About St Rose of Lima · Mays Lick, Kentucky
St. Rose of Lima Parish is a small rural Roman Catholic parish in Mays Lick (Mayslick), Mason County, Kentucky, in the Diocese of Covington. Dedicated on July 5, 1868, it is one of the oldest parishes in northeastern Kentucky and is named for St. Rose of Lima, the first canonized saint of the Americas. The parish shares pastoral leadership with neighboring St. Charles Borromeo in Flemingsburg and continues to serve a tight-knit rural community along the old buffalo trail between Limestone (Maysville) and the Lower Blue Licks.
- Established
- 1864
- Patron
- St. Rose of Lima
- Rector
- Rev. Phillip W. DeVous
- Diocese
- Diocese of Covington
Why belong here
St. Rose of Lima is a small, devoted rural Catholic community in the heart of Mason County, offering Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation in an intimate, family-style setting. Sharing pastoral care with neighboring St. Charles Borromeo in Flemingsburg, the parish continues a tradition reaching back to 1868, when its first resident pastor built the original church on the old buffalo trail between Maysville and the Lower Blue Licks. For Catholics looking for a welcoming country parish grounded in the Diocese of Covington's sacramental life, St. Rose offers a quiet, prayerful home.
Mass times at St Rose of Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
- Tuesday 5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
Adoration times
- Tuesday 5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
Parish Identity & Patron
St. Rose of Lima Parish takes its name from St. Rose of Lima (1586–1617), born Isabel Flores de Oliva, a lay member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in 16th-century Peru — the first person born in the Americas to be canonized as a saint, and the patroness of Peru, the Americas, and the Philippines. The Mays Lick church was dedicated in her honor on July 5, 1868, when Very Reverend James M. Lancaster performed the dedicatory ceremonies and the choir of St. Patrick Parish in Maysville sang the Mass. Her feast day is celebrated each year on August 23.
- Patron: St. Rose of Lima (Isabel Flores de Oliva, O.P., 1586–1617)
- Feast Day: August 23
- Dedication: July 5, 1868
History of the Parish
The Mays Lick mission was first served by priests traveling from St. Patrick Parish in Maysville after 1847, when a resident pastor was stationed there. Among those early missionaries was Rev. John M. Mackey, a Mason County native. The parish took shape under its first resident pastor, Rev. John Hickey, ordained in 1864, who served the Mays Lick mission and surrounding countryside for thirty-nine years until his death on August 18, 1902. In 1867 he purchased a Methodist church in town and remodeled it; that first St. Rose of Lima church was dedicated on July 5, 1868. A new church was dedicated on September 12, 1886. The parish produced vocations including Bishop John J. Collins, S.J., and weathered the Great Depression under Father Declan Carroll (1928–1946), who paid off the parish debt.
- Pre-parish mission: served from St. Patrick, Maysville, after 1847
- Early missionary: Rev. John M. Mackey (before 1864–1868)
- First resident pastor: Rev. John Hickey (1864–1902)
- First church dedicated: July 5, 1868
- Second church dedicated: September 12, 1886
- Father Declan Carroll, pastor 1928–1946
Notable Vocations & Heritage
Among the vocations to the priesthood from St. Rose of Lima was the Most Reverend John J. Collins, S.J., Titular Bishop of Antiphellos and Vicar-Apostolic of Jamaica. Before being raised to the episcopacy he served as president of Fordham University as a member of the Eastern Province of the Jesuits, and he became the first American Catholic bishop to govern the Vicariate Apostolic of Jamaica, which had previously been under English prelates. He died in New York on November 30, 1934. The parish also preserves a painted altarpiece of St. Rose of Lima by Covington-area artist Johann Schmitt.
- Most Reverend John J. Collins, S.J. (d. Nov 30, 1934) — Vicar-Apostolic of Jamaica
- Johann Schmitt altarpiece of St. Rose of Lima
Pastoral Leadership
St. Rose of Lima is currently served by Rev. Phillip W. DeVous, who is also pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Flemingsburg. Father DeVous was ordained on June 22, 2004, and serves as Spiritual Director of Sacred Heart Radio in Norwood, Ohio. The two parishes share office phone (606) 849-9415 and maintain a joint parish website.
- Pastor: Rev. Phillip W. DeVous (ordained June 22, 2004)
- Shared pastorate with St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Flemingsburg
- Spiritual Director, Sacred Heart Radio, Norwood, OH
Visiting & Contact
St. Rose of Lima is located at 5011 Raymond Road in Mays Lick (Mayslick), Mason County, Kentucky 41055, in the rolling farmland of northeastern Kentucky near the old buffalo trail between Maysville and the Lower Blue Licks. The parish office is shared with St. Charles Borromeo in Flemingsburg and is reached at (606) 849-9415. The parish maintains a Facebook presence as well as a joint website with its sister parish.
- Address: 5011 Raymond Road, Mays Lick, KY 41055
- Office phone: (606) 849-9415
- Joint website: stcharlesandstrose.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/St.Charles.St.Rose/
Diocese & Ecclesiastical Context
St. Rose of Lima is a parish of the Diocese of Covington, the Roman Catholic diocese covering much of northern Kentucky. The parish is linked in pastoral care with neighboring St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Flemingsburg (Fleming County), forming a two-parish cluster sharing a single pastor and office.
- Diocese of Covington
- Pastoral link: St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Flemingsburg
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John M. MackeyBefore 1864–1868
Early missionary priest serving Mays Lick from St. Patrick, Maysville; raised in Mason County; left for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1868.
- Rev. John Hickey1864–1902
First resident pastor of Mays Lick; served 39 years until his death on August 18, 1902; served an extensive mission territory including Flemingsburg, Carlisle, and Lewis County; built the first St. Rose of Lima church (dedicated July 5, 1868) and a new church (dedicated September 12, 1886).
- Rev. Declan Carroll1928–1946
Distinguished administrator who paid off a large parish debt and kept the parish financially stable through the Great Depression.