The Centenary
Rev.
John A. Lyons
When Rev. John A. Lyons (photo left) was appointed to the
In the meantime improvements were made about the
premises. Trees were planted to take the
place of those which flourished when the church was built. A few months before the celebration directory
and church or painted, and the main altar beautifully decorated.
The Centennial Celebration
The spiritual preparation for the centenary consisted
of a mission given in the last two weeks of Lent. The services were conducted by the Fathers of
the Most Precious Blood, Rev. Lionel E. Pire and Joseph S. Raible. To meet the expenses of the centennial
celebration, mite boxes or distributed among the members of the parish. The following is the list of contributors:
A Ahl,
N. W. Alvey,
Mr. & Mrs. James Anderson,
Mrs. F.
B Bannon,
Annie Barr
Family Barker,
Mrs.
Bates, Mr. & Mrs. Bay, Mrs.
Beam, Mitchell Becker,
Mr. & Mrs. J. C. Becker,
Gertrude
Becker, Stanley Becker,
Mr. & Mrs. J. C. Jr. Bennett,
Mrs. Roy & Edward
Biehl, Mr. & Mrs.Clem C. Binder, Mr. & Mrs.
Ches. Blain, Mr.
& Mrs. F.
Bondie Family Briggs, Mrs. Rose Briggs,
Samuel
Brown, J. W. Burch, Mr. & Mrs. J. Byrne, Mr. &
Mrs. Maurice
C Carpenter,
Mr. & Mrs. E. J. Clausen,
Mr. & Mrs. John Collon,
Mrs. C.
Coons, Mr. & Mrs. Henry Corcoran, Mrs. Leona Cousino, Mr. &
Mrs. George
Craven,
Craven, Myrtle Craven,
Craven, Mr. & Mrs. G. W. Craven, Martha Ann Craven, Mary Rita
D Dailey,
Mr. & Mrs. G. W. Daly,
Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Daly,
Ella
Daly,
Roger Daus,
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Dehner,
Louise
DeMarsh,
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Dettlinger,
Minnie Diebold,
Mr. & Mrs. Edward
E Elliot,
Mr. & Mrs. Eli Elzy,
Mr. & Mrs. George Elzy,
Mary Louise
Exely,
Mrs. Nellie H.
F Fichteman,
Henry Fichteman,
Norbert Fichteman,
Georgia
Fichteman,
W. J. Fichteman,
Mary Fieldhouse,
Mrs. William
Friedmann,
Mr. & Mrs. F.
G Ganz,
Mrs. Mary Gathof,
Mr. & Mrs. John Gibbons,
Nonie
Gnau,
Lula Goffinett,
Eva Gross,
Mr. & Mrs. Louis C.
H Habick,
Mrs. Barbara Hansford,
Mrs. Catherine Hansford,
Mr. & Mrs. N.
Harlow,
Mrs. Hugh Hayden,
Miss M. Hicks,
Mr. & Mrs. Paul
Hicks,
Corine Hilpp,
Mrs. Bertha Hilpp,
Effie
Hollis,
Mrs. Mary Hughes,
John Hauber,
Mr. & Mrs. Edward
J
Johnson,
Mrs. Sophie Jutt,
Mr. & Mrs. Oscar
K Kelley,
Mrs. Carla Kelley,
Charles Kenney,
Stephan
Kenney,
Sallie Klemenz,
Mr. & Mrs. A. Klemenz,
Frances
L LaPaille,
Frank LaPaille,
Rosemary Leachman,
Mr. & Mrs. H. N.
Leezer,
Mr. & Mrs. Fredrick Litzelswope,
Mr. & Mrs. L. Logan,
Lillian
M Mattingly,
Mr. & Mrs. G. C. Mattingly,
Mr. & Mrs. J. E. Mattingly,
J. Bertrand
Mattingly,
Mattingly,
Katherine Metzger,
Louise Miller,
Mr. & Mrs. John F.
Mooney,
Mr. & Mrs. Dewey Mooney,
Mr. & Mrs. James Mudd,
Joseph R.
