1785 to 1988

The first Catholic immigrants to the Kentucky area came from Maryland in 1785. By 1796, approximately 300 Catholic families were living in the new state of Kentucky.^[1] Among the early missionaries was Stephen Badin, who set out on foot for Kentucky on in 1793, sent by Bishop John Carroll of the Diocese of Baltimore. For the next 14 years Badin traveled on foot, horseback and boat between widely scattered Catholic settlements in Kentucky and the Northwest Territory. For three years, Badin was the only priest in the whole of Kentucky.^[2]

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown, covering Kentucky and most of the Northwest Territory. Saint Paul, the first Catholic church in Lexington, was constructed in 1813.^[3]

In 1841, Pope Leo suppressed the Diocese of Bardstown, which by this time encompassed only Kentucky. In its place, he created the Diocese of Louisville, with jurisdiction over the entire state. The Diocese of Covington was erected in 1853, taking most of the counties that today represent the Diocese of Lexington.^[4] The Lexington area remained part of these two dioceses for the next 135 years.

1988 to present

Pope John Paul II established the Diocese of Lexington on January 14, 1988.^[5] The new diocese would include 43 counties from the Diocese of Covington and seven counties from the Archdiocese of Louisville.

John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop James Williams of Covington as the first bishop of Lexington.^[5] Christ the King Church was elevated to the status of cathedral.

In early 2002, Williams went on leave as bishop of Lexington after sexual abuse allegations arose from his service with the Archdiocese of Louisville. He resigned as bishop of Lexington in July 2002.^[6][7] To replace Williams, John Paul II named Reverend Ronald William Gainer of the Diocese of Allentown.^[8] In 2014, Pope Francis named Gainer as bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg.

As of 2023, the bishop of the Diocese of Lexington is John Stowe, named by Francis in 2015.^[9]

The diocese was sued in August 2016 by three former students at Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington. One male plaintiff said he was physically assaulted at the school, a female plaintiff stated she was a victim of sexual harassment and sex discrimination, and a second male said he experienced racial discrimination.^[10]

Sexual abuse incidents

Reverend William G. Poole was arrested in 1990 at Jacobson Park in Lexington during a police sting against prostitution. He was arrested again in 2001 at the same park after a police officer observed him masturbating inside a park bathroom. Poole was then fined $100.^[11] The diocese suspended him from ministry.

In 2002, a man reported to the diocese that Poole had sexually assaulted him as a minor in 1972 in Martin, Kentucky. The diocese paid the man a settlement. In early 2003, a second man accused Poole of sexual abuse during the same time when he was a minor. The diocese decided that his accusations were not credible. However, the Diocese of Covington, the predecessor to the Diocese of Lexington, determined these accusations to be credible and paid the second man a settlement. In December 2003, the diocese returned Poole to ministry, but he permanently retired the next month.^[12][13][14]

Police arrested Reverend Leonard B. Nienaber in April 1993 on charges on sexual abuse and indecent or immoral practices with others. The nine complainants accused Nienaber of abusing them as minors between 1962 and 1978 when he was pastor of Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Church.^[15] Nienaber pleaded guilty to ten counts of child molestation in 1994, received a ten-year suspended sentence and was remanded to live at a church facility in Missouri for the rest of his life.^[14]

Will L. McGinnis III sued the diocese in June 2002, stating that he had been sexually abused as a 14-year-old altar boy at Cathedral of Christ the King in 1983 by Reverend Bill Fedders.^[16] McGinnis had reported the incident to the diocese in 1993 and in 1994 asked them for $200,000 in compensation. The diocese refused, only offering him counseling. A judge ruled in June 2002 that the statue of limitations had passed on the case.^[17] While McGinnis was appealing the case, Fedders admitted to the diocese to one offense. In June 2005, the diocese permanently suspended Fedders from ministry and ordered him to live a life of penance and prayer.^[18][14] That same month, the Kentucky Supreme Court refused to reopen the McGinnis case.^[19]

In August 2020, the diocese released a list of 20 priests with different levels of accusations of sexual abuse.^[20][21][22] Bishop Stowe wrote that ten of the allegations were "substantiated", four allegations were deemed "credible", and the remaining six allegations were "credible" but involved minors living outside the diocese. All except two allegations were for incidents that happened before the diocese was erected in 1988.^[22]

Bishops of Lexington

1. James Kendrick Williams (1988–2002)
2. Ronald William Gainer (2002–2014), appointed Bishop of Harrisburg
3. John Eric Stowe, OFM Conv. (2015–present)^[23]