Weekday Masses are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11:30 AM and Thursday at 9:00 AM. We are the Catholic Church as such
Our beginnings simple, with a common touch. No stained glass or inspiring steeple
Just a few faithful people. Our place of worship on loan,
Though adequate, not a place of our own. A saint named Andrew summoned to assist. Our prayers, his pleas, God can't resist. A meeting pla
ce is found,
The rent within reason, the floor and walls sound. Will it ever become a Church? How silly a question when all accept the task. Cleary (August 1981)
Parish Council
The parish council, which had been organized in 1981, gradually became the backbone of parish activity. After a period of study in 1983, the members drew tip a constitution which clarified their purposes. Through active committees this body then provided leadership and direction for the members of the congregation. It served as a co-ordinating body for all organizations and group activities within the parish. The Building Project
From its beginnings, St. Andrew Catholic Community harbored the dream of having a place of worship they could call their own. The Parish Council took the first serious step toward realizing that dream when, in the spring of 1982, Fr. Al Kirk proposed that they start a building fund. By June 1982, they had Bishop Dozier's approval for the fund and the directive to search for a location. The Building Committee, appointed by the Parish Council, did a detailed study of growth projects and the consequent needs of the parish and surveyed possible sites. In the meantime, Dick Barry, a Lexington attorney, deeded a plot of land to the church in the south side of town. This was not to be the location of the church, however. In July 1985 the Memphis Diocese purchased a ten acre plot at 895 North Broad Street at the cost of $42,000. While parishioners continued to work at fund raisers for the building, Sister Clara wrote a grant request to the Catholic Extension Society of America. The Society was very generous and agreed to provide about one third of the cost of the structure which was $440,000. With the help of the Diocesan Planning Office and the Building and Properties Commission, the project moved forward quickly. The entire community was involved in the planning. All Parish Council meetings were open, as were those of the Building Committee. All were involved in writing the parish mission statement from which the architects, Allen and Hoshall, designed the building. Out of the discussion and education grew a remarkable unanimity, and by the time the architects had presented a tentative plan, it was generally accepted. The contractor was Quinn Construction Co. from Parsons, and Brother Willam Woeger, F.S.C. from Omaha, Nebraska, was the liturgical consultant -
The ground breaking ceremony took place on a rainy Sunday afternoon, October 12, 1986. After that date members of the parish stopped by dairy to watch the progress of the building. In mid-August they moved some of the furnishings and, although not all the new worship area furnishings had arrived: Fr. Kirk celebrated the first Mass there for the feast of the Assumption, August 14, 1987. A gloriously warm and bright November 1, set the mood for the solemn dedication of the church in 1987. Bishop Buechlein symbolically unlocked the doors that day and led parishioners and friends into the worship area, where he presided at the beautiful ceremony of blessing and then offered the Eucharist. The service was followed by an open house. In the foyer of St. Andrew Church is a plaque with the names of many of the people, relatives, and friends who have helped to raise this beautiful place of worship. The Catholic Extension Society and the Diocese of Memphis contributed much, but over the long haul, the 75 Catholic families of the Lexington area willingly shoulder the burden of finance and with grateful hearts, continue to pray for their benefactors. Change and Growth
During the busy years of building, St. Andrew's community experienced gains and losses, change and growth. Through the dedicated leadership of Fr. Al Kirk, Sister Clara Stang, and Deacon Bob Reynolds, the building program became educational and unifying for the parish. Andrew's welcomed new members, each offering unique gifts. Among them were Sister Tonie Rausch who arrived from Selmer in 1983 and remained in Lexington until 1985; Sister Venard Niehaus who came from Minnesota in September 1984; Tom Schutz from Minnesota, who worked as a volunteer in the evangelization of the unchurched from September 1985 to May 1986. Associate pastors from St. Mary's in Jackson, who served the parish, were Fr. Greg Fuller, Fr. Brian Szorady, and Fr. Dan DuPree. In 1983, a choir was organized through the efforts of guitarists, Elaine Northern, Judy Wall, and Sherri Wagner. A year later, Henry and Dolores Pfountz donated an organ for choir accompaniment. The parish continues to be involved in out-reach programs for the needy. Each Christmas they adopt a poor family, they contribute regularly to RIFA-Regional Inter-Faith Association, and help those in crisis. Six parish members attended classes in the hospice program, preparing them to care for the terminally ill in their homes. Involvement in diocesan programs has kept St. Andrew's aware of the larger church. The parish participated actively in the "Thy Kingdom Come", a social justice awareness program. The Chrism Mass and other Diocesan celebrations enable this local church to relate to the Memphis Diocese. The highlight of this relationship was the day-long pastoral visit of Bishop Stafford in 1984. Again on March 29, 1987, St. Andrew's was honored by Bishop Buechlein's presence, when he came to celebrate for his first time the Sacrament of Confirmation. The confirmands were Karen Donovan and Michael Feurst. In 1983, St. Andrew's began, for the first time, their RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program. This continues to be a means of parish renewal and a way of welcoming new members to our church. The highlight of each year is the celebration of the Easter Vigil. On April 25, 1986, the parish was saddened by the sudden death of John Lodes. His funeral, the first at St. Andrew's Church, was celebrated April 28, in the store-front church in which he, along with Jack Barni, had spent endless hours of volunteer labor. Throughout the approximately fifteen years of its existence, the Catholic Community has maintained a spirit of warm hospitality, resourcefulness, and enthusiasm. In reading the sources of its history, one is prompted to say, "seldom has so much been done for so many by so few." Notes
Dick Barry. Interview, August 24, 1986. Fr. Marquette, a French missionary, stopped there over 100 years earlier. Barry and Samuel Cole Williams. Beginnings of West Tennessee, pp. 194-195. Goodspeeds History of Henderson County, p. 842, quoted by Dick Barry. Ibid. and Lexington Cemetery. Interview with Dick Barry. Return to Ann Mensch's Local Catholic Church History and Catholic Ancestors of Kentucky and Tennessee
