Fr. Nerinckx was a heroic missionary priest who brought many souls to God
“Do not forsake Providence and He will never forsake you!”
The churches founded by Fr. Nerinckx in Kentucky are as follows:
Holy Mary’s, Calvary
St. Vincent de Paul, New Haven
St. Romuald, Hardinsburg
St. Paul, Big Clifty
St. Ignatius, White Mills
St. Clare’s, Colesburg
St. Charles, St. Mary’s
St. Bernard, Clementsville
St. Patrick’s, Mercer County
St. Augustine, Lebanon
St. Augustine, Grayson
St. Anthony, Axtel
And the renewed Holy Cross church which he helped build with his own hand on the site of the first Catholic church ever built in Kentucky, a log chapel constructed by the pioneers in 1792
A passage from Martin John Spalding’s Sketches of the Early Catholic Missions of Kentucky:
“His labours in the arduous field upon which he had now entered were as great as their fruit was abundant. With his whole soul, he devoted himself to the work of the ministry. He even seemed to court labours and sufferings for their own sake. Of a powerful frame, and of herculean constitution, he never spared himself. His rest was brief, and his food was generally of the coarsest kind. He generally arose several hours before day, which hours he devoted to prayer and study. In fact, he seemed to be always engaged in mental prayer, no matter how numerous or distracting were his employments.
“He appeared to live solely for God, and for his neighbour. Performing his duty was his daily bread. And though old age was fast creeping over him, yet he relaxed in nothing his exhausting labours. His soul was still fresh and vigorous; and God so preserved his health, that, even at the age of sixty, he seemed gifted with all the strength and vigour of youth.
“He seldom missed offering up the Holy Sacrifice daily, no matter what had been his previous fatigues or indisposition. Often was he known to ride twenty-five or thirty miles fasting, in order to be able to say Mass. His missionary labours would be almost incredible, were they not still so well remembered by almost all the older Catholics of Kentucky.
“His courage was unequalled: he feared no difficulties, and was appalled by no dangers. Through rain and storms; through snows and ice; over roads rendered almost impassable by the mud; over streams swollen by the rains, or frozen by the cold; by day and by night, in winter and in summer; he might be seen traversing all parts of Kentucky in the discharge of his laborious duties. Far from shunning, he seemed even to seek after hardships and dangers.
“He crossed wilderness districts, swam rivers, slept in the woods among the wild beasts; and while undergoing all this, he was in the habit of fasting, and of voluntarily mortifying himself in many other ways. His courage and vigour seemed to increase with the labours and privations he had to endure. As his courage, so neither did his cheerfulness, ever abandon him. He seldom laughed, or even smiled; but there was withal an air of contentment and cheerfulness about him which greatly qualified the natural austerity of his countenance and manners. He could, like the great Apostle, make himself “all to all, to gain all to Christ.” ”
An account of Father Charles Nerinckx’s last days written by Bishop Flaget:
“After the arrival of [Father] Nerinckx at the residence of the Sisters, in Missouri, he wrote to me a most affecting letter, describing the good they had accomplished in that diocese, and the hopes which he entertained of their being one day useful to the Indians. Thence he went to visit an establishment of Flemish Jesuits, which is pretty numerous, and about ninety miles distant from the monastery. After spending some days of edifying fervor in the midst of those holy and beloved countrymen of his, he set out on his return to the monastery, and thence intended coming to Kentucky. Near St. Louis, he had an interview with an Indian chief, who promised to send him a great number of the young females of his tribe, to be educated by the Sisters. He made haste to carry this news to the monastery, and his heart burned within him, while his imagination pictured to itself the good prospect, which lay open to his hopes.
“On his road, however, was a path to a settlement of eight or ten Catholic families, who had not seen a priest during more than two years. Desirous of doing all the good in his power, he assembled them, heard their confessions, gave them instructions, and celebrated for them the holy sacrifice of the mass. He was thus occupied, from a little after daybreak, until towards three o’clock in the evening. Seeing the good dispositions of those Catholics, he proposed to them to build a church, in order to encourage priests to come to them; a subscription was immediately opened by those present; out of his own small means he gave ten dollars; and signatures for over nine hundred dollars were instantly affixed to the sheet.
“After all this exertion, in such broiling weather, he felt feverish symptoms. These continued the next day, but apparently much diminished. He wished to go to St. Genevieve, which was only fifteen or eighteen miles distant; and though the journey was short, still the exertion and the burning sun greatly increased the fever. The pastor of St. Genevieve (M. Dahman) received him with great kindness and affection. He was obliged to betake himself immediately to bed; the physicians came promptly, and paid him every attention; but to no purpose.
“[Father] Nerinckx was, I trust, in the eye of God, ripe for heaven; and his Lord saw that it was time to bestow upon his faithful servant the recompense of his labors. He had the use of his reason to the last, and edified all who saw him by his piety and patience. On the ninth day of his sickness, about nine in the morning, he received the holy viaticum and extreme unction, after having made his confession; and about five in the evening, he breathed out his pure soul to return to its Creator, with entire resignation, and without a struggle.”
