Since 1964, Ascension has called St. Regis Park home. We began as the “St. Barnabas Annex” on Hikes Lane in the 1950s. Outgrowing that facility in the 1960s, the Archdiocese of Louisville selected 4600 Lynnbrook Drive, at that time a large field in the “Upper Highlands” subdivision, as the site for a new church. Ascension school preceded the parish when its doors opened in the fall of 1964. This was largely due to the gracious donation of $25,000 from St. Barnabas. The parish opened the following fall. The Archdiocese formally dedicated The Church of the Ascension of Our Lord parish in January 1966.

With Fr. Bernard Hartlage as our first pastor, Ascension borrowed $40,000 and promptly began construction of a rectory, installed pews in the church, and purchased major cafeteria equipment. During the fall of 1965, Fr. Hartlage slept in one of the classrooms, overseeing construction and guarding the Blessed Sacrament. Construction of the rectory finished in November 1965.

Ascension parish opened with 300 families and a debt of $301,000. By 1975, Ascension had 520 families and a smaller debt of $288,000. As the congregation grew, so did Ascension’s physical campus. In 1976, Ascension constructed the All-Purpose Building, currently known now as the Caster Center. Before 1976, Ascension’s sports teams practiced outdoors and at facilities outside of the neighborhood. In 1978, the School added a library and a wing with four additional classrooms. Two more classrooms were added in 1986.

In the 1990s, the parish underwent an additional charge. A $2,100,000 renovation of the church, and school and an expansion of the Caster Center began. The altar and main entrance to the Church were moved to the opposite end and wholly redesigned. Ascension’s original Rose window was removed and a stained-glass window of the Ascending Christ (designed by parishioner Pat Ploch) was installed behind the new altar. A new gathering space and an Adult Meeting room were also part of the construction. The latter was rededicated as the Ave Maria Room in October 2021 due to the collection of Marian statues displayed in the room.  

58 years after its founding, Ascension is a vibrant Catholic community striving to bring Christ to others. Ascension’s school continues to thrive as evidenced by the Blue Ribbon Award in 2019 and the Green Ribbon Award in 2021. The first parish year-in-review report was published in September of 2022 along with our first annual parish potluck. We continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as parish life returns to its regular schedule of events. We invite all parishioners to contribute to the work of our parish community as we work to bring about the kingdom of God!