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| St. Alphonsus' Catholic Church was built in 1854 by Rev. Walter
| | #REDIRECT [[St. Alphonsus Catholic Church]] |
| Coombs on land donated by John Rodman. Mr. Coombs was
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| a very zealous clergyman, and at that time the only priest in the
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| county. Mass was first offered up by Rev. John Boyle, who was
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| stationed at [[St Raphael Church|St. Raphael's Church]], and served at St. Alphonsus'
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| Church once a month for two years. After he left, Rev. Eugene
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| O'Callaghan officiated. He was a good and zealous man, never
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| failing to fill his appointments. He served this church once a month
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| for four years, being at that time stationed at Owensboro. In 1861
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| the Rev. Ivo Schacht was sent to St. Alphonsus by Rev. Martin
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| Spalding as the first resident pastor. He enlarged the old church
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| building, which had become too small, and purchased a lot from
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| James Glenn and built St. Joseph's Female Academy which was
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| occupied by the Sisters of Loretto, of Marion County, Ky. It was
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| a frame building and was accidentally burned in 1870. Mr. Schacht
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| was succeeded by Rev. Charles Eggermont, and during his administration
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| the old frame church was burned. He immediately made
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| arrangements to build the present brick church, but before its completion,
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| he was called to fill a professorship at St. Joseph's College
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| at Bardstown, Kentucky. Rev. Paul Yolk, took his place.
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| He finished the church building, and rebuilt St.
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| Joseph's Academy, which was later occupied by the Ursuline nuns.
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| The church is 84 x 45 feet, and has a graceful spire. It is situated
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| fifteen miles southwest of Owensboro, and there was a membership
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| of about 1,200 in 1883. A beautiful cemetery adjoins the church. This
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| part of Daviess County is settled almost entirely by Catholics, and
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| it is a remarkable fact that during a period of more than twelve
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| years not a murder has been committed by a member of this
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| church.
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| The following is a list of all the priests that have served this
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| church:
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| * Revs. E. J. Durbin, from 1825 to 1831
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| * John Wathen, 1831 to 1837
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| * Walter Coombs, 1837 to l846
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| * Athanasius Aud, 1846 to 1848
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| * John Boyle, 1848 to 1850
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| * Eugene Callaghan, 1850 to 1861* Ivo Schacht, 1861 to 1864
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| * Charles Eggermont, 1864 to 1870
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| * Paul Yolk, 1870 to the present time
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| * Rev. Michael Coghlan, of Ireland, 1848 to 1871
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| The members belonging to St. Alphousus' Church are all Americans,
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| coming chiefly from Marion, Nelson and Washington counties,
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| whose ancestors came from Maryland. The baptismal registers
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| show that from 1861 to 1881, 900 infants have been baptized in this
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| congregation. Children all receive a good Christian education in
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| the district school.
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| [[Category:Churches]]
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