At the turn of the 20th century, Kansas City, Kansas, was part of the Diocese of Leavenworth. In October 1907, Bishop Thomas Lillis appointed Reverend Bernard Kelly to found St. Peter's Parish in downtown Kansas City. Kelly celebrated the first mass for the parish at the bishop's residence on Sandusky Avenue in December 1907.[2] Kelly immediately started fund raising for a parish church and school. He was able to lay the cornerstone for the facilities on March 14, 1908. St. Peter Church was dedicated on September 7, 1908. [2] The St. Peter School opened with 95 elementary students and ten high school students.[2]
East facade, Cathedral of Saint Peter (2015)
The parish constructed a rectory in 1917. Due to the rapid growth of the parish, construction began on a new church building in 1925.[1] The first mass was celebrated in the new St. Peter Church on August 1, 1927, and it was dedicated on September 5, 1927.[2] By 1937, the school enrollment had risen to 350.
On May 10, 1947, Pope Pius XII suppressed the Diocese of Leavenworth and erected the Diocese of Kansas City in its place.[3] Bishop George Donnelly consecrated St. Peter's as a cathedral in 1948. Twelve gold crosses that represent the twelve apostles were placed between the Stations of the Cross. A portable cathedral was placed in the sanctuary. That same year, a fire destroyed the St. Peter School. This event prompted the parish to build a new, safer school.[2]
Pius XII in August 1952 elevated the Diocese of Kansas City to the Archdiocese of Kansas City. In 1955, the parish opened its new school building[2] A parish center was built in 1992, and the interior of the cathedral was renovated in 1998. In 2006 there were only 110 students enrolled at St. Peter's School. The archdiocese consolidated the parochial schools in eastern Wyandotte County into Resurrection Catholic School in 2007 using the St. Peter's School building. [2]
In 2007, the cathedral parish observed its centennial. A statue of St. Joseph the Worker was placed in the Centennial Courtyard and a time capsule, to be opened in 2057, was buried in the cathedral campus.[2]
Pastors and rectors
Tower on the southwest corner of the cathedral.
The following priests have served St. Peter's as its pastor. Since 1947 they have also served as rector of the cathedral:
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
