Mission

History

As members of St. Ignatius Martyr Parish, our mission is to affirm and evangelize the Catholic faith within a multi-cultural community. We provide support for all our members through liturgy, worship, religious education, service, and social events.

The shared leadership of the clergy and laity help to maintain a contemporary vision of Church, and we welcome all to participate in the many aspects of parish life. We want to use our resources and giftedness to go beyond our parish and into the larger community.

​St. Ignatius Martyr parish was established by Archbishop John A. Floersch on April 1, 1963. Located on the site of a former Masonic Home, the property was acquired by the Archdiocese and used for a short time as a home for the aged: The O'Leary Home.

Construction of the parish facilities began February 18, 1963.  The church cornerstone was laid May 26th of the same year, and the first Mass in the church was celebrated August 11, 963.  Prior to that, the early parishioners attended Mass, celebrated by Rev. Stanley J. Schmidt,  the Founding Pastor, at Thomas Jefferson School, located at Rangeland Road and Poplar Level Road.

The original marble altars, the Communion rail and the Stations of the Cross in the church came from the old St. Helen's Church on Dixie Highway, which was being demolished at the time St. Ignatius was being built.  Many early parishioners worked long and hard to assemble the "marble jigsaw puzzle" into the church sanctuary.

The religious faculty of the parish school was originally nuns from the Ursuline Community of Mt. St. Joseph in Owensboro, KY.  This arrangement continued until the 1980's, when declining vocations reduced the number of sisters available.  By 1987 the school faculty consisted of lay teachers and Principal Sr. Rita Joseph Jarrell, of the Ursuline Community, Lexington Road Motherhouse in Louisville.

The Eagles Athletic Club was formed in 1978 to support school athletics.   When the school closed, it became an organization benefiting the parish and multiple other agencies through its charitable works.  Through monthly chicken dinners, the Eagles provide aid to many communities through services and financial support, both locally and around the world. It also provides fellowship for many men over a wide area who would otherwise have no contact with the Church. 
 
In 1991, faced with declining enrollment and rising costs, St. Ignatius School clustered with two neighboring schools, Guardian Angels and Resurrection, to form Thomas Merton Academy.  The original school site became the Child Development Center of Thomas Merton Academy, housing a Day Care, Pre-school, and After School Care.  
 
In 1993, because of the needed space by the Day Care, the Pre-School was moved to another campus.

In 1994, the Thomas Merton Day Care expanded into another wing of the old school building and became the largest Day Care operated by the Archdiocese. After Thomas Merton Academy was dissolved, the Day Care became St. Ignatius  Child Development, which was closed in 2010.

Also in 1991, the church was renovated to conform to the liturgical changes promulgated by the Second Vatican Council. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel was built, the pews were reconfigured to give a better sense of community at prayer and worship, and the new altar, president's chair and Blessed Sacrament altar were all constructed using the marble from the old altars and communion rail.

The past several years we have been raising funds through our Capital Campaign, which has been used to continuously finance renovations throughout the church.  The parish offices moved into the old school in April, 2011.  In 2013, a new altar and chairs were handmade by charter parishioner Bill Beaven and Jim Masterson.  In March of 2014, the new gathering space & baptismal font construction was completed and unveiled.  The gathering space also includes two restrooms. The church interior was painted and the parking lot was paved.