Most Pure Heart of Mary Church & School
Deo Gratias Award – 2023 Distinguished Catholic Organization
“By having these endowments and making our parishioners aware of them through our quarterly financial reports, we are able to sustain them through continued contributions and by the establishment of new endowments from parishioners’ estates, wills, or even while they are still living.”
In August of 1946, Fr. John O’Connor was appointed pastor of the new Most Pure Heart of Mary parish. There were 136 families that moved from Holy Name parish to form the new church. Masses were first held in the basement of the St. Vincent’s Orphanage that was run by the Sisters of Charity in Leavenworth. It is situated in the middle of the Most Pure Heart of Mary property.
Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic School began with classes in the basement of St. Vincent's (now housing the parish offices). In 1950, the school was constructed with eight classrooms, restrooms, and small offices, along with the gym and gym basement.
Construction of the new church began in 1959, and on Easter 1961 (the year of Kansas’ Centennial) the first Mass was celebrated in the new church building. The parish center was completed in 1982, adding two Christian formation offices, three meeting rooms of varying sizes, restrooms, an elevator, and four basement classrooms. In 1983, the orphanage closed and parts of the building were refurbished to house the parish offices and 6th- 8th grade school students. The school and parish community continued to flourish with the implementation of the Krische Child Development Center in 1995 and major additions to the grade school in 2003. In 2019, the development of the new parish rectory, which was fully funded by an endowed gift, was completed.
Furthermore, Most Pure Heart of Mary established an endowment fund in 1990 with the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas to provide financial support for the parish. The Most Pure Heart of Mary School Scholarship Fund was established in 2019 by combining six smaller funds, with the intent to make Catholic education more accessible to the community.
Today, Most Pure Heart of Mary holds eight endowment funds with the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas. These funds benefit not only the parish and the school, but also provide scholarships for 8th graders, assist funding for youth activities, supply materials for disabled students, and more. Teddy Reiser, Finance Administrator at Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish, shares, “By having these endowments and making our parishioners aware of them through our quarterly financial reports, we are able to sustain them through continued contributions and by the establishment of new endowments from parishioners' estates, wills, or even while they are still living.”
