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What is the Diocese of Owensboro?
The Diocese of Owensboro is the Roman Catholic diocese serving western Kentucky. It covers 78 parishes plus numerous schools and institutions, and is led by Bishop William F. Medley, who was ordained to the episcopacy in 2010. Its website, Diocese of Owensboro, functions as the administrative and pastoral hub for that region.
H3 What you'll find there
- Parish and school information for western Kentucky
- Bishop and diocesan leadership updates
- Ministries and pastoral planning, including Hispanic/Latino ministry
- Safe Environment resources and the Disciples Response Fund
- News such as priest assignments and the Migration Mass
H3 Who it's for
- Catholics in western Kentucky looking for a parish, school, or Mass
- Clergy, staff, and volunteers needing diocesan policies and assignments
- Journalists or researchers checking official diocesan news
H3 A practical next step If you're new to the area, start with the parish finder or school listings to locate the community nearest you. If you're following diocesan news, the homepage highlights current items like priest assignments and the Migration Mass.
How can I find a Catholic parish or Mass time near me in western Kentucky?
The Diocese of Owensboro covers 78 parishes across western Kentucky, so the most direct route is to start with its parish and Mass-time listings, then confirm with the individual parish before traveling.
A practical path
- Go to Diocese of Owensboro and look for the parish directory or "find a parish" section.
- Identify the parish nearest your town or route.
- Check that parish's own page or phone line for current Mass times, since diocesan pages sometimes list locations without up-to-date schedules.
- If you are visiting for a specific occasion, call ahead — weekend and holy day schedules change.
What to expect
The diocese serves western Kentucky, an area with both larger town parishes and small rural churches. Mass times often differ between weekday, Saturday vigil and Sunday, and small parishes may share a priest across several churches, so a single location can have a limited schedule. If you are new to the area or just passing through, a nearby parish office is usually the fastest source of accurate information.
If you want more than a Mass time
The diocese also runs Catholic schools and a Safe Environment program, and publishes a Migration Mass and the Disciples Response Fund. If you are moving to the region, the parish office can also point you to local schools, faith formation and community events.
What Catholic schools are part of the Diocese of Owensboro and how do I enroll my child?
The Diocese of Owensboro includes Catholic schools across western Kentucky, but this site does not publish a single complete list or an online enrollment form. The reliable path is to start with the diocesan Catholic Schools office, then contact the individual school directly, since enrollment is handled school by school.
How to find schools and enroll
- Use the Catholic Schools section of Diocese of Owensboro to identify the schools office and its contact details.
- Ask the office which elementary, middle or high schools serve your county; the diocese covers 78 parishes, so school options vary widely by town.
- Contact the parish in your area as well. Many parish schools enroll primarily local families and can tell you about waitlists, tuition assistance and registration dates.
- Expect to provide the usual documents: birth certificate, baptismal record if applicable, immunization records, report cards or transcripts from a prior school, and any IEP or accommodation paperwork.
- If your child is entering mid-year or you are moving into the area, call the school first rather than waiting for a general registration window.
A practical next step Decide your top priority before you call: daily commute, parish affiliation, a specific academic or extracurricular program, or tuition cost. That determines whether you begin with the diocesan schools office or with one nearby parish school.
For a concrete example, a family relocating to a smaller western Kentucky town might find only one Catholic elementary school within reasonable driving distance, with the nearest Catholic high school farther away. In that case, the schools office can clarify which parish boundaries and bus or carpool arrangements apply.
What to confirm directly Tuition, financial aid, before- and after-care, and enrollment deadlines are set locally and change yearly, so verify them with the school. The diocese is led by Bishop William F. Medley, and its Safe Environment heading reflects that volunteer and employee screening requirements often apply to parent volunteers, which is worth asking about if you plan to be involved.
How can I report abuse or learn about the Safe Environment program in the diocese?
The Diocese of Owensboro's Safe Environment program is its framework for preventing abuse and handling allegations involving church personnel. The site's "Safe Environment" section is the starting point for both reporting concerns and learning how the diocese trains and screens people who work with children and vulnerable adults.
