About Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe · Dodge City, Kansas
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the mother church and seat (cathedra) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City, Kansas. Located at 3231 N. 14th Avenue on the northern edge of Dodge City, it was consecrated on December 9, 2001 as the first new cathedral built in the United States in the new millennium. The octagonal, postmodern cathedral — clad in Silverdale limestone with a copper roof — seats roughly 1,400 and grew out of the merger of Sacred Heart Cathedral parish and Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. It is a multicultural parish offering Masses in English and Spanish (with a historic Vietnamese ministry) and operates the parish school, Sacred Heart Cathedral School.
- Established
- 2001
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Rev. Wesley Schawe
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City
Why belong here
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the spiritual home of more than 4,000 households and the ceremonial heart of the Diocese of Dodge City, so joining it means belonging to a large, multigenerational, multicultural Catholic family with deep roots in southwest Kansas. Daily Mass is celebrated every day of the week (with school Masses at Sacred Heart Cathedral School), weekend Masses are offered in English and Spanish, and the parish runs a full sacramental and faith-formation program — including OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for ages 3–6, youth ministry, Confirmation, First Communion, Quinceañera preparation, marriage preparation and faith-formation classes in both languages. Members also benefit from the parish's historic pilgrimage heritage, its devotional shrines, Sacred Heart Cathedral School (PreK–8) and a pastoral staff that includes a Hispanic pastoral ministry team.
Mass times at Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
- Saturday: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Saturday: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
- No confessions on Holy Saturday
About the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the mother church and cathedra of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City, Kansas. It was consecrated on December 9, 2001, the first new cathedral built in the United States in the new millennium, and serves more than 4,000 registered households from its campus on the north edge of Dodge City. The parish is multicultural from its founding, celebrating Mass in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, and it runs Sacred Heart Cathedral School (PreK–8) as an integral part of its mission.
- Type: Cathedral / Parish church
- Founded: 2001 (consecrated December 9, 2001)
- Patron: Our Lady of Guadalupe (feast December 12)
- Diocese: Dodge City
- Bishop: Most Rev. John B. Brungardt
- Pastor/Rector: Rev. Wesley Schawe
History
The cathedral grew out of a 1995–1998 diocesan restructuring under Bishop Ronald M. Gilmore that merged Sacred Heart Cathedral parish and Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. Groundbreaking was May 20, 2000, with soil from every parish in the diocese mixed into the site. The cathedral was consecrated December 9, 2001 and the first parish Mass was celebrated three days later, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, by Father Ted Skalsky with Father Ted Stoecklein concelebrating and Deacon Erasmo Rodriguez assisting.
- 1870s: Dodge City Catholics worship at Union Church
- 1882: Sacred Heart Parish established (first Catholic parish)
- 1877: Dodge City moved into the new Diocese of Wichita
- Early 1900s: Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish formed
- 1916: Second Sacred Heart church built
- April 19, 1950: New Our Lady of Guadalupe church dedicated; image of La Morenita received
- May 19, 1951: Diocese of Dodge City established; Sacred Heart becomes first cathedral
- 1995–1998: Diocesan restructuring
- May 20, 2000: Cathedral groundbreaking
- December 9, 2001: Cathedral consecrated
- December 12, 2001: First parish Mass; 300+ pilgrims make 3-mile walk
- February 2012: 10th anniversary and debt retirement celebrated by Bishop Brungardt
Architecture
Designed by Robert Habiger of Dekker/Perich/Sabatini (Albuquerque), the postmodern cathedral is an octagonal structure clad in Silverdale limestone (quarried near Arkansas City, Kansas) with a copper roof. A square-within-an-octagon worship space seats roughly 1,400 worshippers in white-oak pews; an ambulatory circles the perimeter and houses the devotional shrines. Granite, Cuban mahogany, Mexican ziricote and polished bronze carry through the sanctuary furniture, while the 14-foot copper front doors carry grape-vine handles and the interior doors carry wheat-stalk handles in a continuing harvest motif.
- Architect: Robert Habiger, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini
- Style: Postmodern
- Height: 106 ft (with 77-ft separate bell tower)
- Materials: Silverdale limestone, copper
- Capacity: ~1,400 (1,430 pew seats)
- Granite altar and ambo; Cuban mahogany cathedra and processional cross
- Bronze and Cuban mahogany tabernacle with Spanish-Moorish influences on a 7-ft granite pedestal
- Stations of the Cross and main crucifix by Colorado artist Hubero Maestas
- Cross-shaped baptismal font
- Seven interior shrines
Shrines and Devotional Art
The cathedral contains seven devotional shrines inside the worship space, plus the Sacred Heart daily-Mass chapel off the gathering area. The centerpiece is the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, holding the 1950 image of La Morenita by Mexican artist Tobias Villaneuvo of León, dressed in cloth made by the Sisters of Christ the King in Silao, Mexico — the same image that stood in the 1950 Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on the east side of Dodge City for fifty-one years before being moved into the new cathedral.
