Saint Aloysius Church has a rich history—spanning nearly 140 years—in which the Spirit is clearly evident.  In fact, St. Aloysius’ early history of forming a community of faith is somewhat similar to that of the early church.  In the early days of the Church, Christians had no central meeting place, no highly organized structure of leadership.   The gathering of believers to celebrate, remember and manifest Christ’s living presence to the world was a vital component of early Christianity, and community was essential to establishing the foundation and future of Christianity.  Without community, the Church would never have gotten onto its feet.

You’ll find St. Aloysius Cemetery at the corner of Central Avenue and Rollington Avenue. It was on this site, in 1863, that a small group of Catholics gathered, first to build a small cemetery on the hill, which became known as "Catholic Hill". The faith community we see today has its roots in a group of Catholics who gathered in 1863 in the then-named Rollington area to establish a Catholic cemetery which they named “Catholic Hill”.  From there, they held services in private homes, much like the people of the early Church.  Just two years later, in 1865, a church building was erected and the Catholics of the area had a central place to worship, profess their faith and be visible beacons of Christ to one another and to the surrounding area.   The church was a small, four-room cottage, but built on the inspiration of faith.  The parishioners dedicated the church to the Jesuit saint Aloysius Gonzaga.  It is, incidentally, the church described in the wedding in Anna Fellows Johnston's book, The Little Colonel.  For the next six years St. Aloysius was considered a "mission parish" and various priests from Shelbyville and the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville provided the spiritual, material, and liturgical needs of the people. 

In 1871, St. Aloysius became an official parish with Reverend Father A J Harnist as its first pastor.  At this point, the parish changed from being a mission parish to serving surrounding areas in Oldham, Trimble, and Jefferson counties as missionaries themselves.  A short two years later, the parish established its first school, thanks to the Archdiocese, which purchased a Methodist church in Rollington, providing the building to house classrooms.  The school operated in this building for 21 years, 1873 - 1894.  From 1873 to 1904, St. Aloysius had eight different pastors  The last pastor at the Rollington location, Fr. J. P. McParland, led the parish from 1895-1904.  It was under his watch that a population shift was beginning to become evident in the area.

The presence of a new inter-urban railroad line drew people to land around the tracks and the Pastor, Ed Boes, had the insight to seek property near the line in order to be where more people could be reached. He found and purchased land along the railroad line in Pewee Valley and the parish moved from Rollington to there in 1911.  At this time the parsonage was built, which served as the rectory until summer of 2002 when adjacent land with a house was purchased, into which the current priests have taken residence.   The Rollington rectory and church still stand today as private residences at 337 Central Avenue and 103 Rollington Rd, respectively.  Two years after purchasing the land in Pewee Valley and erecting the parsonage, the parish was ready to build its church.  The foundation was laid in June of 1913, with the help of Bishop O'Donaghue and 41 priests.  Bishop O’Donaghue and 22 priests dedicated the church on June 21, 1914.  During Fr. Boes' tenure as pastor, the Sisters of Mercy came to Pewee Valley.  They moved into a Victorian house donated to them by the founder of Bacon’s Department Store, Jeremiah A. Bacon.  The Sisters called the home “Mount Mercy” and on October 3, 1926, they established the first St. Aloysius School in the Pewee Valley location.  Fr. Boes continued as pastor until his death in 1924.  He had arranged for the Franciscan Friars of St. Joseph's in Louisville to help him while he was ill; the Franciscans continued as pastors for 14 years until diocesan priests were once again given care of the parish.

The hearts and hands of various parishioners helped make the church a special place touched with the character of the people who formed this community of faith.  For example, Mr. Chester Klemenz Sr. carved the large wooden cross for the church (still there today).  Mrs. Todd Hunter donated the figure of Christ that was placed on the cross to make it a crucifix--a hand carved wooden figure of the Savior imported from Germany.  The organ was donated by Joseph Fueglein in 1927, in memory of his parents and Fr. Boes.  It is still in the chapel today, thus illuminating how past, present, future and eternity all dwell in the spirit of St. Aloysius parish. 

