“Serving the People of God since 1858.”
A Brief History
At the beginning of every weekend Mass, parishioners and guests are welcomed to our Eucharist celebration at St. Mary & St. Anthony Church with this statement. This afternoon, we celebrate and honor the thousands of pioneers who laid the foundations of our church and the priests and sisters who were our spiritual guides along our vast journey.
St. Mary’s humble beginnings date back to 1858 when the initial St. Mary’s Mission was begun by Father Heinman and Father Fish. Father McGee succeeded Father Fish and continued serving the Catholics of Wyandotte City. The one-story, 20×40 foot brick building, located at 9th and Ann, struggled due to the poverty of the Catholic people, lack of support, and few missionary priests to help in such a vast area west of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. In 1861, Father Mueller, Father McGee’s successor, had no choice but to forsake his post. For nearly three years the St. Mary’s Mission was abandoned.
In the fall of 1864, hope began to arise for a new beginning. Father Anton Kuhls was sent to Wyandotte City to resume the work of his predecessors. Full of undaunted courage, Father Kuhls wasted no time in restoring among the Catholic people their thirst for faith and spirit of community and self-sacrifice for the Church. Following the Civil War, Father Kuhls decided to sell the old St. Mary’s Mission and to build a new Church. In 1865 the construction of the new church began. The land for the new structure was located at 5th and Ann and was purchase for $800.00 in gold from Mathias Splitlog. The new Church, was erected at the cost of $9,000.00 and dedicated in September 1866 by Bishop Miege. The new Church serving Wyandotte City was known as St. Mary’s. The old St. Mary’s building still stands at 5th and Ann.
At this time, immigrants were flocking to the United States and especially to the Midwest. In hopes of finding beautiful, fertile land for farming and laying roots for generations to come, these early pioneers faced the trials and tribulations of going west. It was during this time that Wyandotte City became known as Kansas City. Many immigrants who were settling in Kansas City were of German heritage. Until 1886, these new German-Americans were part of St. Mary’s parish. In the early months of 1886 a petition was presented to Bishop Louis Fink, O.S.B., D.D., then Bishop of Leavenworth, to allow them to form a parish of their own and to build a Church because of their expedient need of using their native tongue for their religious education and instruction. Bishop Fink approved the petition and entrusted the formation of a new parish to the Franciscan Fathers of the Province of Cincinnati, whom he had called to his diocese some years earlier.
Father Kuhls was elevated to Monsignor for his zealous effort and sacrifices, and assisted the first Fathers in organizing the new parish. On April 7, 1886 Father Jerome Kilgenstein and Father Luke Gottbehoede purchased a site on the southeast corner of 7th and Barnett Avenue. Special services were held for the German-speaking Catholics on Sunday, July 3, 1886 by Father Luke, and he explained to them the purpose of the new parish and encouraged their support. He could have never imagined how their whole-hearted cooperation would ensure the success of this new endeavor.
Construction was moving so quickly that on November 7, 1886, Father Guido Stallo, the first pastor, joined Bishop Fink in solemnly blessing the new parish, named St. Anthony, after St. Anthony of Padua. Assisting at the dedication were all the societies of St. Mary’s Church, St. Anthony’s Church, the German-Catholic societies of Wyandotte City, Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as the Ancient Order of Hibernians. In 1888, Father Aloysious Kurtz succeeded Father Stallo and progress continued despite financial setbacks. On November 11, 1889 ground was broken for a new St. Anthony Church. The Basement Church was completed at the cost of $20,000 and was solemnly dedicated on December 20, 1890. For the next 16 years, the parish used the Church basement for divine services. Father Daniel Heile succeeded Father Kurtz, and although a quiet and unostentatious man, Father Daniel was very successful in alleviating a very heavy debt accumulated by the Church. Not only did he cancel the debt, but he left a very comfortable sum of money in the treasury for his successor, Father Alfred Hermann, O.F.M.. Father Alfred began the completion of the grand structure that we now recognize as St. Mary & St. Anthony Church at 7th and Barnett.
