About St. Martin of Tours · Vine Grove, Kentucky
St. Martin of Tours is a Roman Catholic parish in the rural community of Flaherty, in southeastern Meade County, Kentucky, with a Vine Grove mailing address (440 St. Martin Road, Vine Grove, KY 40175). Founded in 1848 and long served by a mission outpost (St. Sebastian in Muldraugh, established as a mission in 1961), it is one of the historic Catholic communities of the Archdiocese of Louisville. Today the parish registers about 532 households and is administered by Rev. Thomason A. Jose, C.M.I., of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, with a presbyteral moderator, formation staff, worship and music directors, and a youth ministry coordinator supporting parish life.
- Established
- 1848
- Patron
- St. Martin of Tours
- Rector
- Rev. Thomason A. Jose, C.M.I. (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Louisville
Why belong here
St. Martin of Tours offers a deeply rooted rural Catholic community with more than 175 years of parish life in the Flaherty–Vine Grove area, daily and weekend Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and Reconciliation on Thursdays, an active youth ministry, ongoing faith formation, and a vibrant worship and music program led by volunteer directors. The parish cares for St. Sebastian in Muldraugh as a mission church, runs programs out of St. Martin Center in the remodeled original school building, and welcomes new families into a community that prides itself on faith, service and fellowship.
Mass times at St. Martin of Tours
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (per third-party listings)
Adoration times
- Thursday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday evening following the 6:00 PM Mass (per third-party listings)
Parish Identity & Location
St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church serves the rural community of Flaherty in southeastern Meade County, Kentucky, with a Vine Grove mailing address. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Louisville and currently registers about 532 households. Its mailing address is 440 St. Martin Road, Vine Grove, KY 40175-8617, and it can be reached at (270) 828-2552 or [email protected].
- Address: 440 St. Martin Road, Vine Grove, KY 40175-8617
- Phone: (270) 828-2552 | Fax: (270) 828-2562
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stmartinfl.org/
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Louisville
- Established 1848
History of St. Martin of Tours
Long before there was a church building, Catholics in southeastern Meade County worshipped in private homes — first at the home of Thomas Boarman (settled c. 1822, about a mile north of Big Spring), then at the homes of Ben Elder and Charles A. Craycroft. The first pastor, Father Charles Ignatius Coomes, served a circuit of parishes across central Kentucky. The original frame church was dedicated on August 27, 1848, by Rev. David Deparcq. An addition was soon built, and a new rectory replaced the burned one in 1879. The current brick church was dedicated in 1894, a bell was installed in 1901, and a stone house was built from leftover quarry stone in 1935.
- 1848: Original frame church dedicated Aug. 27, 1848 (now the parish cemetery site)
- 1879: Rectory rebuilt after a fire
- 1894: Current brick church dedicated November 14, 1894
- 1901: Bell installed
- 1935: House built from leftover quarry stone; Flaherty High School erected
Schools, Sisters & Mission Outreach
Parish education expanded in the 1920s with a white-frame school for grades 1–8 that housed Ursuline Sisters of Mount St. Joseph. Flaherty High School followed in 1935 with volunteer labor from parishioners; school buses and dormitories were provided for Catholic girls from neighboring parishes. A new brick school replaced the older buildings in 1959. After Vatican II adaptations and the 1969 consolidation of the high school with Meade County, the school building became a parish hall. The school itself closed after 1983, and the original white-frame school was remodeled into St. Martin Center. In 1961, St. Sebastian in Muldraugh, Kentucky, became a mission of St. Martin.
- 1920s: White-frame parish school with Ursuline Sisters of Mount St. Joseph
- 1935: Flaherty High School erected
- 1959: New brick school built
- 1961: St. Sebastian, Muldraugh, becomes a mission
- 1969: High school consolidated with Meade County; building becomes parish hall
- After 1983: School closes; original building becomes St. Martin Center
Clergy, Staff & Pastoral Team
The parish is currently administered by Rev. Thomason A. Jose, C.M.I., of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, with Rev. Jeffrey G. Hopper serving as Presbyteral Moderator. The pastoral team includes a Director of Formation, a Youth Ministry and Office Administrator, a Business Manager and Bookkeeper, a Worship Director, and two volunteer Music Directors.
- Administrator: Rev. Thomason A. Jose, C.M.I.
- Presbyteral Moderator: Rev. Jeffrey G. Hopper
- Director of Formation: Gloria Ritter
- Youth Ministry and Office Administrator: Katie Hobbs
- Business Manager and Bookkeeper: Renee Jenkins
- Worship Director: Ron Simons*
- Music Directors: Billy Joe Vowels* and Barbara Wilkins* (*volunteer)
Faith Formation, Youth & Music
Faith formation for children, youth and adults is coordinated by Director of Formation Gloria Ritter. Youth Ministry is led by Katie Hobbs and offers programming for teens in the parish. Worship is coordinated by Worship Director Ron Simons, with volunteer Music Directors Billy Joe Vowels and Barbara Wilkins leading the parish's musical life for liturgies.
- Director of Formation — Gloria Ritter
- Youth Ministry and Office Administrator — Katie Hobbs
- Worship Director — Ron Simons
- Music Directors — Billy Joe Vowels and Barbara Wilkins (volunteers)
160th Anniversary & Window Restoration
In September 2008, about 800 people gathered to celebrate St. Martin's 160th anniversary — so many that the crowd was standing-room only. The Mass was originally planned for the parish cemetery, site of the original 1848 church, but the threat of approaching storm clouds from the remnants of Hurricane Ike forced it indoors. The parish has also raised funds to restore its 130-year-old stained glass windows in the 1894 church.
- 160th anniversary Mass celebrated September 2008 (Father Anthony Chandler, pastor)
- Approximately 800 people in attendance
- Hurricane Ike remnants moved the Mass indoors
- Restoration campaign for the 1894 church's 130-year-old stained glass windows
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Charles Ignatius Coomes1848 (founding pastor)
First pastor; also founded St. Theresa's and rode a circuit of parishes possibly covering 200 miles.
- Rev. Anthony Chandlercirca 2008
Pastor at the time of the parish's 160th anniversary celebration in September 2008.
- Rev. Joseph Irvin Mousercirca 1983
Guided a parish historical committee that studied and preserved the history of the parish.
- Rev. Thomason A. Jose, C.M.I.current
Current Administrator, of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (C.M.I.).