Our Savior, the first Black Catholic parish and school in Northern Kentucky, unveiled a state historical marker on July 12, an initiative spearheaded by a former parish administrator.
The ceremony was attended by government leaders and community members from around the city of Covington, as well as alumni of the former school, which was closed during integration. Sister of Divine Providence Janet Bucher, who worked for three decades at Our Savior Church, helped lead the event after applying for the marker last year. The local gospel quartet The Brotherhood Singers provided music for the event.
“Our Savior provided both spiritual and educational support at a time when access was unjustly limited,” said Covington mayor Ron L. Washington, who was also present.
“Though the school closed in 1963, its legacy still echoes through our city.”
The only Black Catholic school and church in Northern Kentucky is set to receive a historical marker eight decades after its opening.https://t.co/eq1kdTz4L3 pic.twitter.com/sONgy3543R
— Local 12/WKRC-TV (@Local12) July 12, 2025
Our Savior's church and school were originally constructed for African Americans under Bishop Francis W. Howard. The parish was a mission of St. Mary’s Cathedral and was formed from the renovation of two homes on Tenth Street. Both the cathedral and Our Savior are located in Covington’s historically Black Eastside neighborhood.
The Sisters of Divine Providence, a French religious order that had operated in Kentucky since the late 19th century, were recruited to staff Our Savior School, which was completed before the church and served a mostly non-Catholic middle school population. The parish church was dedicated in 1944 and a high school was added in 1946, followed by a brand new school building two years later.
The church’s first assisting pastor, the New York-born Fr William Leroy Lane, was the first Black Catholic priest to serve in the Diocese of Covington, though his tenure only lasted until 1947. The school’s notable alumni include Tom Thacker, a basketball star who won college, NBA, and ABA championships during his decade-long playing career.
Our Savior High School was closed during integration in 1956 under Bishop William T. Mulloy, and the grade school shuttered in 1963.
The parish remains in operation, and for more than three decades was under the leadership of Sr Bucher, who organized a school homecoming for alumni every October. The church remains a fixture of the Black community in Covington, where it has hosted various community events, including an annual discussion breakfast for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Bucher, now in her mid-eighties, retired this summer, but applied for the historic marker in 2024 to bring awareness to the important legacy of the church and school, which is not well-known outside of the Cincinnati metro area.
“My whole reason for doing this is to honor the history of the only all-Black Catholic school in Northern Kentucky and the only alternative school for Black Catholics,” said Bucher in a press release.
“It’s important that this history be remembered.”
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
