About St. John the Baptist · Elizabethtown, Kentucky
St. John the Baptist is a small Roman Catholic parish in Rineyville (Hardin County), Kentucky, within the Archdiocese of Louisville, where weekend Masses are celebrated in a country church that has served the surrounding farming community since 1829. The parish currently has roughly 650 parishioners and is clustered with nearby St. Brigid Church in Vine Grove, sharing its pastor and its office. The current church building, the third in the parish's long history, was completed in 1899 and has been brick-veneered and renovated several times since, including the addition of an all-purpose building in 1972.
- Established
- 1829
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Rev. Jeffrey D. Gatlin
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Louisville
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist is a small country parish of about 650 families where, in the words of the Archdiocese of Louisville profile, 'everyone knows everyone and where all visitors are welcomed.' It offers weekend and weekday Mass, Saturday confessions, a Director of Religious Education, a Youth Minister, and a Director of Music who together support faith formation and a vibrant liturgical life. The parish shares a pastor and office with neighboring St. Brigid in Vine Grove, making it a tight-knit cluster rooted in one of central Kentucky's oldest Catholic communities, founded in 1829 by settlers from Maryland and nurtured by Father Charles Nerinckx himself.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30 p.m.
Parish History
St. John the Baptist traces its roots to the Rhudes Creek Catholic Community formed in the early 1800s by Catholic settlers who came from Maryland to central Kentucky. Mission priest Father Charles Nerinckx — the Belgian-born 'Applethe of Kentucky' who also co-founded the Sisters of Loretto — built a log church on the site in 1812. The parish was formally established in 1829, with Father Charles J. Cissell named as the first pastor. The cemetery's oldest grave, dated 1811, shows that Catholic life in this community was active even before the parish was officially constituted.
- First log church built by Father Charles Nerinckx in 1812
- Parish formally established 1829
- Father Charles J. Cissell, first pastor
- Oldest cemetery grave dated 1811
The Current Church Building
The present St. John the Baptist Church is the third building to stand on the parish site. Construction began in 1898 and was completed in 1899. The original structure was renovated and brick-veneered in 1967, and has been further updated several times since then. In 1972 an all-purpose building was added to the parish campus to accommodate growing parish life.
- Current (third) church begun 1898, completed 1899
- Renovated and brick-veneered 1967
- All-purpose building constructed 1972
Bethlehem Academy and the Sisters of Loretto
A defining chapter of St. John's history is its long relationship with Bethlehem Academy. In 1830, the Sisters of Loretto relocated Bethlehem Academy — originally a one-room frame building — onto land near St. John Church, creating a Catholic boarding school for girls that would serve the region for 129 years. From then until the Academy closed in 1959, twenty-six successive pastors of St. John the Baptist served as chaplains to the Academy. For many of those decades, the pastors of St. John actually resided at the Academy rather than in a separate rectory.
- Bethlehem Academy relocated to land near St. John Church in 1830 by the Sisters of Loretto
- 26 pastors of St. John served as chaplains to the Academy
- Academy closed in 1959
- For many years, St. John's pastors resided at the Academy
Parish Staff
St. John the Baptist is served by a small staff of clergy and lay ministers. Father Jeffrey D. Gatlin serves as pastor; he is assisted by Permanent Deacon Michael A. Ryan, who also serves as Pastoral Associate. The parish's religious education, youth ministry, and music programs are led by volunteer directors, with day-to-day operations handled by a bookkeeper and two secretaries at the clustered parish office in Vine Grove. Staff members marked with an asterisk on the Archdiocese listing are volunteers who are not routinely available at the parish office.
- Pastor: Rev. Jeffrey D. Gatlin
- Permanent Deacon / Pastoral Associate: Deacon Michael A. Ryan
- Director of Religious Education: Lisa Thomas*
- Youth Minister: Ericka Finlay*
- Director of Music: Sharon Kennedy*
- Bookkeeper: Pam Yates
- Secretaries: Sue Hardesty and Darlene Staples
Cluster with St. Brigid, Vine Grove
St. John the Baptist is clustered with St. Brigid Church in Vine Grove. The two parishes share a pastor and a parish office. The mailing address for St. John is therefore handled through St. Brigid at 314 East Main Street, Vine Grove, KY 40175-1448, even though the physical church building is located in Rineyville at 657 St. John Church Road.
- Cluster partner: St. Brigid, Vine Grove
- Shared pastor: Rev. Jeffrey D. Gatlin
- Clustered parish office: 314 East Main Street, Vine Grove, KY 40175-1448
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
Faith formation at St. John is led by a volunteer Director of Religious Education, who coordinates sacramental preparation including First Communion classes. A volunteer Youth Minister supports ministry to the parish's young people, and a volunteer Director of Music leads liturgical music. These roles are part-time and volunteer-based; inquiries are routed through the parish office.
- Religious Education (Director: Lisa Thomas)
- Youth Ministry (Ericka Finlay)
- Music Ministry (Director: Sharon Kennedy)
Parish Life and Community
The Archdiocese describes St. John the Baptist as a small country church set in what remains primarily a farming community in rural Hardin County. As new subdivisions are added, the parish is growing and changing, but it still presents itself as a place 'where everyone knows everyone and where all visitors are welcomed.' The parish currently lists about 214 registered households, totaling nearly 650 parishioners who worship and serve one another.
- Approximately 214 registered households
- Nearly 650 parishioners
- Primarily a farming community in rural Hardin County
- Self-described small country church with a welcoming atmosphere
Contact and Visiting
The parish can be reached by phone, by email through the clustered St. Brigid office, or through its Google Sites webpage. Because the parish is attended from St. Brigid in Vine Grove, day-to-day office inquiries are best directed to the Vine Grove office. Visitors are warmly welcomed at Mass and at Reconciliation.
- Phone: (270) 877-2461
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: sites.google.com/view/stjohncatholicchurch/
- Church location: 657 St. John Church Road, Rineyville (Elizabethtown ZIP), Hardin County, KY
- Mailing address: 314 East Main Street, Vine Grove, KY 40175-1448
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Charles J. Cissellfrom 1829
First pastor of St. John the Baptist, formally established 1829.
- Father Charles Nerinckx1812 (pre-establishment)
Built the first log church on the site as a mission priest; 'Apostle of Kentucky.'
- Rev. Daniel L. Lincoln
Listed as pastor of St. John the Baptist in the 2018 Archdiocese of Louisville printed base document.
- Rev. Jeffrey D. Gatlincurrent
Born in St. Louis; ordained June 3, 2000; attended Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and St. Meinrad Seminary; appointed pastor of the St. Brigid / St. John the Baptist cluster.