Are you new to St. Francis Xavier Church or interested in joining our faith family? This page is meant especially for you. From parish history and a map of the SFX campus, to mass and sacrament schedules, the links below provide you with answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from new parishioners. If you haven’t already completed new member registration or signed up for one of the many ministries at SFX, there are links to help you with that as well.
We hope you have found your home here at St. Francis Xavier and look forward to seeing you at Mass and around campus. Welcome!
St. Francis Xavier Mission
St. Francis Xavier is a Roman Catholic community in Mount Washington, Kentucky, established in 1846 to further God’s kingdom on earth. We are a welcoming community of faith serving the spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical needs of our parishioners. We are dedicated to the celebration of the sacraments and the teachings of the church. Our goal is to meet these needs through various parish organizations and through community ministries.
History of St. Francis Xavier Church
St. Francis Xavier Church was established in 1830 through Fr. James Elliott, the pastor of St. Michael’s in Fairfield. The church building, located at northwest corner of the intersection of Snapp and East Streets, was dedicated on October 4, 1846.
The first records of sacraments celebrated in the church date back to 1848. Following Fr Elliot’s death in 1871, Fr. Eugene O’Callaghan was named Pastor at St. Michael’s and its mission church, St. Francis Xavier. In the 1880’s Mass was celebrated at St. Francis Xavier every 3 weeks, with the priest often arriving by horseback on Saturday and spending the night with parishioners before riding back out after mass on Sunday.
Many priests served the mission of St. Francis in the years that followed. In 1948 the mission was transferred from St. Michael’s to St Aloysius Church in Shepherdsville and St. Francis Xavier began celebrating weekly masses.
By 1961 the original church building could no longer hold the growing congregation (46 families). Pleas were made to the Bishop for permission to build a larger church. A Ground Breaking Ceremony at the Hwy 44 and Stringer Lane intersection was held on May 2, 1965 and the new church building opened for its first service on Christmas day of that same year. It was dedicated on May 29, 1966. St. Francis Xavier Church was canonically decreed its own parish on October 27, 1966 with Fr. Henry Vessels as pastor.
In 1983 the educational building was added to the SFX campus, providing much needed space for educating the youth of the parish. By 1996 the parish had grown to over 350 households, supporting a vast number of ministries, including CCD, RCIA, Women’s Club, and the Knights of Columbus.
On March 27, 2010 the parish dedicated a new, larger worship space under the leadership of Fr. Scott Wimsatt. The new church building was needed to support its nearly 750 registered households. The parish continues to expand its services to its parishioners and the community with the construction of the Xavier Center, the refurbishment of the Parish Hall, and the planned renovations to the Religious Education Building.
SFX Campus Map
Contact Information
St. Francis Xavier Church
155 Stringer Lane
Mt. Washington, KY 40047
(502) 538-4933
Office Hours:
Mon- Thurs 9AM – 4PM
Friday 9AM – 12PM
Register as a New Member
Click here to access the On-Line Registration Form.
View Ministries
Click on a Ministry Heading to jump to that page.
Administration (Audit Committee, Safety, Buildings and Grounds, Stewardship/Planned Giving, Long Range Planning, etc…)
Lifelong Formation / Education (Adult Faith Formation, OCIA, Children’s Faith Formation, Children’s Church, High School Youth Group, Baptismal Prep, Women’s and Men’s Retreats, etc…)
Parish Life (Family Ministry, JOY, Rosary Makers, Women’s Club, Community Ministries, SFX Outreach, Prayer Tree, Prayer Blanket Ministry, etc…)
Worship (Altar Servers/Acolytes, Altar Society, Ministers of Hospitality, Ministers of Holy Communion, Ministers of the Word, Adult and Youth Choir, etc…)
Affiliated Organizations (Cub Scouts & Scouts BSA, Knights of Columbus, American Red Cross)
Stewardship Intention
Complete a Stewardship form to update our parish records & to share your Love, Service, and Generosity.
Click here for a printable form.
For additional ways to financially support parish initiatives, such as Debt Reduction, Expanding our Embrace, Legacy Fund, SFX Outreach, or Youth Group, follow this link.
Sacraments
Information on the 7 Sacraments can be found through this link.
The Sacraments page provides basic information as well as additional links to forms and contacts.
Safe Environment Training
The Archdiocese of Louisville is committed to ensuring that children and youth who worship, study or participate in church-sponsored activities can do so in the safest and most secure setting possible. In an effort to fulfill this commitment, all employees or volunteers who have contact with children or youth (18 and under) for ANY length of time are required to participate in a 2-hour Safe Environment Training Workshop. The Safe Environment Program covers the following topics:
- Identifying signs of child sexual abuse
- Understanding the dynamics of child sexual abuse, including how children are groomed and how they may attempt to reveal their experience
- How to take action in response to child sexual abuse, including obligation to report and caring for the abused child
- Becoming familiar with new archdiocesan policies and Code of Conduct regarding work with children
If you are planning to volunteer with any ministry or event that involves youth, please plan to attend one the upcoming Safe Environment Training sessions.