About Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church · Wichita, Kansas
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church is a historic parish in the College Hill neighborhood of Wichita, Kansas, founded in 1927 under Bishop August J. Schwertner and pastored originally by Father Timothy J. O'Sullivan. The parish runs a parish school (Kindergarten through 8th grade) that opened in 1928, and is well known across the Diocese of Wichita as the first parish in the diocese to begin Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration (since 1983). Today the parish is led by Father Jason W. Borkenhagen, S.T.D., as pastor and Father Joseph G. Mick as parochial vicar, with a lay staff coordinating stewardship, music, athletics, parish life and facilities.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- The Blessed Sacrament
- Rector
- Rev. Jason W. Borkenhagen, S.T.D.
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Wichita
Why belong here
Blessed Sacrament offers the rare combination of a century-old Catholic community in Wichita's College Hill neighborhood, a parish grade school in operation since 1928, and the longest-running Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration program in the Diocese of Wichita (40+ years and counting). The parish grounds include a full athletic complex — the gym added in 2002 hosts the school and athletic program — and the parish visibly invests in vocations, currently sending six parishioners to seminary or religious life and celebrating the ordination of Deacon Luke Meyerhoff and the first vows of Sister Marie Bronislava Dillard this past year. Add daily Mass at 6:30 and 8:00 a.m., a generous confession schedule, active St. Vincent de Paul outreach (over 700 people assisted and 1,500+ homeless lunches in the past year), and you have a parish that combines traditional liturgical devotion with hands-on works of mercy.
Mass times at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday: 7:30 am – 7:50 am
- Thursday: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm (alternate bulletin shows 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm)
- Saturday: 3:00 pm – 3:50 pm (alternate bulletin shows 3:30 pm – 3:50 pm)
- Sunday: 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm
- Confessions are also heard during the 4 pm Saturday, 9 am Sunday and 11 am Sunday Masses when priests are available
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (begun September 29, 1983) — the first program of its kind in the Diocese of Wichita
- 18,000+ hours in adoration recorded in the 2024–2025 parish year
Our Story: A Parish Rooted in College Hill Since 1927
Blessed Sacrament was born out of the rapid growth of Catholic families in Wichita's College Hill neighborhood in the late 1920s. Bishop August J. Schwertner created the parish on July 3, 1927, and appointed Father Timothy J. O'Sullivan — a Hutchinson native and the second Kansas-born priest of the diocese — as its founding pastor. Father O'Sullivan chose the name Church of the Blessed Sacrament, and the first Mass was offered on July 10, 1927, at Mount St. Mary's, the motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who would go on to staff the parish school. The parish is now counting down to its 100th anniversary, with Bishop Carl A. Kemme presiding at the 99th-anniversary Mass on June 28, 2026.
- Parish founded: July 3, 1927
- Founding pastor: Fr. Timothy J. O'Sullivan
- First Mass: July 10, 1927 (at Mount St. Mary's)
- First school/chapel cornerstone: October 10, 1927
- First Mass in new chapel: Easter Sunday, April 8, 1928
- School opened: September 10, 1928 (155 students, K–8)
Buildings & Campus Expansion
The parish physical plant has grown in distinct waves, from a combined school/chapel in 1928 to today's full parish complex. The current church building — on the corner of Douglas and Roosevelt, the site of the former Bishop's residence — had its cornerstone laid October 21, 1951, and was dedicated by Bishop Mark K. Carroll on July 20, 1952. The 1958 convent between the church and school now houses the Middle School, and the Dockum House at 124 N. Roosevelt (once the sisters' convent) became the rectory.
- 1952: New church dedicated by Bishop Mark K. Carroll
- 1958: Convent built (now Middle School); Dockum House becomes rectory
- 1998: Phase I Capital Campaign — 13,000 sq. ft. added to school (dedicated by Bishop Eugene J. Gerber, Sept. 6)
- 2002: Phase II Capital Campaign — 22,144 sq. ft. added (gym with walking track, parish offices, meeting rooms, classrooms); dedicated by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted at the 75th anniversary
- 2007: New parish/school website launched
- 2016: Parish Priority Plan launched
- 2018: Glory and Praise Initiative
Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
Blessed Sacrament School opened its doors on September 10, 1928, to 155 students in Kindergarten through 8th Grade, with the distinction of being the first school in the Diocese of Wichita to offer Kindergarten. The Sisters of St. Joseph staffed it exclusively until the 1955–56 school year, when lay teachers were first employed. The school today serves preschool through 8th grade, supported by an Athletic Director and a parish athletic program in the gym added in 2002. The parish also supports high-school-age parishioners attending Kapaun-Mt. Carmel (148 students), Bishop Carroll (12 students), and 38 Fiat homeschool families.