Murta,
Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Murta,
Mr. & Mrs. J. W. Murta,
Mr. & Mrs. William
McCauley,
Bertrand McCoy,
Lovell McCoy,
Mr. & Mrs. Allan
McCrory,
Don McCrory,
Frank McCrory,
Walter
McCrory,
Grace McKenzie,
Mr. & Mrs. Yoder McKenzie,
Charles
Noske,
Frank
O Oberhauser,
Effie O’Connor,
Mrs. Ida Ogden,
Mr. & Mrs. William
O’Hearn,
Mr. & Mrs. D. Owen,
Mrs. Mary Frances
P Peake,
Z. F.
Pflanz,
Mrs. Ida Pflanz,
William Pontrich,
Mr. & Mrs. J.
Pretty,
Luella
R Recktenwald,
Mr. & Mrs. A. B. Recktenwald,
Bertrand Recktenwald,
Webb
Recktenwald, Rose Riegling, Mr.
& Mrs. A. Riegling,
Helen
Riegling, Marie Riegling,
Sylvester Riegling,
Edward
Reinhardt, Mr. & Mrs. R. Ricketts, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Ricketts, Mr. & Mrs. R.
Roach,
Mrs. J. Robards,
Mr. & Mrs. William Robertson,
Mr. & Mrs. L.
Robertson,
Mr. & Mrs. M. Robertson,
Katherine Robertson,
Angela
Ross,
William J. Rough,
Mr. & Mrs. Hearl
S Sanders,
Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Scanlon,
Mr. & Mrs. James Scanlon,
Mary Joyce
Schwoebel,
Lottie Secor,
Mr. & Mrs. H. M. Secor,
Francis V.
Secor,
Mary A. Sessengood,
Mrs. Ella Seifried,
Mrs. Ernest
Self,
Mrs. Anna Shircliff,
Mr. & Mrs. H. Shircliff,
Carl
Simms,
Mr. & Mrs. C. J. Smith,
Mr. & Mrs. T. F. Stemm,
Mr. & Mrs. George
Stemm,
Lorena Stottman,
Henry Stottman,
Marie
Stottman,
Mr. & Mrs. William
T Thompson,
Lillian Thompson,
Mrs. C. A. Thompson,
Mr. & Mrs. H. L.
Thompson,
Gilbert Trumbo,
Mrs. Louise
U Ulmer,
Horace Unclebach,
Mr. & Mrs. C.
V Villier,
C. A. Villier,
Delvina Villier,
Marian L.
Villier,
Grace
W Wallace,
Mrs. F. Watson,
Mr. & Mrs. F. Wentzell,
Mr. & Mrs. George
Whalen,
Mr. & Mrs. Edward Whalen,
Mary Wilkens,
Mrs. J.
Willett,
Mrs. Elmer Willet,
Margaret
Z Ziegler,
Mr. & Mrs. J. F.
School Faculty 1938–39
Sisters of Mercy: Sr. Coletta, Sr. Marcella, Sr. Victoria, Sr.
Genesius, Sr. Loretto
Graduation Class 1939
1st row: Mary Margaret Dailey, Elizabeth
Owens, Dorothy Sheehan, Sarita Secor, Mary Agnes Lehmann, Loretto End, Virginia
Johnson, Mary Alma Coons, Florence McComb, Mary Frances Recktenwald, Dorothy
Jones, Mary Louise Sebrey.
2nd row: Louis Dixon, Dallas Sherard,
William Donnelly, William Jenkins, Edward Cosino, Lawrence Schulten, Wilford
Clark, Henry Shircliff, Byron Reid.
First
Holy Communion Class 1939
1st
row: Mary Louise Sims, Carolyn Fogle, Mary Joan Ellison, Elizabeth Wallace,
Carolyn Loftus, Elizabeth Mudd, Yvonne Pontrich, Mary Catherine Herron.
2nd
row: Charles Stottman, Frank Griffo, John Alvey, Bernard Craven, Thomas Elliot,
James Murta, John Cahill.
3rd
row: Louis End, Donald Bradford, Francis Bindner, Paul Recktenwald, John
Fortwengler, William Stottman.
Senior
Mass Servers 1939
1st
row:
2nd row: Bernard Recktenwald, George
Stemm, Francis Secor, Carl Shircliff, Francis Longaker, John Sheehan, Walter
Bender, Henry Fichteman.
