About Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Conception Abbey · Conception, Missouri
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the abbey church of Conception Abbey, a Benedictine monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation located in the rolling farmland of northwest Missouri. Dedicated in 1891 and designated the first minor basilica west of the Mississippi River by Pope Pius XII in 1941, it is renowned for its Romanesque architecture, world-famous Beuronese murals, and the daily round of monastic prayer (the Opus Dei) sung in the basilica. The basilica is the spiritual heart of a community that serves the wider Church through the seminary, the Printery House, retreats, and parish/mission work across the Midwest.
- Established
- 1873
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Abbot Benedict Neenan, O.S.B. (current abbot of Conception Abbey)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph (the basilica is technically exempt as an abbey church; monastic community belongs to the Swiss-American Benedictine Congregation / Subiaco Congregation OSB)
Why belong here
Visitors and the wider Church are drawn to Conception Abbey because it is one of the most authentic Benedictine monasteries in the United States — a place where the 1,500-year-old tradition of the Opus Dei is sung in full every day. The basilica's Romanesque architecture and world-famous Beuronese murals make it a pilgrimage destination for art lovers, while the abbey's seminary, Printery House, retreats, and parish works offer ways to engage with the monks beyond tourism. Anyone seeking the daily Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, confession, Eucharistic adoration, or simply a place of deep silence and prayer will find a centuries-old community ready to welcome them.
Mass times at Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Conception Abbey
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available by appointment and to those attending the daily liturgy (specific reconciliation times not listed on the official schedule page consulted)
Adoration times
- Thursdays: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament immediately following the 5:15 p.m. Vespers until 6:10 p.m.
History of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
The church's story begins with Father James Power's post-Civil War appeal for a religious community in northwest Missouri. After refusals from the Trappists and Abbot Boniface Wimmer's Benedictines, Bishop John Hogan of the new Diocese of St. Joseph brought the request to Engelberg Abbey in Switzerland. Abbot Anselm Villiger agreed to send Father Frowin Conrad and Father Adelhelm Odermatt, who arrived in September 1873. The cornerstone was laid on Trinity Sunday, May 20, 1883; construction resumed April 24, 1889 under architect Brother Adrian Wewer, O.F.M.; and the completed church was dedicated on May 10, 1891. A tornado damaged the church in the 1890s, prompting the monks — during reconstruction — to commission the celebrated Beuronese murals that today cover the interior. In 1940 (formally 1941) Pope Pius XII designated the church a minor basilica, the first west of the Mississippi River. After a roughly two-decade, $9 million renewal project, the basilica was rededicated on March 16, 1999.
- Founded: 1873 (monks arrive from Engelberg)
- Abbey erected: 1881
- Cornerstone laid: May 20, 1883
- Construction resumed: April 24, 1889
- Dedication: May 10, 1891
- Basilica decree: August 7, 1940
- Basilica renewal rededication: March 16, 1999
Architecture & Beuronese Murals
Abbot Frowin Conrad chose an authentic Romanesque style — against the prevailing Baroque taste of contemporary German and Swiss Benedictine houses — as a visible statement of the community's classical Benedictine values. The architect of record was Franciscan Brother Adrian Wewer of Illinois. The interior is dominated by the Beuronese murals added after the tornado of the 1890s. Painted in the style of the Beuron Art School founded by Father Desiderius Lenz, the murals illustrate the lives of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Saints Benedict and Scholastica, blending Egyptian, early Christian, and Byzantine influences into a distinctive abstract idealist aesthetic.
- Style: Romanesque Revival
- Architect: Brother Adrian Wewer, O.F.M.
- Murals: Beuronese school (post-tornado, 1890s)
- Mural subjects: lives of Christ, Mary, SS. Benedict and Scholastica
Abbey Apostolates & Outreach
From its founding, Conception has balanced monastic contemplative life with external service. The monks have served as pastors of local parishes and, until 1995, as missionaries on the Indian reservations of South Dakota. Today they staff parishes, hospitals, schools, and religious houses across the Midwest, teach and administer Conception Seminary College, and welcome guests through the Abbey Guest Center for retreats, tours, and youth programs.
- Conception Seminary College
- Parish and chaplaincy ministries across the Midwest
- Abbey Guest Center retreats, tours, youth programs
- South Dakota mission (until 1995)
- Foundations: St. Benedict Abbey (WI), Mt. Michael Abbey (NE), St. Pius X Monastery (MO), Skt. Knud's Kloster (Denmark)
The Printery House
What began as a way to keep up with the monastery's internal printing needs has grown into a major apostolate of its own. The Printery House today carries more than 1,000 products — including greeting cards, icons, statues, and other religious articles — and produces more than 5 million greeting cards a year.
- 1,000+ products
- 5+ million greeting cards annually
- Catalogue: greeting cards, icons, statues, religious articles
Visiting & Pilgrimage
Pilgrims and tourists come to Conception to experience the unbroken round of Benedictine chant, see the Romanesque basilica, and view the Beuronese murals. The Abbey Guest Center coordinates tours, retreats, and youth programs, and the Printery House is open for retail. The community welcomes guests of all faiths to join them in the basilica for any of the six daily liturgical prayers.
- Daily liturgy open to the public
- Guided tours of basilica and murals
- Retreat programs
- Printery House retail
- 37174 State Hwy VV, Conception, MO 64433
Founders & Leadership
The community descends from Engelberg Abbey in Switzerland, founded in Missouri through the joint efforts of Father James Power, Bishop John Hogan, Abbot Martin Marty of St. Meinrad, Abbot Anselm Villiger of Engelberg, Father Frowin Conrad (founding prior and first abbot, r. 1881–1923+), and Father Adelhelm Odermatt. The current abbot is Benedict Neenan, O.S.B.
- Father James Power (instigator)
- Bishop John Hogan (petitioner)
- Abbot Martin Marty, O.S.B. (referrer)
- Abbot Anselm Villiger, O.S.B. (Engelberg)
- Abbot Frowin Conrad, O.S.B. (founding abbot)
- Father Adelhelm Odermatt, O.S.B.
- Abbot Benedict Neenan, O.S.B. (present)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Frowin Conrad, O.S.B.1873–1923+
Founding prior and first abbot (Abbey erected 1881); envisioned and oversaw construction of the Romanesque church; served more than 40 years as abbot.
