THE LAST PIECE OF MY FINAL BUILDING PROJECT

A Needed Guest House For Saint Theresa

in memory of Father Patrick MacNicholas

A dedicated former pastor of Saint Theresa Church in Rhodelia, Father Patrick MacNicholas, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1820. In October of 1850, he was appointed pastor of Saint Theresa Church. At that time the parish was gathering in its second log church located in today's "old cemetery." The pastor was living in a log rectory adjacent to that church! 

The pastorate of the Irish Father MacNicholas was long and eventful.  In his twenty years as pastor of Saint Theresa, he erected the present brick church and opened Saint Theresa Academy. 

The church, dedicated in 1861, is pictured above as it would have looked toward the end of Father MacNicholas's pastorate. The main section of St. Theresa Academy, pictured below, was finished toward the end of Father MacNicholas's tenture as well. Father MacNicholas lived his whole long pastorate in a small log rectory in the old cemetery while he was overseeing the building of these impressive structures. 

Father Patrick MacNicholas left Saint Theresa in October of 1870 after completing twenty amazing years. No photos of him can be found, but he does have an impressive tombstone pictured below. Father Patrick MacNicholas is buried in St. Louis Cemetery in Louisville along with several other early pastors of St. Theresa Church.

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It wasn't till 1874, under the watchful eye of the French pastor Father Jule Pierre Raoux, when the pastor could move out of the log cabin rectory in the old cemetery into a new rectory (below) which was built close to the "new" church. 

Father Raoux's rectory (above) lasted till the very end of the 1950s when Father Felix Johnson built the present rectory (below). After Father Johnson's new rectory was finished, Father Raoux's old rectory served as the care-taker's home until it was finally torn down a few years ago.  It lasted over 100 years! It was in that old rectory where I met with Father Johnson about going to the seminary in 1958. We met in the big room with two windows on the left on the first floor. 

Father Johnson's new rectory, his last project, was a home for him for a short time and several pastor's after his death in 1960. It was used as a rectory until the present pastor from India, Father George Illikal, began residing in the rectory of the twined-parish of St. Mary Magdalen in Payneville. At that time, the rectory at St. Theresa became parish offices. With the completion of the new Family Life Center in the old school, the parish offices can now move into the Family Life Center. This frees up the old rectory for use as a "guest house." We need a place for visiting priests to stay when they come to fill-in, a place for Sisters, priests and lay people to make private retreats, a place for program presenters in our new Family Life Center who need to stay overnight and an over-flow place where parishioners' out-of-town guests can stay. There are no hotels in Rhodelia and none for miles and miles around! 

When this rectory renovation is completed, my last construction project commitment will be completed and then I can turn my attention to being one of the program presenters in the new Family Life Center. 

My brother, Mark, and I are leading the Guest House renovation. The house needs a complete upgrade. Mark has already seen to it that the outside is done: new doors, front and back, and a new deck behind the house to replace the rotting one.  We are both going to see to it that the inside is completed as soon as possible after the offices are moved out. We are committed, but we are open to having some help. While we will be joined by a few friends and local volunteers to accomplish this task, we can always use some financial help added to what we can contribute. We need some old temporary walls that were added to make offices removed, carpeting, paint, kitchen cabinets, new furniture, a bathroom upgrade, a few new light fixtures, some sheets, towels, blankets and bedspreads, as well as some dishes and small appliances. 

DECEMBER 6 WAS THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS

How About a Nice St. Nicholas Gift Toward Finishing My Final Project in Honor of Father MacNicholas?

Maybe You Can Use Our Guest House For a Personal Retreat Someday!

If you would like to help, please let me know! I have already bought and paid for some of the furniture during the November Black Friday sales, but I am only about one-third done. I am a great shopper because I start early and stay alert for unbelievable bargains after Christmas. Checks should be written to Saint Theresa Church and sent to me for forwarding at:

Rev. Ronald Knott

1271 Parkway Gardens Court

#106

Louisville, KY 40217 

FOR QUESTIONS, CALL

 502-303-4571