About St. Joseph · Central City, Kentucky
St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic parish serving Central City, a small western Kentucky coal-country town in Muhlenberg County. Part of the Diocese of Owensboro, the parish gathers Catholics in the region for weekly Mass, the sacraments, and outreach to the surrounding community. The parish is led by Father John Ighacho as pastor, with Deacon Don Adams assisting, and offers a steady weekly schedule of Masses on Sunday morning, Monday noon, Wednesday evening, and Saturday vigil.
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. John Ighacho
- Diocese
- Diocese of Owensboro
Why belong here
St. Joseph is the principal Catholic parish for Central City and the wider coal-country region of Muhlenberg County, offering a dependable weekly rhythm of worship with Masses on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The parish provides the sacraments — including Saturday confessions — and a Catholic chaplaincy presence to the local community. Worshippers here join a small but active faith family under the Diocese of Owensboro, with a pastor and deacon personally invested in the pastoral care of the area.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM (or by appointment)
Parish Identity
St. Joseph Parish is a Catholic parish in Central City, Kentucky, within the Diocese of Owensboro. The parish serves the Catholic faithful of Central City and the surrounding Muhlenberg County area, drawing worshippers from across western Kentucky's coal-country region.
- Parish name: St. Joseph
- Location: Central City, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
- Diocese: Owensboro
- Patron: St. Joseph (feast day March 19)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently led by Father John Ighacho as pastor, with the assistance of Deacon Don Adams. Both are listed by the Diocese of Owensboro as the active clergy for the parish. A previous pastor, Father Joshua McCarty, was known for his devotion to St. Joseph and also served as head of Ongoing Formation for priests of the Diocese of Owensboro.
- Pastor: Fr. John Ighacho — [email protected]
- Deacon: Dcn. Don Adams — [email protected]
- Parish office email: [email protected]
- Former pastor: Fr. Joshua McCarty
History & Heritage
Central City itself is a small western Kentucky town that grew up after 1870 around the Elizabethtown and Paducah Railroad and the du Ponts' Central Coal and Iron Company. The parish has been part of the community since the coal and rail era and remains a recognized heritage site — it appears on the Central City Historical Tour, which lists the church and its parking lot among the town's historical points of interest. In recent years the parish was pastored by Father Joshua McCarty, whose devotion to St. Joseph shaped the parish's identity in the lead-up to Pope Francis's Year of St. Joseph.
- Listed on the Central City Historical Tour as a heritage site
- Parish identity strongly tied to its patron, St. Joseph
- Previous pastor Fr. Joshua McCarty led the parish during the Year of St. Joseph declared by Pope Francis
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone or email, and the Diocese of Owensboro publishes the parish's contact details and a map link. The mailing address is on South Third Street in downtown Central City, in the heart of the community the parish has served for over a century.
- Address: 109 S 3rd St, Central City, KY 42330
- Phone: (270) 754-1164
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stjosephcc.org/
- Listed in the Diocese of Owensboro parish directory
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joshua McCarty
Former pastor; also serves as head of Ongoing Formation for priests of the Diocese of Owensboro; has a particular devotion to St. Joseph.