By Charlie White
As residential development in Mount Washington has boomed over the past decade, membership of the city's lone Catholic parish also has flourished.
So much so, in fact, that St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church opened a $3.6 million
church this spring next to its old building at Ky. 44 and Stringer Lane.
“I have now been here 12 years, and we've gone from 350 families to 700 families,” said the Rev. Scott Wimsett, a 49-year-old Nelson County native.
Wimsett lives at the church rectory and also serves as pastor of All Saints Catholic Church in Spencer County. He said he believes the church's growth is due largely to demographics — Mount Washington has grown to become Bullitt County's biggest city during this time.
“There certainly have been a lot of patio homes built in Mount Washington. The fastest-growing group has been seniors,” he said.
Members of the 164-year-old parish live in Mount Washington and other parts of Bullitt, plus Jefferson, Nelson and Spencer counties, Wimsett said.
Hazel Bass, 87, has attended the church since childhood. This is the third church building on the site, including the previous one that still stands and a smaller white building.
“It's so spacious; we don't have to look for a seat now,” said Bass, whose daughter, Mount Washington Mayor Joetta Calhoun, also attends the church.
Over two evenings earlier this month, Bass and Calhoun were among about 5,000 people who attended the church's annual picnic.
The fundraiser, which was revived in 1999, usually nets the church $40,000 to $45,000, depending on the weather, Wimsett said.
Keith Buky, who was co-chairperson for this year's picnic with his wife, Teresa, said the event is geared for the entire community.
Unlike many Catholic picnics, you won't find a beer garden at St. Francis. “Out of respect for the other churches, we don't serve alcohol,” he said, adding he believes this makes the event more
appealing to people of all faiths.
Wimsett said the lack of a beer garden also means the church saves money on hiring security.
Mount Washington police helped keep traffic moving on Ky. 44 near the church. And Bullitt sheriff's deputies volunteered inside the picnic area behind the new church, although they said the crowd was tame compared to other events they work.
An hour before the second day of the picnic began, several hundred people attended Mass in the new sanctuary, which church leaders say is designed to have a warm, natural look.
Igor Derevyanyy, an Urkrainian-born member of St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church in Hikes Point, carved the altar, deacon's chairs and pulpit, mostly from native Kentucky oak.
The sanctuary floor is a combination of walnut and oak. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz helped dedicate the new church on March 27.
Richard Brangers, the church sacristan who sets up each Mass, said the 17,600-square-foot building is nearly three times the size of the old one. “We could fit 320 people over there if we
squeezed them in. Here, we can hold a little over 600,” Brangers said.
The new sanctuary also has a much larger cry room with its own bathroom. The 13 stained-glass windows from the old sanctuary were carefully removed and incorporated into the new one. A new oval window was filled with new stained glass. “We're preserving our heritage and building our future in Christ,” Wimsett said.
The church has several Masses each week, including two morning ones on Sundays, evening Mass on Mondays and Saturdays, and morning Masses on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Reporter Charlie White can be reached at (502) 582-4653.