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Patrons of Religious Orders (eleven saints, Santo style of Spain and Latin America)
- Holy Family
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux
- St. Isidore and St. Maria de la Cabeza
- St. Maria Goretti
- Additional shrine
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish runs a complete faith-formation program in English and Spanish under Faith Formation Coordinator Norma Alvarez. Programs include OCIA for adults and children (directed in English by Fr. John Stang), the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for ages 3–6 (Level 1 launching in Fall 2026), youth ministry, Confirmation, First Communion, Quinceañera preparation and 'Following in Jesus' Footsteps.' Adult faith-formation opportunities include small groups and the diocesan Pastoral Ministry Formation program delivered via ITV.
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (English): Fr. John Stang
- Children's OCIA
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (ages 3–6)
- Youth Group
- Confirmation
- First Communion
- Quinceañera
- Religious Vocations
- Adult Faith Formation
- Pastoral Ministry Formation (diocesan ITV classes)
- 20s & 30s Young Adult Ministry
Sacred Heart Cathedral School
Sacred Heart Cathedral Catholic School (905 Central Avenue, Dodge City) is the parish school serving PreK through grade 8 with about 170–195 students and an 11:1 student-teacher ratio. The school is dedicated to forming disciples of Jesus Christ in a safe, faith-filled environment, and all staff and volunteers complete Safe Environment training. Students attend regular school Mass and grow together as a family of faith. The school is preparing to move to a new campus dedicated in early August 2026.
- Principal: Jennifer Schneiweis
- Activities Director: Nathan Morse
- Office Staff: Cecilia Garcia
- Tuition & Billing: Alicia Ortiz
- Phone: 620-227-6532 | Fax: 620-227-3221
- Grades: PreK–8
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 11:1
- New campus dedication: early August 2026
Hispanic and Multicultural Ministry
The Cathedral has been a multicultural parish since its foundation in 2001, celebrating Mass in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Hispanic pastoral ministry is staffed by three CFP (Certified Faith Formation) sisters: Sr. Yolis Montes, Sr. Yolanda Figueroa and Sr. Dulce Maria Martinez, supported by Estela Valverde (Director of Ministry Development), Mayra Andazola (Pastoral Ministry Assistant) and Norma Alvarez (Faith Formation Coordinator). Spanish Masses are offered Saturday evening and twice on Sunday, with two of them livestreamed on Facebook.
- Hispanic Pastoral Ministers (Sr. Yolis Montes, CFP; Sr. Yolanda Figueroa, CFP; Sr. Dulce Maria Martinez, CFP)
- Director of Ministry Development: Estela Valverde
- Pastoral Ministry Assistant: Mayra Andazola
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Norma Alvarez
- Spanish Masses: Sat 7:00 pm; Sun 11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Staff and Leadership
The cathedral is led by Pastor/Rector Rev. Wesley Schawe and Parochial Vicar Rev. John Stang, who also serves as Director of Christian Initiation (OCIA, English). The current diocesan bishop is Most Rev. John B. Brungardt; the cathedral project was begun under Bishop Emeritus Ronald M. Gilmore. Deacon Carson Haupt assists at the parish. Lay leadership includes Becca Studt (Director of Parish Advancement & Administration), Estela Valverde (Director of Ministry Development), Alicia Ortiz (Manager of Finance), Tracy Jones (Manager of Facilities & Maintenance) and Rebeca Vallejo (Front Office Administrative Assistant).
- Pastor/Rector: Rev. Wesley Schawe
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. John Stang
- Deacon: Carson Haupt
- Bishop: Most Rev. John B. Brungardt
- Bishop Emeritus: Ronald M. Gilmore
- Director of Parish Advancement & Administration: Becca Studt
- Director of Ministry Development: Estela Valverde
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Norma Alvarez
- Manager of Finance: Alicia Ortiz
- Manager of Facilities & Maintenance: Tracy Jones
- Front Office Administrative Assistant: Rebeca Vallejo
Visit, Pilgrimage and Pilgrimage Heritage
Pilgrimage is built into the cathedral's design. The plaza fire pit is the geometric center of the campus, and its ceremonial drive (with herringbone and cobblestone paving) allows elderly and disabled visitors to be dropped at the main entrance. The 2001 opening-day three-mile pilgrimage from the old Our Lady of Guadalupe Church to Sacred Heart and on to the new cathedral — completed in snow and a 17-mph north wind — is still remembered as a founding moment of parish identity. The Diocese of Dodge City has published a virtual tour / Cathedral Guidebook, and a 25th Anniversary Lenten Day of Recollection with Bishop Emeritus Ronald Gilmore is scheduled.
- Church open for prayer daily 6:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Plaza fire pit used for the Easter Vigil
- Ceremonial drive to the main entrance for weddings, funerals and disabled access
- Virtual tour / Cathedral Guidebook published by the Diocese
- 25th Anniversary Lenten Day of Recollection scheduled with Bishop Emeritus Gilmore
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Ted Skalsky2001
Presided at the first parish Mass on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 2001, three days after the cathedral's consecration.
- Rev. Ted Stoecklein2001
Concelebrated the first parish Mass at the new cathedral on December 12, 2001.
- Deacon Erasmo Rodriguez2001
Assisted at the first parish Mass on December 12, 2001.
- Rev. Wesley Schawepresent
Current pastor/rector per the diocesan directory.
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