If you need to report abuse
Contact civil authorities first — in Kentucky, that typically means local law enforcement or the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Reporting to the diocese does not replace a legal report. For church-related concerns, the diocese provides a designated contact for its Safe Environment office; use the contact details listed on the Safe Environment page of Diocese of Owensboro rather than relying on a general parish phone number.
What the program generally covers
- Background checks and screening for clergy, employees, and volunteers
- Training on recognizing and preventing abuse, often renewed on a set cycle
- Codes of conduct for adults in ministry
- Procedures for responding to allegations and supporting victims
These are standard elements of diocesan safe environment programs in the U.S.; the Owensboro page is where you confirm the specifics for this diocese.
For parents and parishioners
If your question is "is my child safe at this parish or school?" the practical next step is to ask the parish office which staff and volunteers have completed training and screening, and how the parish handles supervision during activities. The Catholic Schools section of the same site can point you to school-level contacts.
For volunteers and employees
You will usually be asked to complete screening and training before starting. Check the Safe Environment page for how to begin, and ask your parish coordinator if anything is unclear.
If your concern involves a minor and you believe there is immediate danger, call 911 before anything else.
What is the Disciples Response Fund and how are donations used?
The Disciples Response Fund is the annual diocesan appeal of the Diocese of Owensboro, western Kentucky — a pooled collection that supports ministries and services across its 78 parishes, schools and institutions rather than a single parish or program. It appears as a standing item on the diocese's site alongside Catholic Schools and Safe Environment, which signals its role as one of the ordinary ways the diocese funds its work.
How donations are typically used
Diocesan appeals of this kind generally pay for things a single parish cannot easily fund alone. Common uses include:
- Formation and education, including Catholic schools and religious education support
- Ministry to specific communities, such as Hispanic/Latino ministry
- Outreach to the poor, sick and homebound, and family or marriage support
- Administrative and pastoral services shared across parishes
- Clergy care, retirement and seminarian formation
The diocese's site also carries a "Plan Pastoral Diocesano para el Ministerio Hispano / Latino" page, which suggests Hispanic/Latino ministry planning is an active area of diocesan work — a plausible destination for appeal funds, though the site does not itemise the fund's allocations.
If you are considering giving
The practical question is not whether the fund is worthwhile in the abstract, but whether its priorities match yours. A donor who wants money to stay local might prefer a parish collection; someone who wants to support priest formation, schools across the region, or ministry to a specific language community may find the diocesan fund a better fit.
Next step: read the Disciples Response Fund page on Diocese of Owensboro for the current year's stated goals and any published breakdown, then compare it with your own parish's offertory. If the published description is thin, ask the diocesan development office directly which programmes the appeal supports this year and what share goes to administration — that answer, not a general description, is what should decide your gift.
How do I contact the Diocese of Owensboro or find information about Bishop William F. Medley?
Contact the Diocese of Owensboro through its main office in Owensboro, Kentucky, or use the website's directories to reach a specific parish, school or ministry. Information about Bishop William F. Medley is available through the diocesan site and its news and office pages.
Contacting the diocese
- Start at the official website: Diocese of Owensboro.
- Look for a general contact page, staff directory or office listing for the Chancery and ministries.
- For parish-level matters such as Mass times, sacraments or local programs, contact the individual parish directly; the diocese serves 78 parishes across western Kentucky.
- For school inquiries, use the Catholic Schools section; for abuse reporting or prevention, use the Safe Environment section.
Finding information about Bishop William F. Medley
- Bishop Medley has led the diocese since his ordination as bishop in 2010.
- Look for his profile, pastoral letters, homilies and news items on the diocesan website.
- Diocesan announcements, such as priest assignments, are typically posted in the news or official notices area.
Practical next step
If you are unsure which office handles your question, call the main diocesan office and describe your need—liturgy, schools, Hispanic ministry, Safe Environment or a specific parish—and ask to be transferred. For time-sensitive items, check the website's news or announcements section first, since diocesan notices are posted there.
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