About St. Lawrence · Greenup, Kentucky
St. Lawrence is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the South Greenup historic district of Greenup, Kentucky, serving Greenup County as a mission of Holy Family Catholic Church in Ashland. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington and is staffed by the pastor of Holy Family, with Mass celebrated on Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m. The parish has just 25 registered households but continues to be a treasured place of worship in northeastern Kentucky, housed in a modest wood-frame church built in 1890 on land donated by a local Catholic physician. The Diocese of Lexington officially records the parish's founding year as 1902.
- Established
- 1902
- Patron
- St. Lawrence (Lawrence of Rome, deacon and martyr)
- Rector
- Rev. D. Andrew Garner, KHS
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington
Why belong here
St. Lawrence offers Catholics in Greenup County a rare opportunity to worship close to home without crossing the river or driving into Ashland. As a mission of Holy Family Parish, it shares an experienced priest, the sacraments, and the wider parish community of about 25 households — small enough to know your neighbor, established enough to have a real history. The 1890 wood-frame church on Laurel Street is itself a piece of Greenup's story, and Sunday 7:30 a.m. Mass keeps that story going each week.
Mass times at St. Lawrence
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Reconciliation is offered at Holy Family, Ashland (Saturday 3–4 pm; Mon–Fri 7:15–7:45 am), not on-site at the mission
St. Lawrence Mission — Greenup, Kentucky
St. Lawrence is a small Catholic mission church in Greenup County, northeastern Kentucky, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington. It is staffed by the pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Ashland, about 12 miles east across Boyd County. The mission's modest 1890 wood-frame church sits on Laurel Street in the South Greenup Historic District and remains an active Sunday-morning place of worship for roughly 25 households.
- Type: Mission (Diocese of Lexington)
- Sunday Mass: 7:30 am
- Address: 500 Laurel St., Greenup, KY 41144
- Mail: c/o Holy Family, 900 Winchester Ave., Ashland, KY 41101-7497
- Phone: (606) 329-1607
- Pastor: Rev. D. Andrew Garner, KHS
History
The mission traces its roots to the 1870 conversion of Dr. William Smith Kouns, a Greenupsburg physician who built a home altar served by a priest traveling from Ironton, Ohio. After Dr. Kouns's death in 1888, his heirs gave land on Laurel Street for a Catholic church. The present building was constructed in 1890, and the parish was canonically erected in 1902 under the Diocese of Lexington (then Covington). It has been a mission of Holy Family, Ashland, in the contemporary era.
- 1870 — Kouns family converts to Catholicism and sets up a home altar
- 1888 — Death of Dr. William Smith Kouns (Dec. 16)
- 1890 — Church built on land donated from the Kouns property
- 1902 — Parish canonically established (Diocese of Lexington records)
- Today — Mission of Holy Family Catholic Church, Ashland
Architecture & Historic Significance
St. Lawrence is a one-and-a-half-story rectangular weatherboarded building with a gable roof and a short square bell tower. The entrance features a pedimented porch supported by Corinthian columns, and the open belfry is framed by paired Tuscan columns on each face. Round-arched windows with rectangular frames light the nave. The church is documented in the National Register of Historic Places as site GpG-23, a contributing building of the South Greenup Historic District.
- Style: vernacular late-19th-century wood-frame church
- Year built: 1890
- NPS site number: GpG-23
- Contributing building, South Greenup Historic District
- Setback: 40 feet on Laurel Street
Mass & Liturgy
Mass at St. Lawrence is celebrated on Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. in English, according to the Holy Family Catholic Church website and the Diocese of Lexington's official directory. Weekday, vigil and holy-day Masses — as well as the parish's 4 p.m. Spanish Mass — are offered at Holy Family in Ashland.
- Sunday Mass — 7:30 am (English)
- Reconciliation — at Holy Family, Ashland (Sat 3–4 pm; Mon–Fri 7:15–7:45 am)
- Weekday / Vigil / Spanish Mass — at Holy Family, Ashland
Pastoral Care & Sacraments
Because St. Lawrence is administered as a mission, sacramental preparation (baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick, first Communion, confirmation) is coordinated through the Holy Family rectory in Ashland. Parishioners are encouraged to call (606) 329-1607 to make arrangements. The sacraments of the Eucharist (Sunday Mass) and reconciliation (by referral) are the primary regular liturgical touchpoints at the mission itself.
- Pastor: Rev. D. Andrew Garner, KHS
- Rectory: Holy Family, 900 Winchester Ave., Ashland, KY 41101-7497
- Phone: (606) 329-1607
- Email: [email protected]
Visiting St. Lawrence
The mission is at 500 Laurel Street in the South Greenup Historic District, two blocks south of the Greenup County courthouse square and Main Street. The church faces Laurel Street near the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad tracks. Visitors should plan to arrive in time for the 7:30 a.m. Sunday Mass; for confession, holy days, or other sacramental needs, contact Holy Family in Ashland.
- Address: 500 Laurel St., Greenup, KY 41144
- Sunday Mass: 7:30 am
- Parking: on-street along Laurel Street
- Contact: Holy Family rectory, (606) 329-1607