Ground was broken for St. Bernard Church, named for the patron saint
of its first pastor, Father Joseph Bernard Glick, on March 15, 1964. The
cornerstone was set on July 5, 1964. The elementary school opened in
the fall with 423 students; a convent was completed in 1966. In 1969 the
school received an annex. Renovations in response to the Second Vatican
Council were made to the church in 1975. The parish hall went up in
1978 and a second church renovation took place in 1992.
In 1990, after twenty-four years, St. Bernard Convent became vacant
and was renovated to accommodate the Adult Day Center of the Fern
Creek/Highview United Ministries. An Education and Formation Center was
completed in 1997 and a full time kindergarten, a pre-school program and
before-school and after-school and summer care programs were added.
Sports programs for boys and girls grow every year.
The parish was established to accommodate the growth of suburban
Jefferson County and the large number of families who were employed by
the General Electric Company.
St. Bernard was established during the turbulence of the 1960s and
the changes within the Church from the Second Vatican Council. The
atmosphere of change did much to forge the nature of St. Bernard Parish,
as diversity of opinion led to tolerance, which, tempered by Christian
love, evolved into a sense of spiritual unity centered around the
celebration of the Eucharist. The parishioners managed to set aside
turmoil and worries as they gathered around the table set by the Lord.
This unity in the Mass is the glue that has bonded the individuals in
the Highview neighborhood into a community of faith. Today St. Bernard,
with 2,800 parishioners, is a parish alive in stewardship and very
active in social justice and community ministries.