Good Shepherd Church
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Good Shepherd Church. An active Catholic presence was established in Frankfort in 1808 with Reverend Angier as priest. In 1820s mass was offered at house on Broadway, opposite Capitol. In 1835 worship held in house near railroad tunnel; in 1837 Bishop Flaget of Bardstown purchased house for Catholics on corner of Broadway and High St. Presented by Good Shepherd Church. (Reverse) Good Shepherd Church - By 1837 the Catholic community was formally called St. Patrick Mission. Ten years later there was an influx of German and Irish immigrants to Frankfort. A permanent pastor, Father J.M. Lancaster, was appointed in 1848. The property on Wapping Street was purchased in 1849. Congregation was renamed Good Shepherd with the dedication of the church in 1850.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
A Catholic presence took root in Frankfort in 1808, with worship held in private houses and, by 1837, a property secured by Bishop Flaget of Bardstown. Known first as St. Patrick Mission, the congregation grew rapidly after an influx of German and Irish immigrants in the 1840s and gained a permanent pastor in 1848. With the dedication of its church in 1850, it was renamed Good Shepherd.
Why it matters
The parish's growth mirrors the wave of German and Irish Catholic immigration that reshaped American cities and towns in the mid-nineteenth century.
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Related people
- · Bishop Flaget
- · Father J. M. Lancaster
Themes & tags
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