- Opened: September 10, 1928 (155 students, K–8)
- First school in the Diocese of Wichita to offer Kindergarten
- Staffed by Sisters of St. Joseph (1928) and lay teachers (from 1955–56)
- Current enrollment (2024–25): 39 preschool, 375 elementary
- Preschool admissions open for 2026–2027
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish is led by Father Jason W. Borkenhagen, S.T.D., as pastor (ordained May 26, 2001; assigned to Blessed Sacrament in 2023) and Father Joseph G. Mick as parochial Vicar. Lay staff include Samantha Ridder (Parish Life Coordinator), Dana Howland (Bookkeeper), Melinda Foley (Parish Office Manager), Becky Meyer, Erica Zurita, and Don Brinkman (Stewardship & Planned Giving), Rachel Dugan (Music Director), Matt Gann (Facilities Coordinator), and Pat Harter (Athletic Director). The parish also celebrates the ordination this past year of Deacon Luke Meyerhoff and the first vows of Sister Marie Bronislava Dillard with the Norbertine Canonesses of the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph.
- Pastor: Rev. Jason W. Borkenhagen, S.T.D. (since 2023)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Joseph G. Mick
- Parish Life Coordinator: Samantha Ridder
- Music Director: Rachel Dugan
- Athletic Director: Pat Harter
- Three Stewardship Coordinators (incl. Planned Giving)
Faith Formation & OCIA (RCIA)
The parish runs an active OCIA (formerly RCIA) program: 41 catechumens and candidates were welcomed into the Church during the 2024–25 year. Sacramental milestones for the same period included 61 Baptisms, 90 First Communions, 93 Confirmations, 24 weddings, and 13 funerals — a snapshot of a vibrant sacramental life that also includes faith formation for the parish school children and ongoing adult formation.
- OCIA / RCIA: 41 participants (2024–25)
- Baptisms: 61
- First Communions: 90
- Confirmations: 93
- Weddings: 24
- Funerals: 13
Stewardship, Vocations & Legacy Giving
Stewardship is staffed by a three-person team (Meyer, Zurita, Brinkman) and is a major focus of parish life, with 230 stewardship meetings during the 2024–25 year. A Legacy Society of 44 families and 74 members supports planned giving. The parish is unusually fruitful in vocations: six parishioners are actively discerning a call to priesthood or religious life, with Deacon Luke Meyerhoff ordained this past year, Sister Marie Bronislava Dillard taking her first vows, and three parishioners welcomed to the St. Joseph House of Formation.
- Legacy Society: 44 families, 74 members
- 230 stewardship meetings in 2024–25
- 6 parishioners in discernment for priesthood or religious life
- Deacon Luke Meyerhoff (Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, 4th Theology)
- Sister Marie Bronislava Dillard (Norbertine Canonesses, Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph)
Outreach & St. Vincent de Paul
The parish's St. Vincent de Paul Conference is one of its most active ministries. During the 2024–25 fiscal year alone, SVdP made 312 home visits, assisted 700 people, served more than 1,500 homeless lunches, distributed 400 backpack snacks, and gave away 4,700 books — a strong expression of the parish's commitment to corporal works of mercy alongside its Eucharistic devotion.
- 312 home visits
- 700 people assisted
- 1,500+ homeless lunches
- 400 SVDP backpack snacks
- 4,700 books given away
Music, Media & Liturgy
Liturgical music is led by Music Director Rachel Dugan, with parish support for choirs and musicians serving the weekend and daily Mass schedule. The parish livestreams its 8:00 am daily Mass and the 9:00 am Sunday Mass on Facebook and YouTube, and maintains an enhanced website with weekly bulletins, an online Mass-times app, and a parish VLOG for ongoing formation and connection.
- Music Director: Rachel Dugan
- Livestreamed Masses: 8:00 am weekdays, 9:00 am Sunday
- Platforms: Facebook (live) and YouTube (no account required)
- Weekly bulletin archive online
- Parish VLOG
Visiting & Contact
The parish office is open Monday–Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. when school is not in session). For Sacramental Emergencies (medical situations requiring Last Rites or urgent anointing), parishioners should call 316-272-5988 rather than the main office line.
- Address: 124 North Roosevelt, Wichita, KS 67208
- Office phone: 316-682-4557
- Fax: 316-682-4558
- Email: [email protected]
- Sacramental Emergency: 316-272-5988
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8:30 am–5:00 pm; Fri 8:30 am–3:30 pm
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Timothy J. O'Sullivan1927–
Founding pastor; appointed by Bishop August J. Schwertner on July 3, 1927; chose the name Church of the Blessed Sacrament. Born in Hutchinson; served as Vicar General, Defensor Vinculi and Diocesan Consultor; second Kansas-born priest of the Diocese of Wichita.
- Rev. Victor (Vic) Bieberlec. 1983
Pastor who, with lay faithful of the parish, launched Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on September 29, 1983 — the first such program in the Diocese of Wichita.
- Rev. Jason W. Borkenhagen, S.T.D.2023–present
Ordained May 26, 2001 (birth date October 25, 1973); served as assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas Wichita, religion teacher at Kapaun-Mt. Carmel and Bishop Carroll, pastor of St. Patrick (Parsons), chaplain to the IHM Sisters, before assignment as pastor of Blessed Sacrament in 2023.