In 1938 Fr. Albert Schmitt became pastor, and served for 30 years, helping to solidify the foundation of the parish.  That is not to say the parish stagnated; it indeed continued to grow, but got footing and grounding while under his leadership.  In 1944, St. Aloysius benefited from yet another generous benefactor who left property at the corner of Central Avenue and what is now Mt. Mercy Drive to the church in a will.  Fr. Schmitt moved the school into the home there (the Foley House, now the Parish Office) and eventually even used the garage as a school annex when it became necessary to provide more space.  The parish was able to accommodate growth and move the school into the Mary Thomas home, which she willed to the church.  Unfortunately, it burned and only a small part of it was left standing.  It was moved to another part of the church property and housed the caretaker and his wife (Arthur and Lizzie Butler).  For years, it was called “Arthur's house,” until 1984 when the Men's Club remodeled it and renamed it the “Eagles' Nest.”  It now sits behind the School building, renovated and well-appointed for meetings and other functions. The land where the Mary Thomas house was became the place upon which the first real school building was to be erected.  The cornerstone was laid in 1954 and in the school opened the following year.  Fr. Schmitt contributed much to forming St. Aloysius as a vibrant, viable parish and school.  The parish celebrated with him as he was elevated to the rank of Monsignor in 1955 and when he celebrated his jubilee as priest in 1957.  He died 10 years later; in the two years that followed three pastors served at St. Aloysius.

In 1969 Monsignor Allgeier became pastor and would remain so for the next thirteen years.  During his pastorate the parish grew quite a bit.  He brought Bingo to the parish in 1978, the proceeds of which helped fund a gymnasium/multi-purpose building.  A Men's Club formed with focus on improving the athletic program.  Sports teams did improve, but facilities were needed for practices and games.  For that reason, the gymnasium/multi-purpose building was built and dedicated in 1982.  It was named “Allgeier Hall” in honor of the pastor.

The first Deacon to serve St. Aloysius was Deacon Francis Klosterman, who was ordained was the first Archdiocese deacon class in 1976. Deacon Klosterman can really claim to be a life-long member of the St. Aloysius family. He was baptized at St. Aloysius on April 27, 1919. He entered our first grade in the first year of the new parish school and made his first communion here in 1926. He was married in our church in 1940 to Ethel and together they have raised their fourteen children at St. Aloysius Church.

During Father Allgeier's pastorate Bingo came to St. Aloysius, with the first game being "celebrated" in December of 1978 in the basement of the school building, which then was used for the cafeteria. With proceeds from Bingo, the parish decided to build the present gymnasium/multi-purpose building. By now a Men's Club had been formed, and the Club dedicated itself to improving the athletic programs in the school and the parish. Within a few years, the teams from our school were beginning to do better in all sports, but they still suffered from the lack of a suitable facility to practice and play games. The new building was completed in 1982 and a grateful parish dedicated it to their Pastor on May 20,1982, when they named the building Allgeier Hall.

The 1980s brought new challenges to the parish.  Oldham County and eastern Jefferson County experienced such a surge in population growth that St. Aloysius began to feel itself bursting at the seams in both the church building and the school.  Overcrowding at Mass made it necessary to hold the 10:00 a.m. Mass in Allgeier Hall.  The school was near capacity or over in all grades.  Decisions were hard to make as there was a pull to keep the traditional “feel” of the parish, to keep its buildings “as is,” and a paradoxical need to expand and grow in answer to the growing population, quickly coming to the doors of St. Aloysius.  During this time, the decision was made to sell the Mercy Home property (the Sisters of Mercy had previously sold it to the parish), thus making that property unavailable for expansion.

June of 1981 was the time of the "great fire" in our little church. A troubled young man, not a parishioner, crept into the church and lit a fire along the west aisle. As the news spread throughout the parish, we held our breath as we tried to imagine what we would do without our church. However, thanks to the quick and effective reaction of the Pewee Valley, Worthington and South Oldham volunteer fire departments, damage to the church structure itself was minimal.

Fr. Vincent Schweizer became pastor in 1986.  With the Church problem resolved, there still remained the problem of the school. 

In June 2002 Fr. Jack Caldwell, who had been Associate Pastor for two years, took the helm. The parish said goodbye to Fr. Schweizer, who, quite suddenly, passed on later that same Today, St. Aloysius is on the verge of new growth. Now home to over 1500 families with a continual growth in numbers every month, the parish recently acquired adjacent property upon which future growth in a tangible sense can occur. But even more exciting is an emphasis on formation - reaching the people in such a way as to spark deep spirituality and growth in faith - is the vision behind the additions or changes to structures that might occur in the future. Any building, parking lot or whatever else may take shape or has taken shape throughout the history of St. Aloysius always has behind it the vision to foster spiritual growth of parishioners, and the impact that people strong in spirit can have on the world around them.

In June 2006 Fr. Martin Linebach joined our parish as associate pastor.

Christ founded a Church that is dynamic and living, calling all to live the gospel in the context of one’s time and place, keeping an eye on the past and the future as one does so. St. Aloysius has done very well since its inception in 1863, to go forward and grow, while keeping at its core the rich tradition of the Catholic faith and that of the parish community itself as well.