About St. Rose of Lima · Cloverport, Kentucky
St. Rose of Lima is a small Roman Catholic parish serving Cloverport, Kentucky, and the surrounding Breckinridge County community along the Ohio River. It is a parish of the Diocese of Owensboro, currently served by Father Michael Charles Abiero, with Mass offered Sunday and Wednesday/Friday mornings and a Saturday evening vigil. The parish sits on Chestnut Street and shares its origins with the older St. Malachi church, the first Catholic congregation founded in Cloverport in 1857. For more than a century, St. Rose of Lima has been the spiritual home of Catholics in this historic river town, once home to a parochial school staffed by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.
- Established
- 1887
- Patron
- St. Rose of Lima
- Rector
- Father Michael Charles Abiero
- Diocese
- Diocese of Owensboro
Why belong here
St. Rose of Lima offers a small, welcoming Catholic community in historic Cloverport with three weekly Sunday-equivalent Masses (Saturday vigil plus Sunday morning) plus midweek Masses on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Under the pastoral care of Father Michael Charles Abiero, with parish secretary Angela Lasley, the parish keeps a personal, accessible presence in a tight-knit river town with more than 135 years of Catholic heritage. The parish is also a member of the broader Diocese of Owensboro, connecting local faithful to regional Catholic life.
Mass times at St. Rose of Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
St. Rose of Lima Parish: A Catholic Community in Cloverport
St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church is the Catholic parish serving Cloverport, Kentucky, and the surrounding Breckinridge County area. The parish is part of the Diocese of Owensboro and is identified locally as the town's Catholic church. Mass is celebrated Sunday morning, on Wednesday and Friday mornings, and on Saturday evening as the vigil Mass for Sunday.
Parish History
Catholic life in Cloverport began with St. Malachi in 1857. In 1887 a new church was built across the railroad tracks and named St. Rose of Lima; both that church and its rectory burned in 1894 and were rebuilt at the parish's current Chestnut Street location. Beginning in 1900 the parish operated a parochial school, which was reopened in 1916 under the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph and ran both a high school and an elementary school for several decades.
- 1857 — First Catholic church in Cloverport, St. Malachi, built on Chestnut Street.
- 1887 — New church built across the railroad tracks, named St. Rose of Lima.
- 1894 — Church and rectory destroyed by fire; rebuilt at their present locations.
- 1900 — Parochial school first opened (short-lived).
- 1916 — School reopened, staffed by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.
- Early 1950s — Parish high school closed.
- Late 1960s — Parish elementary school closed.
Pastor and Staff
The parish is currently served by Father Michael Charles Abiero as pastor. Angela Lasley serves as the parish secretary. The parish office is located next door to the church.
- Pastor: Father Michael Charles Abiero
- Secretary: Angela Lasley
- Parish Office: next door to the church
- Office hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Diocese of Owensboro
St. Rose of Lima Parish belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, which covers western Kentucky including Breckinridge County. The parish's official listing in the diocesan directory confirms its diocesan affiliation.
Cloverport: The Wider Community
Cloverport is a small historic town on the Ohio River in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, established around 1798–1808 at the mouth of Clover Creek. It is the town where, in 1816, Jacob Weatherholt piloted the seven-year-old Abraham Lincoln's family across the Ohio River to Indiana. The parish is known in the community simply as 'Cloverport's Catholic Church.'