Saint Francis Xavier (SFX) Parish, established in Kansas City in 1909, has been led by Jesuits for its entire 115-year history.  Lack of manpower, however, sadly forces the order to withdraw from parish leadership there this summer.

The history of the Jesuits in Kansas City goes back to the 1820s when a group of them from Maryland came west to work with Kickapoo and Potawatomi tribes in the region.  In 1885, the society’s provincial sent word to Bishop Hogan (first bishop of Kansas City) that they intended to establish a college and church here.  The bishop helped them acquire land at 11^th Street and Prospect, where the church, Saint Aloysius, honoring the young Jesuit Aloysius Gonzaga, was built.  In 1889, the Jesuit superior put a hold on starting the college.  Twenty years later, again working with the bishop, they acquired twenty-five acres south of Brush Creek for college and church.  Though the order suggested the new church bear the name of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (SJ or Jesuits), it was instead named for Ignatius’ companion, co-founder, and great missionary, Francis Xavier, because the bishop mistakenly thought that the founder’s name had been used for the first church in the city, which was actually named for another Jesuit, John Francis Regis.  A secular name was chosen for the college that combined the title of a nearby district, Rockhill, with the name of a Jesuit school in England, Stonyhurst.

When I attended Rockhurst in 1977, I met some wonderful Jesuit priests starting with Nick Rashford, who was chaplain of the frosh men’s dorm, and Carl Dehne, who taught introductory scripture.  Soon there was a trail of others: the inspiring Don Murphy, compassionate Tom Denzer, and Joseph Freeman, who walked the campus daily praying his rosary.  I heard stories of Bob Lakas, who died in the center aisle of Saint Francis Xavier Church as he greeted people before Mass earlier that decade.  I met several times with President Bob Weiss and Chancellor Maurice Van Ackeren when I served as student body president; upon graduating I got to work with Frank Carey in the Admissions Office.  Years later, Luke Byrne served as my spiritual director.  A couple of my college buddies, Dave Suwalsky and Brendan Hurley, joined and have done great things as priests of the society.  I witnessed former college presidents, Tom Savage and Ed Kinerk, inspire civic leaders when I served in nearby parishes and worked alongside several former SFX pastors from Len Kraus to Tim McMahon.  I admired Tom Curran and Tom Pesci during their years as presidents of the university and high school.  I got to know native Kansas Citians who joined the SJ ranks, Matt Ruhl and Phil Cooke, and have come to respect Jesuits currently living on the Rockhurst campus, including Derrick Weingartner, Mike Sheeran, and outgoing SFX pastor, Jim Caime.  These and so many others through the century, who you can name, have been an immense blessing to our city and local church.  Though their priestly presence will remain at the high school and university, the order will turn the parish reins over to Bishop Johnston this summer.

He, too, deals with a priest-shortage and sometimes must double or triple assignments for pastors.  That is the case here as he has assigned me to serve the community of Saint Francis while also overseeing two other nearby parishes.  It might be tough for the SFX community—and all those who grew up in the vicinity of 52^nd Street and Troost—to end one era and begin another.  I will do my best as the parish adjusts to having one-third of a priest rather than the one or two they have been used to, and their first non-Jesuit at that, as I near retirement age.  The church bearing the name of the patron saint of missionaries now embarks upon a new mission.  Please pray for us as we seek to face it as boldly as Xavier himself did long ago.