About The Shrine of St. Martin of Tours · Louisville, Kentucky
The Shrine of St. Martin of Tours is a Roman Catholic diocesan shrine in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, founded in 1853 to serve German immigrants on the city's east side. Designated a shrine by Archbishop Shelton Fabre on May 18, 2023, the parish is renowned for its Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration (open 24 hours a day), the full skeletal relics of third-century Roman martyrs Saints Magnus and Bonosa, a landmark 1894 Farrand & Votey pipe organ, German-made stained glass from the Royal Bavarian Art Glass Institute, and an active schedule of liturgies in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms. The Shrine serves more than 1,800 members drawn from across the Louisville metro and operates two social-outreach ministries—the Schuhmann Center and the Golden Arrow Center—that feed and clothe thousands of the city's poorest residents each year.
- Established
- 1853
- Patron
- St. Martin of Tours (patron of founding Bishop Martin John Spalding)
- Rector
- Very Rev. R. Paul Beach (Rector)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Louisville
Why belong here
St. Martin's is one of only a handful of Catholic parishes in the country offering daily Mass, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration 24/7, and a regular Sunday schedule that includes the Ordinary Form, the Extraordinary Form (Latin/Tridentine), and the Ordinariate Form—welcoming traditional Catholics, young families, and lifelong Louisvillians alike. Members come from across more than 80 zip codes to pray before the glass tombs of two third-century Roman martyrs, hear the celebrated 1894 Farrand & Votey pipe organ, and serve the poorest in Louisville through the parish's two ministries—the Schuhmann Center (clothing, food, and social-service referrals for the homeless) and the Golden Arrow Center (maternity and children's clothing, diapers, formula, and emergency pantry), which together help tens of thousands of people each year. Whether you are drawn by the liturgies, the relics, the sacred music, or the call to feed and clothe Christ in the poorest of the poor, St. Martin's offers a vibrant spiritual home with 'doors that never close.'
Mass times at The Shrine of St. Martin of Tours
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 pm
- Monday and Friday at 11:30 am (before Noon Mass)
Adoration times
- Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
History of the Shrine
St. Martin of Tours was founded in 1853 by Bishop Martin John Spalding, who named the parish for his patron saint, and appointed Bavarian Franciscan Father Leander Streber as its first pastor. The church was built on the grounds of a small brickyard at Shelby and Gray streets for the swelling German immigrant population of east-side Louisville. Within six years it had outgrown its 75-by-50-foot footprint and was enlarged into the cruciform, 185-foot-long structure that still stands. The parish peaked near 1,000 families around 1900, declined through most of the twentieth century to a low of 125 households in 1978, and was reborn under Father Vernon Robertson's restoration of the liturgy, music, and physical plant. Father Dennis Cousens introduced Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in 1996. On May 18, 2023, Archbishop Shelton Fabre formally designated the parish a diocesan shrine—the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours.
- Founded 1853; church dedicated August 20, 1853
- First pastor: Father Leander Streber, OFM
- 12th pastor: Father Vernon Robertson (1978), began the renaissance
- Perpetual Adoration introduced 1996 under Father Dennis Cousens
- Designated a shrine May 18, 2023 by Archbishop Shelton Fabre
Architecture and Sacred Art
The cruciform brick church, enlarged within six years of its founding at a cost of $15,000, measures 185 feet in length, 53 feet across the nave, and 83 feet at the transepts. The 1890s renovation added a vaulted ceiling, the Royal Bavarian stained-glass windows (whose German-language family dedications are still visible at the base of each lancet), a new stone façade with a bronze statue of St. Martin, the German-made Stations of the Cross, and the great Farrand & Votey organ in the loft. More than 30 statues of the saints populate the church, with large apostle statues lining the nave. Pilgrims also find a relic of St. Faustina, a bust of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and images of the Holy Face of Jesus and Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
- Cruciform plan; 185 ft long; nave 53 ft wide; transepts 83 ft wide
- Royal Bavarian stained-glass windows (1890s)
- Bronze statue of St. Martin on the façade
- German-made Stations of the Cross
- 30+ statues of saints; large apostle statues
- Relic of St. Faustina; bust of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
- Images of the Holy Face of Jesus and Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The Farrand & Votey Pipe Organ
In 1894 the parish contracted for a new 3-manual and pedal pipe organ with the Farrand & Votey firm of Detroit (op. 714), incorporating some older pipes from the original 1861 Koehnken organ. The instrument retains the original tubular-pneumatic electric action—one of the earliest electric-action organs in America—and has never been moved from its loft location. Restorations by Sam Bowerman and the Miller Pipe Organ Co. (1990, with a new console in the style of the original and a new wind system) kept the organ playing; a multi-phase renovation begun in 2016 has completed the Swell, Choir, and Great divisions, with the Pedal division and console awaiting funding.
- 1894 Farrand & Votey op. 714 — 3 manuals, 32-note pedal, 32 stops / 37 ranks
- One of the few remaining large electric-action organs of its era
- Includes older pipes from the original 1861 Koehnken organ
- Miller Pipe Organ Co. restoration 1990 (new console + wind system)
- Multi-phase renovation in progress since 2016 (Swell, Choir, Great complete)
Relics of Saints Magnus and Bonosa
Under Monsignor Francis Zabler, with the permission of Pope Leo XIII, the skeletal remains of Saints Magnus (a Roman centurion) and Bonosa (a Roman virgin), both martyred in 207 A.D., arrived at the Louisville customs office on December 31, 1901. They had been released by the Cistercian Sisters of Charity of Ss. Cosmas and Damian in Anagni, Italy, after the Italian government confiscated their property. The relics were placed in glass reliquaries beneath the altars in the north and south transepts, where they have been venerated ever since. Their feast is solemnly celebrated each year. In 2012 the reliquaries and altars were restored after authentication studies, and on September 9, 2012, the saints were solemnly re-interred in a Solemn High Mass.
