Holy Name of Mary -- Calvary, Kentucky

One of the oldest Catholic parishes in the entire state. Its story begins with a journey west in the late 1700s. Catholic families left their homes in Maryland — families like the Spaldings, Abells, Wathens, and Buckmans. Around 1788, many settled near the Rolling Fork of the Salt River.

Rolling Fork Station and a Frontier Death

Among those early settlers was Ignatius Buckman, born in 1754. In April of 1794, he was shot four times and scalped. He became the first person buried in what would become Holy Name of Mary Cemetery.

A Church is Built — 1805

In 1805, the settlers constructed their first church — a simple log building. Replaced by a more permanent brick structure in 1830. The third church was constructed in 1891 and still serves the people of Calvary today.

The First Priests at Calvary

Father Stephen Badin, the very first Catholic priest ordained in the United States, rode through the region. Others included Father Michel Barriere and Father Benedict Joseph Flaget. Perhaps no missionary priest was more beloved than Father Charles Nerinckx.

Calvary Academy — The Sisters Arrive

In 1816, the Sisters of Loretto came to open Calvary Academy. In 1920, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph arrived to teach both elementary and high school students.

Holy Name of Mary Cemetery

Names like Buckman, Abell, Spalding, and Wathen are etched into stone. Among the graves are at least three Revolutionary War veterans: John Barton Abell, Henry Hudson, and Wathen Benedict Spalding.