The final Mass at St. Therese of Lisieux Church was held on July 26, marking the closure of a parish that has served its community since 1906. Father Philip Erickson, the church’s pastor, addressed parishioners in an emotional homily, encouraging them to continue their faith journey beyond the physical building.

“Your mission does not end when we take leave of this brick and mortar. You remain the church, a visible sign of God’s love,” Father Erickson said. “You are still called to foster and maintain that love of other, love of God and love of neighbor.”

The congregation included current and former members as well as Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, who had previously staffed the parish school in the early 20th century. Father Erickson advised parishioners to follow St. Therese’s “Little Way” as they join new parishes, emphasizing doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.

“You are to seek out the means to get to heaven,” he said. He added that success for a parish is not measured by financial contributions but by spiritual outcomes: “How you measure the success of a parish is when you get to heaven, your fellow parishioner is there.”

Among those present was Gilbert Zinner, age 90, who remembered his time growing up in the neighborhood and serving as an altar boy starting in 1945. Zinner recalled Christmas celebrations at St. Therese as particularly memorable for their atmosphere and community spirit.

“I served many Christmas Masses. That was really special. Christmas was unbelievable. It was something to behold,” Zinner said.

Zinner expressed sadness over the closure, likening it to losing a relative due to his many personal milestones celebrated at St. Therese.

Bob Schroeder also attended the closing Mass after serving as cantor for 25 years and reflected on his long association with the church community.

“My overriding memory is how much fellow parishioners gave of their time,” Schroeder said.

He acknowledged declining membership made closure inevitable: “It was inevitable. With membership getting as low as it’s gotten, I don’t think there’s anything else that we could have done.”

Father Erickson agreed with this assessment in an interview before the final service, noting only about 70 people regularly attended Mass in recent years—too few to sustain operations or maintain the historic building.

Parishioners were informed about the closure in June; Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre celebrated Mass with them on July 12 ahead of the final service.

St. Therese Church was established for German-American Catholics and constructed in Spanish Baroque style architecture; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places according to information from the Archdiocese of Louisville.

In recent years, St. Therese operated within a cluster known as Pax Christi Collaborative alongside St. Elizabeth of Hungary and Our Mother of Sorrows churches under Father Erickson’s leadership. The collaborative will continue its ministries such as Grace Ministries—which provides food and assistance—and St. Anne House—a partnership with Catholic Charities offering housing for survivors of human trafficking—even after losing one member church.