Junior
Mass Servers 1939
1st
row: John Schulten, Allan McCoy, Eugene Mudd, Kenneth Kaelin, James Alvey, C.
J. Simms, Arman Stone, William Cahill.
2nd
row: Henry Kleinholter, George Schaefer, Bernard Coons, Robert Sheehan, Roger
Howard, Mark Craven, Leonard Yount, William Mooney.
3rd
row: Henry Shircliff, Kenneth Otto, William Hatzell, John Miller, John
Schaefer, Francis Blain, Lindsey Cahill, Charles Owen, Lawrence Schulten.
Centennial
Mass Procession
Rev. James Hermes, O.M.C., Rev. John F. Knue, Rev. John
M. Abell, Most Rev. Archbishop John A. Floersh, Rev. Delfin Autheman, Rev.
David Rummage, Rev. James Lehmann.
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Rev. Symphorian Weiner, O.F.M.,
cross–bearer |
Exterior on Centennial Day |
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Members of the congregation on Centennial
Day
It was on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15,
1839, that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered for the first time in the
newly–formed parish. So it deemed most
fitting that the
Next Tuesday, August 15, Feast of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin into heaven, will also mark the centenary of the founding of the
third parish established in Louisville, the Church of Our Lady, located in that
western section of the city known as Portland.
Thus Our Lady in heaven rejoices with its parishioners in the completion
of a hundred years of fruitful labor, a hundred years of happy devotion and
honor to the blessed mother of God.
What a beautiful Feast Day for a celebration! What could be more pleasing to Our Blessed
Savior than for us to honor his Blessed Mother!
So on this glorious day when Catholics throughout the world pay homage
to the purest person God created after the fall of man, all honor, all glory
will be paid to Mary, the Mother of God, in a special manner, with joy and
thanksgiving, by the parishioners of the Church of Our Lady in Louisville, an
occasion when the parish not only may take just pride in its contribution to
the faith during these hundred years, continuing even today, but an occasion
when members long removed from the parish may join in the rejoicing and
thanksgiving. They will find the whole
archdiocese rejoicing with them, our Most Rev. Archbishop leading them in their
thanksgiving, and God blessing them for their labors in the hundred years
passed, while He promises still greater blessings for their fidelity and
devotion in the years to come.
As the Feast of the Assumption drew near, messages
of felicitation and congratulation were received. Through the kindness of our most Rev.
Archbishop the Holy Father was informed of the centennial celebration. The following cablegram was received from the
Cardinal Secretary:
On the occasion of the celebration of the centenary
of the foundation of Our Lady’s parish, the Holy Father sends warm
felicitation, and bestows from his heart on the pastor and congregation, as a
pledge of abundant heavenly favor, his paternal apostolic benediction.
Cardinal Magloine
Our most Rev. Archbishop, on learning of the plans
of the congregation to observe the centenary of the foundation of the parish
and to publish a history of Our Lady’s, graciously sent to the pastor this
letter:
August 14, 1939
Rev. John A. Lyons,
Dear Rev. Father:
I am pleased to learn that you propose to publish a historical
sketch of Our Lady’s parish in
During the one hundred years of its existence, Our
Lady’s parish both witnessed the growth and development of the church and the
entire Metropolitan area of Louisville and contributed its share to that growth
and development, by participating in the manifold religious activities which
resulted, just two years ago, in Louisville being elevated to the rank of an
Archdiocese.
It is a fact of common knowledge that many families,
now residing in other parts of the city, once professed allegiance to Our
Lady’s Church in
Wherefore, it seems highly appropriate that the
entire Catholic body of
It affords me singular pleasure, therefore, on
behalf of the Catholic population of Louisville, as well as in my own name, to
take part in that celebration, by paying tribute to the memory of the parish’s
founders and the many zealous priest and pious souls who succeeded them down
through the decades. God be praised for
the noble example which they set for us under the influence of His grace and
inspiration; and God be thanked for the precious heritage of Catholic
traditions which they bequeathed to us.