The cornerstone of St. Anthony’s Church was laid on July 3, 1904 by the Most Rev. J.F. Cunningham, D.D., Bishop of Concordia, KS and was assisted by several local clergy members. The solemn dedication of St. Anthony’s took place on October 7, 1906. The dedication ceremonies were guided by Pastor Father Leo Molengraft, O.F.M.. The English sermon was delivered by the Most Rev. Thomas Lillis, D.D., Bishop of Leavenworth, and the German sermon was given by the Very Rev. Chrysostom Theobald, O.F.M., Provincial of the Cincinnati Province of Franciscan Fathers. Both officials were assisted by a myriad of clergy members.
Following the completion of the Church building, St. Anthony’s was guided by many dedicated Franciscan priests. They led the parish through a renovation of the Church basement, finishing renovation of the interior of the Church, the hand-painted Stations of the Cross, the continuous support of the surrounding Strawberry Hill community – especially taking pride in the parish’s ability to serve the needs of the sick and the poor, and another milestone – the building of St. Anthony’s school. The flourishing parish was proud to dedicate their new school on November 8, 1925. Another wonderful improvement to the parish was the addition of the Church towers, completed in 1930, under the leadership of Father Timothy Brockman, O.F.M., which features the bell, which weighs about 1,300 pounds and is still heard every day throughout downtown Kansas City, KS.
In 1948 the present rectory was started under the pastorship of Father De Paul Holzmeister, O.F.M. and completed by Father Ferdinand Nirmaier, O.F.M. In 1953 the Church basement was renovated again by Father Ferdinand. In 1963, under the leadership of Father Francis Keehn, O.F.M., St. Anthony’s witnessed one of the painful events of the parish, the old church building being used as the Social Club, was completely destroyed by a fire. Father Francis is given credit for the organization of the Bingo Committee, in which many participated. In 1974, the parish experienced another sorrowful time when the school was closed due to lack of enrollment.
In July 1980, the parishes of St. Mary and St. Anthony were reunited. Father William Finnerty, an Archdiocesan priest, became pastor. After 94 years of service to St. Anthony’s Church, the association of St. Anthony’s with the Franciscan Fathers ended. Most Rev. Marion Forst, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese, took up residence with Father Finnerty at the rectory. At this time, the total number of families was 340, which was composed of 65 families from St. Mary’s and 275 families from St. Anthony’s.
Father Raymond Davern became pastor of St. Mary and St. Anthony Church in August of 1981, and served the parish for 16 years. During this time, the St. Anthony school building housed the Catholic Emergency Services and then subsequently was purchased by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System for the current Duchesne Clinic. At the time, St. Anthony Convent was used by a civic agency who served troubled youth. Currently the Convent, renamed Casa St. Rita, is being used as the St. Mary & St. Anthony Parish Office. The old St. Mary’s building was used to serve the physical needs of the poor of Wyandotte County as a Food Kitchen. The old St. Mary’s is now owned by the Police Athletic League of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (PALKCK). PALKCK has completed renovated the entire facility, featuring a boxing ring and workout facility as well as community outreach classes/programs especially for children, a community garden, art classes, and many more community enrichment activities. Fr. Peter Jaramillo, from the Society of St. Augustine (SSA) is the current pastor of St. Mary & St. Anthony Church. Fr. Peter is also pastor of Holy Family and St. John the Baptist.
“Serving the needs of the People of God since 1858.” We recall the memories of success and failures, hopes and sorrows of the thousands of Catholics and members of the community who have been touched in some way by St. Mary Church, St. Anthony Church, and the united St. Mary and St. Anthony Church. Humble and small were our beginnings, great the struggle, and tremendous the accomplishment of this cornerstone parish community of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. We recall the memories of our fellow parishioners who have gone before us and laid the groundwork for us to share in the Eucharist. We honor the sacrifices they made to give us this gift of the Church we worship together in today. We remember their zeal and enthusiasm for their faith and their community. We pray that we will be able to continue in our ancestors’ footsteps of faith, hope, and love in the Catholic Church and our beloved St. Mary and St. Anthony’s.
Historical information gathered from the Jubilee Souvenir of St. Anthony Parish, the Dedication of the Towers program book, the Golden Jubilee of St. Anthony program book, and the St. Anthony’s Centennial Celebration program book. All items of reference can be found in the rectory office.
(Information courtesy of the Gregory family).
St. Mary's-St. Anthony's Parish 