Martin John Spalding concludes:
“Fr. Nerinckx had reached his 63rd year; and, during the last forty years of his life, he had laboured for the glory of God and the good of his neighbour, with a constancy, an activity, and a zeal, seldom equalled, never, perhaps, surpassed. His whole life had been one continued voluntary martyrdom and holocaust. He contemned this world, and panted only for heaven; but he ardently wished to go to paradise with a numerous escort of souls, whom he had been instrumental in rescuing from perdition, and leading to salvation. This thought seemed to engross his whole mind and soul: and his life was but a carrying of it out. That God, whom he served so long and so faithfully, has no doubt long since crowned these lofty aspirations of His humble and heroic servant.”
A passage from The Centenary of Catholicity in Kentucky, 1884:
“The announcement of his death in Kentucky was the occasion of general sorrow among Catholics. He was personally known by the greater number of these, and where that was not the case, there were none who had not knowledge of his reputation for sanctity. The fact of his death was announced from the pulpit of the cathedral, Bardstown, by Bishop Flaget himself, and as he told the story of his life and death, of the services he had rendered to the diocese, and of the christian virtues that ennobled his character, his eyes overflowed and the tones of his voice were indicative of deep anguish. The cathedral congregation had seen less, possibly, of Father Nerinckx than any other in the State; but a stranger in their presence that day would have thought that the dead priest had been bound to them by long-established pastoral ties. Among the people of his own congregations there was felt much keener sorrow, but to this was added a sentiment that was akin to triumph. They had been served by a saint! — thus they reasoned — and they had now an intercessor in heaven who would pity them because they had been his children.”
A section from Father Nerinckx’s will:
“[Have] Zeal for souls — your own and that of so many desolate orphans and scholars — burning zeal of Jesus and Mary! Gain souls, hunt souls, catch souls, court souls, draw souls, pull souls, carry souls, deliver souls, shelter souls, buy souls! . . . Souls! Souls! and nothing but souls, for the love of Jesus, the owner of all souls!
“…The writer’s wish is here set down on paper; may he hear it accomplished on earth, and may he see it rewarded in the company of the Friends of Mary in heaven! Amen! Amen!!”
Prayer for God’s help:
“O Jesus, Who didst inspire Thy servant, Charles Nerinckx, with boundless zeal for the salvation of souls, and who didst fill him with a compassionate love for Thee and Thy Blessed Mother, deign to make known to Thy Church that his labors were acceptable to Thee, and through the merits of Thy passion and death, and the intercession of Thy Mother, mercifully grant the favor which we now beg of Thee
…(insert prayer intention)…
Amen.”
A passage from 1880s’ The Life of Charles Nerinckx by Bishop Camillus Maes of Covington:
“On the night of Father Nerinckx’ death, a very remarkable incident had taken place at the Convent of Bethlehem: “Sisters Benedicta Fenwick and Mechtildis Hayden were making the hour’s adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament, when the latter, hastily rising off her knees, went to Sister Benedicta and said to her in a low voice, ‘Father Nerinckx is dead, I know he is. He is now in the presence of the Blessed Virgin whom he so tenderly loved on earth; and, in a short time, I shall follow.’ Sister Mechtildis had been suffering for a long time from a cancer in the head, and was so very sick with consumption that she had to remain in bed the next day. On the evening of that day, August 13th, 1824, and whilst the corpse was being brought from Ste. Genevieve, a similar scene, as strongly savoring of the supernatural, and the truth of which is vouched for by Sister Eulalia Kelly, who was an eye-witness to the fact, occurred toward nine o’clock, P.M. Sister Mechtildis got out of bed and began running about the house, singing: ‘Praises to the Lord! Our dear Father Nerinckx is in heaven! Alleluia!’ Thinking that her suffering had made the poor sister light in the head, her companions did all they could to quiet her; but to all their entreaties she only answered; ‘Father Nerinckx is in heaven!’ About a quarter of an hour later, the messenger from Ste. Genevieve actually arrived, and brought them the first news of the death of their founder, adding that the funeral procession was on its way to Bethlehem, and would arrive there some time during the night.”
An inscriptions on his grave at Loretto:
‘In memory of Rev. Charles Nerinckx, a native of Flanders, who died Aug’t. 12th, 1824, in Missouri. His remains were translated to Kentucky in 1833, by brother Charles Gilbert, at the request of the Loretto Society, and interred at this place by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Flaget, and the Rev. G. I. Chabrat, Superior of the Society.’
May God bless the Kentucky Holy Land well into the future and may we never forget the sacrifices and love of our founding father and apostle
On August 12th, 2024
At 5–5:30pm, a great prayer rally will be held at the Sisters of Loretto cemetery, the home of Fr. Nerinckx’s grave.
After, at 6:30pm, all are invited to travel the 10 minute drive to the Abbey of Gethsemani, where upon Calvary Hill, the giant hill with the cross, we will have a Great Novena session. On-fire Catholic leaders will give a talk about how we, as a community united in prayer, can make the next 9 years a great novena leading up to the 2,000th anniversary of the Catholic Church (2033).
Can you believe we live at a time such as this? You do not want to miss this historic occasion.
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