- St. Magnus, centurion and martyr, 207 A.D.
- St. Bonosa, virgin and martyr, 207 A.D.
- Arrived in Louisville December 31, 1901
- Permission of Pope Leo XIII; provenance: Cistercian Sisters, Anagni, Italy
- Restored and solemnly re-interred September 9, 2012
Sacred Music
Sacred music at St. Martin's is directed by Dr. Emily Meixner and centers on the parish choir and the 1894 Farrand & Votey organ. The parish is known for Gregorian chant, polyphony, traditional hymnody, and choral High Masses in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms. Organ concerts and special liturgical music events are part of the parish calendar.
- Director of Sacred Music: Dr. Emily Meixner
- Parish choir; Gregorian chant, polyphony, hymnody
- 1894 Farrand & Votey pipe organ accompanies most major liturgies
Youth and Young Adult Formation
Faith formation for young people is coordinated by Brett Snow, Director of Youth and Young Adult Formation. The parish has long emphasized welcoming young families, and its membership includes many young people and growing families alongside longtime parishioners.
- Director of Youth and Young Adult Formation: Brett Snow
- Family-friendly liturgies and devotions
Outreach: Schuhmann Center and Golden Arrow Center
The Shrine operates two long-standing ministries to the poor in downtown Louisville. The Schuhmann Center, named for Monsignor George W. Schuhmann (1865–1931), opened in 1982 and aids homeless persons and others in need in the inner city, Phoenix Hill, and Smoketown neighborhoods with clothing, emergency food, and social-service referrals. The Golden Arrow Center, opened in 1997, serves mothers and children throughout the greater-Louisville metro with maternity clothes, children's clothing, diapers, baby food, formula, and an emergency pantry, and is one of the only children's clothing charities in the city. Together the two centers serve tens of thousands of people each year; all contributions are distributed freely without cost.
- Schuhmann Center: clothing, emergency food, social-service referrals; named for Msgr. George W. Schuhmann
- Golden Arrow Center: maternity & children's clothing, diapers, formula, emergency pantry
- Both serve tens of thousands of people annually
Parish Staff and Clergy
The Shrine is led by Rector Very Rev. R. Paul Beach, with Very Rev. David J. Carr serving as Vice-Rector. Permanent Deacons Scott T. Hedges and Richard P. Zoldak assist in liturgical and pastoral ministry. Dr. Emily Meixner directs sacred music and Brett Snow directs Youth and Young Adult Formation.
- Rector: Very Rev. R. Paul Beach
- Vice-Rector: Very Rev. David J. Carr
- Permanent Deacons: Scott T. Hedges and Richard P. Zoldak
- Director of Sacred Music: Dr. Emily Meixner
- Director of Youth and Young Adult Formation: Brett Snow
Visit, Pilgrimage, and Self-Guided Tour
Pilgrims and visitors are welcome at any hour — the Shrine's doors never close. A self-guided tour of the church's windows, statues, and paintings is available at the rear entrance of the church and is also published digitally at www.shrineofstmartin.org/selfguidedtours. Pilgrims can venerate the relics of Saints Magnus and Bonosa, pray in the Perpetual Adoration chapel, hear the great organ, and walk through the German-heritage stained glass and statuary.
- Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Self-guided tour at rear entrance (also online)
- Veneration of Ss. Magnus and Bonosa at glass tombs
- Perpetual Adoration chapel always open
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Leander Streber, OFM (Bavarian Franciscan, associate at St. Boniface)1853–1881
First pastor; organized the parish, recruited the Ursuline Sisters from Bavaria (1857), opened the parish school.
- Father Ludger Beck, OFM1881–c. 1888
Second German-born Franciscan pastor; arrived as associate in 1877 fleeing Bismarck's Kulturkampf; parish at 4,000 members and 622 students.
- Monsignor Francis Zabler, OFMc. 1888–1910s
Built boys' school (1888) staffed by Brothers of Mary; built larger St. Martin's Parish School (1896); oversaw 1890s renovation (vaulted ceiling, Bavarian stained glass, stone façade, Farrand & Votey organ); obtained relics of Ss. Magnus and Bonosa (1901).
- Father Francis Felton1910s–c. 1940s
Pastored through WWI (loss of German language) and the 1937 flood; brought Communion by boat to parishioners.
- Father John Daltonc. 1973–1978
Pastored during decline to 125 households / 25–30 at Mass; celebrated parish's 120th anniversary in 1973 fearing the 125th might never come.
- Father Vernon Robertson (former Anglican priest)1978–c. 1990s
12th pastor; founded the renaissance—choir, Gregorian chant, organ restoration, Montessori pre-school, 'Afro-German Tea Room'; launched Family Mass (1980); began Extraordinary-Form Mass on Assumption Day 1989.
- Father Dennis Cousensafter Robertson
Developed full schedule of special liturgies and devotions; introduced Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration (1996).
- Very Rev. R. Paul Beachcurrent Rector (early 2023–present)
Petitioned in early 2023 for the parish to become a shrine; oversaw the May 18, 2023 designation by Archbishop Fabre.