LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — In the middle of one of Louisville’s fastest-growing neighborhoods sits a church that has served the city for nearly 190 years.
St. Boniface Catholic Church, established in 1836 to serve Louisville’s growing German immigrant population, is now fighting to remain open as the Archdiocese of Louisville considers closing the historic parish.
The church is one of six Louisville parishes identified for closure in the Archdiocese’s draft parish planning plan released earlier this year. The broader plan also calls for some parishes to merge or cluster as the Archdiocese responds to a shortage of priests, changing demographics and the need to better allocate limited resources.
The list of churches recommended to close include six in Louisville and four others among the 24-county Archdiocese:
- St. Leonard Catholic Church (Louisville, KY)
- St. Boniface Catholic Church (Louisville, KY)
- St. Simon and Jude Catholic Church (Louisville, KY)
- Most Blessed Sacrament (Louisville, KY)
- St. Teresa of Calcutta (Louisville, KY)
- St. Frances of Rome (Louisville, KY)
- Immaculate Conception Church (New Haven, KY)
- Holy Cross (Loretto, KY)
- Holy Name of Mary (Lebanon, KY)
- Holy Rosary (Manton, KY)
St. Boniface parishioners said the church should be viewed as an underutilized asset with significant potential for growth.
"It’s not just the history," said parishioner Bill Lincoln during during a tour of the church. "You can’t live on just history alone. But that should be the continuity to the future."
The current St. Boniface church building was constructed in 1899 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The parish maintains a number of historic features and artifacts, including a pipe organ, reliquary, stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross.
Parishioners said the church’s location is just as important as its history.
St. Boniface sits in NuLu, where new apartments, hotels and businesses continue to reshape the neighborhood. According to parish leaders, approximately 1,200 new residential units are planned or under construction within walking distance of the church over the next five to 10 years. They estimate that could eventually mean about 200 Catholic families living nearby.
Fred Williams, a St. Boniface parishioner and member of the parish council, said the church is already seeing more visitors from the surrounding neighborhood and hotels.
"The past three Sundays we have passed pedestrians who are actually walking to St. Boniface just to go to mass," Williams said.
Williams said the church typically sees between about 50 and 100 people at Sunday Mass, with larger crowds on feast days, Christmas and Easter. The parish has approximately 350 registered parishioners, according to records.
The Archdiocese’s parish planning process began after priests raised concerns about population shifts and the number of priests available for active ministry. The Archdiocese has just over 100 priests, with roughly half retired, although some retired priests continue to serve. About 40% of priests serve multiple congregations.
Rather than asking the Archdiocese to provide another full-time priest, St. Boniface parish leaders proposed a different operating model.
In a July letter to Archbishop Shelton Fabre, the parish asked the Archdiocese to appoint a permanent deacon as parish administrator. A priest would serve as a Presbyteral Moderator, providing the required canonical oversight, while retired priests would continue celebrating Sunday Masses and hearing confessions.
Williams said the parish has previously operated with deacon administrators and currently has retired priests who are willing to continue serving the parish.
"We think it’s a model that would would work," he said. "Is it ideal? No, but it would allow us to stay open, to stay open as a parish, and to be here and to serve this community while it’s growing up all around us."
Parish leaders said the proposal would also provide the stable leadership they believe St. Boniface needs to grow.
"What we need, what we really need, is stable leadership," Williams said. "We have not had stable leadership here well since Father Hogan retired, and that’s been over 15 years ago."
The parish also argues it is financially stable. In its letter to the Archdiocese, St. Boniface said it is debt-free, has a balanced operating budget and maintains a healthy investment portfolio. Parish leaders also said membership and offertory income have remained stable for more than 15 years.
The Archdiocese did not respond to St. Boniface's letter, but said in statement it has reviewed the proposal and that it remains under consideration:
"In response to concerns raised by priests of the Archdiocese of Louisville regarding population shifts and the number of priests available for active ministry, the archdiocese began a consultative process in early 2025 to gather information and recommendations from parishes to discern how best to care for parishes throughout our twenty-four-county archdiocese. The Archdiocese of Louisville released a draft plan in March with suggestions of possible closures and mergers of parishes after consultation with pastors, parish leaders, and the parish planning committee.
"St. Boniface was included in that process. Following the release of the draft plan, the archdiocese met with pastors and parish leaders from all 107 parishes, including St. Boniface, to discuss the draft plan and gather feedback. St. Boniface also submitted a letter to the archdiocese, which was added to the materials collected from the other parishes and is currently under consideration. The parish planning process is not complete, and the suggestions are part of a draft plan. The final plan is expected to be finalized this fall."
Williams said parishioners remain hopeful the Archdiocese will reconsider the closure recommendation.
"We’re pretty optimistic that once they recognize what they really have here, that they’ll want to keep us open," Williams said.
The Archdiocese’s final parish planning plan is expected this fall, with any changes implemented over a longer period.
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