About St. James Mission · Minerva, Kentucky
St. James Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church located in the rural community of Minerva, in Mason County, Kentucky. It has been served by Catholic priests since 1852, when the pastor from Maysville first came up to offer Mass for local Catholics. The mission is part of St. Patrick Parish in Maysville and has belonged to the Diocese of Covington its entire history. Today the community gathers for a single weekly Sunday Mass, continuing the same Catholic faith of the farming families who settled the area.
- Established
- 1868
- Patron
- St. James the Greater
- Diocese
- Diocese of Covington
Why belong here
St. James Mission offers a quiet, close-knit rural Catholic community where the same farming families have worshipped for generations. It is a mission of St. Patrick Parish in Maysville, so parishioners benefit from the resources and pastoral care of a larger parish while enjoying the warmth of a small country church. Weekly Sunday Mass is celebrated in the same faith that local Catholics have practiced here since 1852.
Mass times at St. James Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confession is available at St. Patrick Church in Maysville, typically Saturday 4:00–5:00 PM and by appointment.
St. James Mission in Minerva
St. James Mission is a small rural Catholic church served from St. Patrick Parish in Maysville, Kentucky. The community has worshipped at this location since 1868, and Mass continues to be offered weekly to local farming families in the same Catholic tradition as their forebears.
- Address: Dover Minerva Road, Minerva, KY 41034
- Phone: (606) 564-9015
- Diocese of Covington
- Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM
History
Priests from Maysville first began traveling to Minerva to offer Mass for local Catholics in 1852. A building was converted for worship in 1866, and the mission was formally established in 1868 under the pastor of St. James in Brooksville. A dedicated church was built in 1876 but lost to lightning and fire in 1940; the current church was dedicated in 1941.
- 1852 – First Masses offered by visiting Maysville priest
- 1866 – First building converted into a church
- 1868 – Mission formally established under Brooksville
- 1876 – Dedicated church built
- 1940 – Original church destroyed by lightning and fire
- 1941 – Present church dedicated
- 2012 – Assigned as a mission of St. Patrick Parish, Maysville
Parish Identity
St. James is named for St. James the Greater, the Apostle, son of Zebedee and brother of John, who is venerated as the patron saint of pilgrims and Spain. As a mission of St. Patrick, the community draws on the larger parish for sacramental and pastoral support while maintaining its own rural identity.
- Patron: St. James the Greater
- Feast Day: July 25
- Type: Mission Church
- Parent Parish: St. Patrick, Maysville
Community Life
Though small in numbers, the St. James community has experienced a modest revival since being re-assigned to St. Patrick Parish in 2012. The mission continues to be a place of worship for farming families who have lived in the Minerva area for generations.
- Small rural Catholic community
- Revival noted since 2012 reunion with St. Patrick Parish
- Welcoming visitors and new parishioners from the broader Maysville area