As we approach St. Patrick’s Day, a little history of the Catholic parish that bears the name of this missionary and patron saint to all Irish is in order. Founded in 1868 as Kansas City’s third Catholic parish [old St. Regis from the days of the Chouteaus had been transformed into Immaculate Conception in the 1850s; Saints Peter and Paul German parish formed in 1866], St. Patrick’s began life as an auxiliary of the German congregation then meeting in its new home at 9th & McGee.

Not surprisingly, almost all Kansas City Catholics in the 1860s and ‘70s were either Irish or German, but in 1868, there were certainly more from the “Old Sod” than from Bavaria or the Black Forest regions of German-speaking Europe. Hence, while Immaculate Conception served the north end and west side Irish almost exclusively, the German and Irish parishes of the east side [east of Main anyway] overlapped.

This intermixing of two Catholic groups residentially was not unusual, but linguistically and culturally, they remained quite distinct; hence their separate church organizations. Father James Dunn served as initial pastor. By 1874, Father Dunn contracted with local architect Asa Beebe Cross [presumably] to design the magnificent edifice that continues to grace the southwest corner of 8th & Cherry to this day.

Nearby congregations reflected another reason there were more Irish parishes than German by the 1870s. First [German] Lutheran organized in 1867 at 1018 Baltimore. In the World War I era, this congregation moved south and renamed itself St. Mark’s English Lutheran Church at 38th & Harrison. St. Peter’s Evangelical Church had organized in 1866 at 10th and Walnut. This group moved several times and still functions as a congregation at 700 E. 110th Street in South Kansas City.

St. Patrick’s wonderful brick sanctuary was consecrated by Bishop John J. Hogan of the neighboring St. Joseph diocese in 1875. St. Patrick’s and all Kansas City Catholic churches were officially in the St. Louis diocese until the formation of the Diocese of Kansas City and St. Joseph in 1880. To provide a cathedral seat for the bishop, current Immaculate Conception Cathedral was completed on the site of the old French St. Regis and later frame-built Immaculate Conception sanctuaries shortly after.

However, that very fact underlines the seniority of St. Patrick’s as the oldest existing religious structure in the city. All of the surrounding downtown congregations either moved to the suburbs or have since built replacement facilities such as Grand Avenue Temple United Methodist. Old Saints Peter & Paul survived into the 1920s, having spawned two daughter German Catholic congregations—Our Lady of Sorrows [today on Gillham surrounded by Hallmark] and Guardian Angel [on Westport Road near State Line]. St. Patrick’s soldiered on alone.

By the 1990s, the Diocese could no longer support a pastor so it was essentially “mothballed.” Early in the 2000s, however, new life sprung forth. Loyal descendants of parish members, together with faithful new residents, gained permission to perform a grassroots renovation. With some monetary support from the Diocese, but with more from individuals in the form of the money, time and materials, these hardy urban pioneers have created a wonderful interior to match the glorious 19th century exterior.

Now re-consecrated and holding daily mass in Latin under dispensation from the Bishop and under the direction of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, St. Patrick’s has begun its second life as a religious center and house of worship, not only for downtown but for the region. Masses are announced for 6 p.m. on weekdays; 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings and 8 & 10:15 a.m. on Sundays.

Thinking of St. Patrick’s Church on St. Patrick’s Day reminds us all of the important contribution made to the formation of our region by Irish pioneers and the hardy Church that inspired them.

Dr. Bill Worley, Instructor in History, MCC-Blue River