Wishing you in your congregation copious heavenly
blessings on the occasion of the centennial celebration, I remain, yours
sincerely in Christ,
J. A.
Floersh, Archbishop of
The Right Rev. Frederic M .Dunne, O.C.S.O., abbot of
the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemane, Trappist,
August 4, 1939
Our Lady of Gethsemane, Trappist,
My dear Fr. Lyons:
I have received your very kind invitation to the
celebration of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of your
parish, and I beg to say that I thank you most cordially for your thoughtful
remembrance of me on the solemn occasion.
It would indeed be a very, very great pleasure for
me to take part, but it happens to fall on the Feast of Our Lady’s Assumption
which is our Patronal Feast when I am bound to Pontificate here at the Abbey.
So you see that much to my regret, it will be
impossible for me to leave home in person, but in spirit I will certainly be
there, and by our prayers, we will all attend.
Begging God to bless you, and to grant your parish
the graces for another hundred years of splendid work for the spread of God’s
kingdom, I am,
Very faithfully yours in the most sacred heart of
Jesus,
Frederic M.
Dunne, O.C.S.O., Abbot
Interior
on Centennial Day
The
Centennial Mass
The church was beautifully decorated for the
Pontifical Mass. Gold and white bunting
was tastefully hung from the main arch and along the walls. Flowers and palms adorned the altars and
sanctuary and presented a festive appearance.
Long before the hour of services, the pews were filled with people. At 10 o’clock, a colorful procession entered
the church. The altar boys were preceded
by 100 schoolchildren dressed in white, and following them were the clergy of
the Archdiocese, the officers of the Mass and the Most Rev. Archbishop.
Officers of the Mass
Celebrant............................................. Most
Rev. John A. Floersh, D.D., Archbishop of
Assistant Priest..................................... Rev.
John F. Knue
Deacons of Honor.................................. Rev.
John Abell, Rev. D. Autheman
Deacon of the Mass............................... Rev.
James Hermes, O.M.C.
Sub–deacon.......................................... Rev.
James J. Mahoney
Masters of Ceremonies.......................... Right Rev. D. A. Driscoll, Rev. A.
G. Gerst
Cross Bearer......................................... Rev.
Symphorian Weiner, O.F.M.
Book Bearer.......................................... Rev.
James Lehmann
Bugia Bearer......................................... Rev.
J. T. Spalding
Miter Bearer......................................... Rev.
Bernard H. Hartlage
Crozier Bearer...................................... Rev.
David Rummage
Gremiale Bearer.................................... Rev.
John T. Lyons
Thurifer................................................ Rev.
Edward A. Waechter, C.R.
Archiepiscopal Cross Bearer................... Rev. Joseph Newmann
Visiting Clergy
Michael Jaglowicz, C.R., Provincial General of the
Resurrectionist Fathers
Rev. R.C. Ruff Anthony
Hodapp, O.M.C. Joyce Hallahan,
C.P. John W. Vance
Albert M. Leis, O.M.C. William J. Mulcahy Charles C. Boldrick A. D. Baumgarten
Francis O’Connor A.
G. Meyering Edward
Link Edward
Collett, O.M.C.
E. Van Bogaert Edward
Reavy Francis
Timoney Dustan Braun,
O.M.C.
Bernard Spoelker Michael
K. Lally William
O’Hare Titus
Gehring, O.F.M.
Richard Hommerick Frank
Bossung Henry C.
Stuecker Joseph Rives
William J. Murphy J.
Bernard Kieffer C.
P. Foltz James
James R. Meder Vincent
Manager Joseph
Emrich Angelus
LaFluer, O.M.C.
Paul M. Russell R.
Boehmicke Leo
Sheeran Peter
Ellert, C.R.
James C. Maloney Simon
Griesam, O.F.M. Richard
Wurth, O.F.M. Norbert A.
Voll Leo
J. Dreckmann Frederick Moore J. B. Walsh, C.P. Clarence Hagan
R. J. Treece William
Griesman Vincent
Gottbrath, O.M.C. John T. Lyons
Music Program
The choir under the direction of Mrs. Robert
Ricketts, organist of the
Ecce
Sacerdos.................................................. Marzo
Mass in
Honor of the Immaculate Conception....... Wieyond
Ave Maria......................................................... Rosewig
Boys
in white
Girls in white
The
Centennial Sermon
Rev. Robert E. Canty, who is baptized in the
“This is no other at the house
of God and the gate of Heaven” – Genesis XXVIII:17
Most Rev. Archbishop, Very Rev. and Rev. Fathers,
Good Sisters, dearly beloved in Christ:
One hundred years of holy endeavor, one hundred
years of rich and blessed achievements excite our admiration and gratitude and
bespeak the jubilee which we celebrate today.
