Mattingly Settlement

St. Mary's Church, Grotto, and Cemetery

St Mary's Catholic Church, Mattingly Settlement was organized in the year 1856. It was built on land donated by John Mattingly. It was built and erected by the members of St Mary's. The materials and bricks used in the construction were made at the site. William Mattingly was the first person buried in the adjoining cemetery on 5 April 1857. The church orginally consisted of 9 - 11 families in the area. From this country church and community came Sister Ramona, Sister of Charity, Nazareth, Kentucky, Sister Odelia of Franciscan Sisters, Manitowoc, Wisconsin; Sister M Ulrica, Sisters of the Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana. Also from this community came Rev Julius F Mattingly, Rev Jerome Mattingly, Rev Theodore Mattingly, Rev Joseph Finan and Rev, then Monsignor Herman Mattingly.

Archbishop Purcell blessed the church and cemetery on 15 November, 1861 as the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mother as it was known in those days. Most of the early families in the congregation were Mattingly's, ie; Joseph Mattingly, Michael Mattingly, Charles Mattingly, James Durbin, James Clark, Daniel Durbin, Elijah Durbin, Peter Majors, William Majors and John Flaherty. St Mary's is a beautiful active church yet today, with a well maintained cemetery. MCCOGS library has an extensive amount of information on the church and its early members. (From MCCOGS Newsletter, Vol 27, No 1)

St. Mary's Church

Church and Cemetery

Grotto to Blessed Mother Fr Jerome B Mattingly monument