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A Beacon of Catholic Revival in Kentucky: The Story of St. Martin of Tours
- Michael Snellen
- Mar 9
- 5 min read
How did one parish go from the brink of closure to becoming the gem of its Archdiocese?
At a time when churches across the country are closing and people are leaving behind the goodness of times prior, the Archdiocese of Louisville has a special gem and beacon of revival in The Shrine of St. Martin of Tours.
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The Outsider
This historic church was built for newly-arriving German immigrants in 1850s America.
Soon after it founded, however, it was threatened by a violent Know-Nothing’ mob. Months of inflammatory anti-Catholic rhetoric reached a boiling point on local election day 1855. The mob reached the church, rumored to be housing weapons, and they were ready to burn it to the ground on this day known as Bloody Monday.
Dozens laid dead across Louisville, houses and businesses were burned, but the church was spared. One priest, Rev. Charles Joseph Boeswald who helped serve the German American population at the time was “fatally hit by a hail of flying stones.” [1] For years, the city of Louisville was to suffer after one of the darkest days for immigrants in American history.
Tensions settled down in the wake of the smoke with many religious and government leaders, including Bishop Martin J. Spalding and Mayor Barbee, a Know-Nothing himself, insisting on peace. Through rubble and rebuilding, St. Martin of Tours would serve and sustain a uniquely German community until the decline of immigration in the years of the Great War.With its former purpose fading, would the parish be able to survive a new storm on the horizon?
The Fall and Rise
Damaged by the 1929 tornado and the great flood of 1937, not to mention the school and the rectory catching fire, St. Martin’s was still standing, even if the surrounding neighborhood was collapsing and the building itself was deteriorating. To this day, you can sometimes hear gunshots at night across the street. In the early 1970s, a tumultuous time for American culture and the church at large, St. Martin’s was down to just 30 Sunday Mass attendees. Dust must have settled in the pipe organ. A sad fate seemed to have forced itself upon the church.
How many parishes across America, and the world for that matter, now find themselves in similar circumstances?
Closure, however, was not chosen.
With valiant pastoral leadership in Fr. Vernon Robertson, membership would soar to 350 households by 1992, and with continued efforts that number has now reached around 1,000 households from “43 zip codes in the Louisville metro area.” [2]
To convey the allure of this place, I remember the current pastor, Fr. Paul Beech, once remarking of an old man who drove nearly two hours from Indiana every Sunday to come to this particular church.
What would make a man go to such an extreme, passing by tons of other adequate parishes as he only seeks what is in the distance?
The Light of Louisville
A myriad of words come to mind when one talks about St. Martin of Tours, things that make people come from far and wide: reverence, beauty, tradition, and peace.
On that last note, the peace of 24/7 Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is the backbone of all continued success. Dare I say that the St. Martin of Tours would not be thriving as much as it is today without this fervor for Adoration, in its own special chapel, introduced by Fr. Dennis Cousens in 1996. Success is the emphasis on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. When Jesus is held in His proper esteem, everything else follows.
The architecture and art is overwhelmingly beautiful to provide Him a home. Altar rails inspire devotion in the people as they humble themselves for Communion. Incense enthralls the senses while ancient Latin elevates the mystery. Liturgy is nourishing. Traditional sacred music captivates the ears.
The pastor who revived St. Martin of Tours remarked: “If I can’t fill the church with people, I’ll fill it with music.” With one of the finest pipe organs in the West, a Farrand & Votey, the church became filled with both masterful music and people left—in awe!
According to the St. Martin of Tours website, Fr. Robertson once remarked: “Since there weren’t any people, I decided to fill it with music…We chose good music that was right for the building. I knew it wasn’t a guitar place.”
The website continues the history, “The organ was tuned, revealing the splendor of its sound and the unexpected beauty of the building’s acoustics. Fr. Robertson hired an organist and a small group of singers to perform sacred choral music and the Latin Propers at Mass. It was the first step toward the slow but steady revitalization of the parish. Gradually, worshippers began to return, drawn by the music, reverent liturgies, colorful stained glass windows, vaulted ceiling, marble sanctuary, and life-size statues of the Saints.”
“We just began with good music,” Fr. Robertson said. “Pretty soon, people who were tired of bad music and ugly buildings started coming.”
The ethos of the church is encapsulated in the bodies of two Roman martyrs from the 300s, which one can see as the receive Communion. To any Christian, seeing these heroes resting serenely while holding a palm branch, the sign of martyrdom, confronts one with their own lack of courage yet leaves them with hope that God may use them, in some way, for His glory.
Legend has it that St. Magnus, a Roman soldier, died defending St. Bonosa, a young woman, or that he was inspired by her to become Christian after witnessing her joyful courage as she faced execution for Christ.
St. Magnus. The other side altar houses the body of St. Bonosa.
To conclude with a few of my own memories, I once remember stumbling in the church past midnight to find two other people adoring Jesus in the Eucharist. Who goes to church that late? I remember a cold Christmas night with the warmth of music or the joy of Easter Vigil, ringing bells and all.
Lastly, I recall walking in the church for the first time, not a baptized Catholic yet, and seeing tons of families, young people like myself, and crying babies.
I knew that this is a place where the faith is still alive.
[1] Fr. Boeswald, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91718480/charles-joseph-boeswald
[2] St. Martin of Tours’ website: https://stmartinoftourslouisville.org/church%20history.htm)
Martyrs of the Coliseum, Bloody Monday, & St Martin of Tours Becomes a Shrine with Fr Paul Beach, the Spirit & Spire podcast
The history of the organ: https://stmartinoftourslouisville.org/organ.htm
Gloria, Easter Vigil, Sacred Music
A recording of 2023’s Christ the King Mass at St. Martin of Tours
To financially support St. Martin of Tours, click here
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As always, thank you for reading and may God bless you.
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