One hundred long years of heroic sowing, of grateful reaping, by
apostolic priests and devoted and faithful laity, command our heartfelt and
joyful reverence on this, the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the
founding of the parish of Our Lady.
It is but right, on such an occasion as this, that
we should casts a retrospective glance on the past, if only that we might
heighten our grateful appreciation of the many spiritual advantages and
consolations we now enjoy.
It is not my intention to dwell at length on the
history of this parish. It is worthy of
note, however, that on this same date, August 15, 1839, the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass was offered for the first time in the newly formed parish of the first
pastor, Fr. Perche. Truly, at that time,
could we say, with Our Divine Lord, that this parish was like to a very small
mustard seed, which in the intervening years, has grown into a great tree, with
the result that, at the present time, hundreds of Catholics, come dwell in the
branches thereof.
“This is the day which the
Lord hath made. Let us be glad me
rejoice in it.” Yes, we are all jubilant
today. Since our thoughts naturally turn
to the Church, let us first of all consider what this church, what any Catholic
Church, is. I might mention here that
God has no need of a house, a church, for his own sake, for His Divine
immensity fills the entire universe.
Rather he has need of a home for our sakes. As we humans who have need of some spot,
consecrated by His Divine presence, to which we always have access; where we
may hold communion with our God; where we may pour out our petitions to Him;
where we may receive from Him those helps and graces so necessary for us in
every step of this life’s pilgrimage.
However, it is necessary that Our Lord’s sacramental presence should
have some spot consecrated to its reception in which he might repose; some spot
to which we can point and say: “Behold the body of the Lord. Behold where we have laid him.”
What then is the church? It can, first of all, be defined as the house
of prayer. While it is true that we pray
in various places and in various times, still the place where heaven comes nearest
neighbors as the church, which Our Lord Himself calls the house of prayer:
“Where there are two or three gathered together in my name, their am I in the
midst of them.”
The church is the school of divine truth where
Christ speaks to us today, as He did to those along the shores of Genesareth,
showing us, through his commissioned ministers, that our lot in eternity is
conditioned upon our mode of life here.
The church is the shrine of grace for there in the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass his daily offered; therein we partake of the spiritual nourishment we need
in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist; there in the sacramental fonts are
opened to give us the graces necessary for the salvation of our souls.
The church is the house of hope for in it we are
taught that we are striving for a prize worthy of all our labors – that of
eternal happiness – and not merely for the passing pleasures and riches of this
life. Finally, in a word, the Church is
the gateway to heaven – God’s Kingdom of heaven here below.
This is the church to which we are privileged to
belong. Let us then look back today and
consider the advantages that have been ours, the blessings that have been
gained by every member of this parish from its very beginning to the present
time. To this church you, who form the
present generation, were carried in the arms of your parents, even as some of
you have carried your own children, as they in turn will carry theirs, to be
born again in the regenerating waters of baptism and thereby gained a right to
heaven. Here you have been, and yours
will be, instructed in the truth and principles of our holy religion; on this
altar is daily offered the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Our Lord, in
which you can take part; hear you become one with Our Lord by receiving Him in
Holy Communion; here are Divine Lord abides in the sacrament of His love in the
tabernacle, where you can come, open your heart to Him, telling Him of your
temptations, your trials, difficulties, and sorrows; here you become worthy tabernacles
of the Holy Ghost in the Sacrament of Confirmation; here we have the
confessional and what word can express the consolation that comes to us through
this sacrament. What a miracle of love
and mercy is here. What indescribable
peace have we not experienced from the Sacrament of Penance; finally, we are
fortified for our passage from time to eternity through the sacrament of
Extreme Unction.
In short, innumerable have been the blessings
received by those in this parish, who have been baptized, educated, and
strengthened by the Sacraments during life and threw them lead to a greater
reward hereafter.
