Father Stephen Theodore Badin holds a unique place in American Catholic history. As the first Catholic priest ordained in the United States, he became a pioneer missionary whose tireless work on the Kentucky frontier laid the foundation for what we now call the “Catholic Holy Land” of Kentucky.

Born in Orléans, France, in 1768, Badin was studying for the priesthood in Paris when the French Revolution erupted. As seminaries were shut down and clergy persecuted, Badin fled France in 1791 with fellow seminarians Benedict Joseph Flaget and Jean-Baptiste David—both future bishops in Kentucky.

The three arrived in Philadelphia in March 1792 and were welcomed in Baltimore by Bishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the U.S. Like many exiled French clergy, they would go on to shape the early American Church. Badin resumed his studies in Maryland and was ordained by Carroll on May 25, 1793—becoming the first priest ordained within the newly independent United States.

Following ordination, he briefly studied English at Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., before being assigned to Kentucky—a rugged frontier where Catholic families, mostly migrants from Maryland, had settled but lacked a resident priest.

Mission to the Kentucky Frontier

In September 1793, Fr. Badin left Maryland for Kentucky with fellow missionary Fr. Michel Barrières. Their journey was grueling. They traveled on foot over the Appalachian Mountains to Pittsburgh, then floated down the Ohio River by flatboat to Limestone (now Maysville, KY), where about 20 Catholic families had established themselves.

From Maysville, they walked 65 miles to Lexington, where on December 1, 1793—the first Sunday of Advent—Badin offered his first Mass in Kentucky, inside a settler’s log cabin. It marked the beginning of a permanent Catholic mission in the state.

Fr. Barrières would leave for New Orleans in 1794, unable to endure the frontier’s hardships, leaving Badin as the only Catholic priest in Kentucky.

He began a demanding ministry, traveling constantly to serve scattered Catholic communities. His first base was in Scott County at White Sulphur Springs, where he built a small chapel and ministered for 18 months. Later, he moved to Pottinger’s Creek in present-day Marion County, home to many Catholic families led by patriarch Basil Hayden. These settlers had built Holy Cross, the first Catholic church west of the Alleghenies, in 1792. Badin became its pastor in late 1793.

From Holy Cross, he expanded his ministry to Nelson, Washington, and Hardin counties. With no established chapels in many places, he designated homes as “stations” where he could offer Mass and sacraments. By 1798, thanks to his efforts, Kentucky had a functioning Catholic network with chapels, trained lay leaders, and regular sacraments.

St. Stephen’s Farm: A Missionary Home Base

Around this time, Fr. Badin acquired land known as St. Stephen’s Farm—now the site of the Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx, Kentucky—through a purchase from Basil Hayden. The 200-acre tract, on the west side of Coleman’s Run (a branch of Hardin’s Creek), had originally been cleared by Coleman Brown, who sold it to Hayden before moving on.

Badin established his residence there, naming it St. Stephen’s after his patron saint. Without a formal rectory, he lived in a nearby cabin on the property, which became his missionary headquarters while he ministered across Kentucky.

His work was grueling. He traveled over 100,000 miles during his decade in Kentucky—on horseback, on foot, and through illness and isolation. He often stayed in settlers’ homes and lived without salary or comfort. At one point, he nearly died of pleurisy, but recovered using frontier remedies and quickly returned to his rounds.

To help maintain the farm and allow him to focus on ministry, parishioners at Holy Cross made a complex and morally troubling gesture: they donated ten enslaved individuals to help manage the property. While this reflected the grim reality of slavery in early Kentucky, it also underscores the settlers’ commitment to supporting his mission. The enslaved labor allowed Badin to continue traveling extensively, offering sacraments and planting the seeds of what would become permanent parishes.

Despite the hardships, local Catholics offered what they could—feeding him, caring for his horse, and maintaining chapels. Badin, in turn, gave all he had to their spiritual care. He was known for his strict moral standards, preaching against what he called the “impiety and licentiousness” of frontier life. He opposed dancing, drinking, and other entertainments, encouraging daily prayer and religious instruction.

Though his rigid views and heavy French accent made him seem austere to some, many respected his integrity and came to love him. His holiness and sacrifice left a lasting impression.

Laying the Foundations

By 1803, Fr. Badin had baptized and instructed hundreds, built several chapels, and formed vibrant Catholic communities across Kentucky. His circuit-riding model of ministry—serving far-flung outposts from a central base—would influence missionary efforts across the American frontier.

Recognizing his leadership, Bishop Carroll appointed him vicar general of the Western missions, giving him ecclesiastical authority over Kentucky and surrounding regions. Badin regularly sent reports to Baltimore, requesting more help.

Help arrived in 1806, when Belgian priest Fr. Charles Nerinckx joined him in Kentucky. Badin mentored Nerinckx from their base at St. Stephen’s Farm, and the two priests worked side by side to expand Catholic presence. Around the same time, Dominican friars also arrived, and in 1808, the Diocese of Bardstown was established—the first inland diocese in the U.S.

Badin had advocated for the creation of a diocese and recommended his friend Benedict Joseph Flaget as bishop. When Flaget arrived in 1811, he found a network of thriving parishes, thanks to Badin’s years of labor.

Legacy of “The Apostle of Kentucky”

Fr. Stephen T. Badin earned the title “The Apostle of Kentucky” through extraordinary perseverance and faith. His efforts transformed a spiritual wilderness into a community rooted in prayer, sacraments, and Catholic identity.

The parishes he organized became the backbone of the region’s Catholic life, and many are still active today. His missionary model shaped the American Church’s approach to frontier ministry for generations.

Though his life was marked by hardship, his legacy endures in the churches he built, the communities he nurtured, and the Catholic culture that still defines Kentucky’s “Holy Land.”