History of St Patrick Catholic Church

The church that has existed for more than 90 years almost wasn't named St. Patrick. For several months, the parish was unofficially named St. Elizabeth's. When Bishop Hennessey dedicated the church in the 2000 block of North Water Street (now Wellington Place) in 1911, he decreed that it be placed under the patronage of St. Patrick, partly because that was the name of the first church in north Wichita and partly because Timothy Mahaney, who donated the land to the parish, requested it be named for the patron saint of Ireland.

FATHER J.W. MAHER, 1910-1917
Even before that, the earliest meeting of the parish was at the Union Hotel in the third block of East 21st Street. Before the church could be built on Mahaney's land, church activity took place in a small cottage at that location. The first baptism (Francis Cleary) and the first marriage (Julia Taylor and Joseph Jamkowsky) were performed there by the Rev. J.W. Maher, St. Patrick's first pastor.

From October to December 1910, due to increasing number of parishioners, a hall at the corner of Lawrence Ave. (now Broadway) and 18th Street was used as a temporary church until the new church was ready for its first services on Christmas Day. The church was dedicated January 8, 1911.

About this time, the Sisters of St. Joseph opened St. Patrick School, which was first housed in the cottage. The school opened on September 12, 1910. In January 1914, a rectory was established in a two-story home at 2004 Wellington Place.

When Father Maher was transferred to a larger parish in 1917, St. Patrick functioned without a resident pastor for about four years with a priest from the Cathedral conducting regular services.

FATHER J. EDWIN KELLY, 1921-1941
In 1921, the Rev. J. Edwin Kelly was appointed resident pastor, immediately making repairs to the neglected church. He saw to it that the Sisters of St. Joseph had a permanent home in the parish. They received a small cottage in which to live and moved the school to a large frame annex moved to church property, that had been part of Washington Public School.

During his two decades at St. Patrick, Father Kelly was known for taking the schoolchildren to Timmermeyer's Grove for a picnic at the end of each school year. On St. Patrick's Day, he organized a school play. In 1929, the school was chosen to be an experimental one, with handicrafts for the girls and woodworking for the boys added to the basic education.

FATHER THOMAS W. GREEN, 1941-1961
Rev. Thomas Green arrived at St. Patrick during a time of transition and growth  for the parish.  The original church builiding was deteriorating, and two successive floods in 1944 and 1945 caused some parishioners to move away.  Fundraising was difficult, and he knew it was time for building a new church. Just about a year after he became pastor, a building fund was initiated.  Msgr. Green’s energetic and hardworking personality was an inspiration to the parish.  Msgr. Green brought parishioners back to St. Patrick and involved them in the new building plans.

Despite the flooding, St. Patrick grew from 90 to 400 families in the 1940's. On May 3, 1949, construction of the new church at its present site at 19th and Arkansas Streets, well above the floodway, began. The land was purchased from the Dugan family. After the monumental task of building a new church and school, Father Green, later appointed Monsignor, transferred to a small parish in Burns, Kansas.

The new church was blessed on October 23, 1949, by Bishop Mark Carroll. One of the first marriages in the new church was of Rudy and Mary Stephen, who still attend today. The school was built in 1955 and the rectory in 1959.

MONSIGNOR N.J. CODY, 1961-1970
Monsignor N.J. Cody, quiet and reserved, came from Blessed Sacrament parish to serve St. Patrick. During this time, a new convent was constructed for the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1968.  The parish with its new location and new church building of 1949 underwent the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council during this period.  

FATHER CHARLES O'CONNOR, 1970-1984
As assistant pastor at St. Patrick previously, Father O'Connor came to St. Patrick bringing the parish renewal experience not only to his parish, but also to the priests of Wichita. He led the parish through ordeals with divorce and the remarriage of Catholics and helped increase the role of lay people in the celebration of Mass. A gymnasium, meeting room, and additional classrooms were added to the school during his tenure. He was transferred to St. Teresa in Hutchinson in November 1984.

FATHER DONAL J. O'HARE, 1984-1995
Father O'Hare also had served as an assistant pastor at St. Patrick in 1960. The highlight of his time as pastor was the establishment of Perpetual Adoration in the parish in July 1985. St. Patrick was only the second parish in Wichita to adopt this spiritual opportunity, which still continues today with help from Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishioners.

As many young families moved to the suburbs decreasing our school enrollment, more Catholic Mexican families migrated to north Wichita.  In 1994, the diocesan school superintendent, Bob Voboril, helped Father O'Hare, school principal Don Wilson, and Father Palacioz of our neighbor parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, to assist many children from this parish to enroll at St. Patrick. Our Lady set up a scholarship fund that has grown to support 35% of St. Patrick's students in 2002.

In the 1980's, St. Patrick became the church where Vietnamese families gathered to worship in their own language before St. Anthony church became their center.  Now 15% of our school children come from these families. 

FATHER JEROME A. BEAT, 1995-2003
Father Beat was ordained for the Wichita Diocese in 1963.  After having worked in the Diocesan mission of Barquesameto, Venezuela, Fr. Jerry brought to the parish his ability to speak Spanish.  He was very active in the Cursillo Movement in this diocese. 

During this time steps were taken to enhance parish education.  Fr. Jerry hired the first full-time lay pastoral minister, Linda Gosche, who had previously taught kindergarten in the parish school.  She was Director of Religious Education and the R.C.I.A. program.  In addition, he hired the church's first half-time coordinator of liturgical music, Sally Bouska, who combined the role with teaching music at St. Patrick School. 

Sister Eloise Hertel O.P. was the first Dominican Sister to be assigned to St. Patrick Parish.  She succeeded Don Wilson who retired after 16 years as principal.  Sister Eloise brought a strong sense of Catholic education to inspire the staff and challenged the students to be true followers of Christ and His Church.

In the Fall of 2000, the expansion of St. Patrick's foyer was completed. This serves as a gathering space, as a fine overflow area, and as a cry room. 

In 2001, the parish planning process began to clarify goals and objectives for the coming years.  Due to the pastoral needs of the Hispanic community, a Mass in Spanish began on August 4, 2002.  

FATHER ERIC M. WELDON, 2003-2008
Father Weldon was ordained on May 27, 2000.  Due to the unforseen and grave illness of Father Jerry Beat, Bishop Olmsted appoined Father Weldon as Administrator of the parish in August 2003.  After Bishop Michael Jackels was made bishop of Wichita in April 2005, he apppointed Father Weldon as Pastor in May 2005.  The parish has approximately 1000 famlies with 60% being Hispanic and 40% English-speaking during the 5 years that Father Weldon served at St. Patrick. 

Upkeep and improvement of the facilities has taken place through various projects to include new roofs on the gym, school, and church.  The remodeling of the sanctuary in the church was completed in August 2005.  A completely new parking lot was paved in the Fall of 2006.  Renovated stained glass windows of the saints replaced the block stained glass windows of the church in the summer of 2007.  The entire cost of the window project was covered by donations from parish families. A renovation of the old school bathrooms began just before Father Weldon was reassigned in the diocese in May of 2008. The final project that Father Weldon approved was the installation of a sound system in our school gymnasium by McClelland Sound in June 2008.

© 2006, St. Patricks Catholic Church