Here worshipped your grandfathers, your
grandmothers, your fathers, your mothers, your friends, your neighbors. Here they were consoled, strengthened, and
sanctified. Today from the courts in
heaven they mingle to rejoice in thanksgivings with your joys and
thanksgivings, and unite their prayers with your prayers so that the reward,
which is theirs, may one day be yours.
You are now reaping the fruits of all the toils, tears, cares, and
anguishes in which the foundations of this parish were laid by our
predecessors.
Let us then express our gratitude, first of all, to
God Himself for the many blessings we have received from this parish. Let us express our gratitude to all of our
pastors, former and present, for their work among you. Finally, give spiritual thanks, by
remembrances in your prayers, to all of those who have been members of this
parish from its very foundation for the many sacrifices they have made. May the souls of those gone to their reward
rejoice in the Kingdom triumphant.
Lastly, I wish to congratulate your pastor and you
the parishioners on this memorable occasion.
It is my sincere hope and prayer that you may briefly fight the battles
of life, so that when death comes, you may be able to say with that great
spiritual warrior,
Evening
Services
In the evening at eight o’clock devotions were held
in honor of the Blessed Virgin. The
services consisted of the recitation of the rosary, litany and solemn
benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The pastor, Fr. Lyons, was assisted by the Rev. John M. Abel, Rev.
Joseph Emrich, Rev. John Spalding and Rev. Clarence Lindauer of
Centennial
Dedication Plaque
In connection with the services was the dedication
of the bronze tablet in the vestibule of the church. This plaque was erected in memory of Fr.
Badin who gave the land for the
THIS SITE
ON WHICH THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY IS BUILT
WAS DONATED BY
REV. STEPHEN THEODORE BADIN
FIRST PRIEST ORDAINED IN THE UNITED
STATES
PIONEER MISSIONARY OF
TABLET DIRECTED AT THE CENTENARY OF
THE
FOUNDATION OF THE PARISH
1939
At the conclusion of the services, the hymn of
thanksgiving ‘Holy God We Praise Thy Name’ was sung.
Social
Activities
After the Pontifical Mass, a dinner was served the
visiting clergy at the
In the evening at 8:30, a reception was held on the
school grounds for the members and former members of the congregation. The Holy Name Society band of the archdiocese
furnished the music. Many for members of
the parish living in distant cities attended the reception. It was a homecoming. Some had been away for years friendships were
renewed and bygone days recalled. When
the evening was far spent, the celebration came to a close.
Conclusion of the Centennial
Now ends the history of the first hundred years of
the parish. Much more could be written
about the pioneers and the first pioneers in
Chapters could be written about the faithful
parishioners of all times. A perusal of
the parish records reveals many who deserve recognition. In the later years, the parish can point with
pride to some who have rounded out over half a century of service in the
various activities of the church. But
future historians will be better able to pay these people their just tribute.
With grateful hearts we look upon the past, with
hope we turn to the future, confident of the intercession of the Blessed
Mother, Our Lady.
Centennial
Sponsors
A Ahl, Mrs. Anna Alvey,
Mr. & Mrs. James Arnold,
Ben
Arnold,
Bertha Arnold,
Julia Arnold,
Mrs. Mary
B Baker, Charles R. Baker,
Mayme Barr,
Anna R.
Barry,
John J. Bartley,
Leslie Bartsch,
George William
Bartsch,
Mrs. Mary E. Bay,
Mrs. William E. Becker,
Agnes Marie
Becker,
Bernard W. Becker,
Mrs. Bernard W. Becker,
Bernard W. Jr.
Becker, Billy Joe Becker,
Elizabeth Ann Becker,
Gertrude
Becker, Gloria D. Becker,
Harry Edmund Becker,
Mrs. Harry Pelle
Becker,
J. C. Jr. Becker,
Mrs. J. C. Jr. Becker,
J. Carl
Becker,
John E. Becker,
Joshua C. Sr. Becker,
Mrs. Joshua C. Sr.
Becker,
Mary Graham Becker,
Nancy Jane Becker,
Raymond F.
Becker,
Stanley Becker,
Thomas Lyons Becker,
Mrs. Vernon