksville. The rectory/office can be reached by telephone during parish hours.
- Address: 122 Garrett Ave., Brooksville, KY 41004
- Phone: (606) 735-2271
- Website: http://saintjamesky.org/
- Diocese of Covington — South East Deanery (parish); South West Deanery (administrator Msgr. Fosu)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Stephen T. Montgomery, O.P.1840s
Pastor of St. Mary, Covington; encountered early Catholic families of Bracken County on his Maysville mission tours.
- Rev. John McSweeney1857 onward
Pastor of Maysville; began a station at Milford bringing him into contact with central and southern Bracken County Catholics.
- Rev. Alto Hoermann, O.S.B.from 1866
Pastor of Augusta who organized the Brooksville congregation and directed construction of the first St. James church.
- Rev. James McNerney1868–1873
First resident pastor of St. James Parish; enlarged the church and added pews; oversaw the formal 1869 dedication.
- Rev. Michael CallaghanAug–Dec 1873
Brief pastorate.
- Rev. David O'Donohue1874–1876
Purchased the O'Brien residence to serve as the parish rectory.
- Rev. John A. Redmond1876–1888
Founded the parish school, added the cupola and bell (1881), and began the new-church fund; transferred to Paris, KY.
- Rev. Thomas N. Kehoe1888–c.1894
Continued the parish school during a period when families were leaving Bracken County.
- Rev. Thomas J. ColemanSept. 10, 1907–1918
Built the present brick church (cornerstone 1914, dedicated Dec. 6, 1914); celebrated the 1916 Golden Jubilee.
- Rev. Edmund Corbyafter 1918
Organized the parish school with a four-year high school.
- Rev. Gerald Connollyfrom 1921
Invited the Benedictine Sisters to teach in the school; built a new brick school and brick rectory.