Most of Louisville 's Roman Catholic population is of German descent , the result of large - scale 19th - century immigration .
Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey , the monastic home of Catholic writer Thomas Merton , is in nearby Bardstown , Kentucky and also in the archdiocese .
Most of Louisville 's Catholic   population is of German descent , the result of large - scale 19th - century immigration .
Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey , the monastic home of Catholic writer Thomas Merton , is in nearby Bardstown , Kentucky and also in the archdiocese .