Along with the community, Bishop William F. Medley participates in the Aug. 17 ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Faith Community Center of St. William and St. Lawrence Parishes in Knottsville. RACHEL HALL | WKC
‘Grateful and generous hearts’ – St. William and St. Lawrence celebrate new parish facility
BY RACHEL HALL, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
St. William and St. Lawrence Parishes in the Knottsville community recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new Faith Community Center, a facility recently constructed by Hayden Construction, that will function as a parish hall and parish offices.
Bishop William F. Medley was in attendance to celebrate Mass and bless the new facility for the celebration, which was held on Aug. 17.
“St. William and St. Lawrence Parishes have long needed a facility like this,” said Lee Mills, chair of the St. William/St. Lawrence buildings and grounds committee. “Previously, our parish offices were in the old rectory building next to St. William Church. While it was a beautiful historic house, it was not well-suited for office use.”
Mills said that in addition to needing new offices, St. William needed a parish hall for larger fellowship gatherings. “In the past, we often used the school gym for these events; however, a gymnasium is not ideal for all occasions. Many wedding celebrations have been held outside our community in venues that better accommodate such events.”
Bishop William F. Medley sprinkles holy water around the new Faith Community Center of St. William and St. Lawrence Parishes in Knottsville during the ribbon cutting and blessing event on Aug. 17. RACHEL HALL | WKC
Though St. Lawrence has a parish hall, it is too small for larger gatherings. When a funeral was held at St. William, they had to ask families to travel to St. Lawrence, which is about 2.5 miles away, for their bereavement meals.
“Now, we finally have a modern facility at St. William that meets all these needs,” said Mills.
“Our new Faith Community Center was a dream that took us over a decade to complete,” he said. “Throughout this journey, we faced numerous challenges, including a global pandemic and unprecedented cost increases. However, the unwavering support from our parishioners was tremendous, allowing us to come together and overcome these obstacles.
He said that from the initial planning and fundraising stages, to the design and construction, many individuals played key roles in making the dream a reality.
He said that the Catholic Church has had a presence in the Knottsville and Philpot area for nearly 200 years, and that the community’s ancestors “left us two beautiful churches and facilities that have served our community for generations.”
“The establishment of this new facility represents a significant investment by our faith community to ensure that we have a place for our parishes to gather and grow in faith for future generations,” he said. “As our capital campaign prayer says at every Mass, ‘We pray that through grateful and generous hearts, this Faith Community Center will grow the ministries of worship, fellowship, education, and service.’”
Originally printed in the October 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
