About Holy Family · Kansas City, Kansas
Holy Family Church (Sveta Druzina) is a Roman Catholic parish in Kansas City, Kansas, founded in 1908 by Slovenian immigrants from Carniola who settled near the Kaw River bottoms. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and is currently pastored by Father Joseph Arsenault, SSA, who also serves St. John the Baptist Parish. Today the parish community blends its century-old Slovenian-American heritage with a thriving Burmese (Myanmar) Catholic community of about 80 families that worships in their own language at the Sunday 12:15 PM Mass.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- The Holy Family
- Rector
- Father Joseph Arsenault, SSA
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
Holy Family is a small but remarkably resilient parish with more than a century of Slovenian-Catholic heritage on Strawberry Hill, now sharing its pews with a vibrant Burmese (Myanmar) refugee community. Worshippers can attend Saturday Vigil and Sunday morning Mass in English, a Sunday 12:15 PM Mass in Burmese, and a Friday morning Mass, with confession before each Vigil Mass. The parish sustains a packed calendar of ministries — the long-running Holy Family Club (founded 1940), Altar Society, choir, KSKJ St. Veronica Lodge #115, Ministry of the Sick with Sr. Mary Michael MacChesney, the Social Concerns Committee and a Parish/Finance Council — and continues to support Resurrection Catholic School and Bishop Ward High School.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 3:00 PM before the 4:00 PM Vigil Mass (by Fr. Joseph, at whichever church hosts Mass that month)
- By appointment
Our History — A Century of Slovenian Catholic Faith
The parish was founded in 1908 by Slovenian immigrants (Krainers) from Carniola who had come to Kansas City, Kansas in the 1890s for work in the meatpacking plants and railroads. After Bishop Thomas Francis Lillis of the Leavenworth diocese declined to authorize a new parish, the group incorporated as the Carnolian-Slovenian Catholic Church Society of St. Joseph in January 1908, raised about $1,800, and welcomed Rev. Joseph Kompare from Slovenia. On August 15, 1908 — the Feast of the Assumption — Father Kompare blessed the first frame church at 511, 513 and 515 Ohio Avenue, and baptisms and marriages were recorded within weeks. The Slovenians built the present grand church in the mid-1920s under Father John Perse, with Bishop John Chamberlain Ward laying the cornerstone on October 11, 1925 and solemn dedication the following July 4.
- 1890s — Krainer Slovenians settle on 'The Patch' in the Kaw River bottoms
- 1903 — Great Kaw River flood relocates community to Strawberry Hill
- January 1908 — Carnolian-Slovenian Catholic Church Society of St. Joseph incorporated
- Spring 1908 — Rev. Joseph Kompare arrives from Slovenia
- August 15, 1908 — First Holy Family Church blessed on the Feast of the Assumption
- April 14, 1908 — First baptism: Matthew Petrina by Fr. Kompare
- June 6, 1908 — First marriage: Antonius Malnar & Helena Stampfel
- August 1910–May 1911 — Rev. Engelbert Pollock, O.F.M. affiliates parish with the diocese
- October 11, 1925 — Cornerstone of the new church laid by Bishop Ward
- July 4, 1926 — Solemn dedication; Knights of Columbus band and Kilgen pipe organ
- December 24, 2007 — Msgr. Heliodore Mejak dies at age 98 after 63 years as pastor
Burmese (Myanmar) Catholic Community
Since November 2017 Holy Family has been the spiritual home of the Kansas City-area Myanmar Catholic Community, which celebrates a Sunday 12:15 PM Mass in Burmese under the chaplaincy of Fr. Michael Van Lian. Originally founded in 2009 by Fr. Paul Lwin and nurtured by Frs. Theodore Khing and Anthony Quellette at Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the community grew to roughly 80 families at Holy Family by its 10th anniversary in 2019, with 53 students at Resurrection Catholic School, 5 at Bishop Ward and 1 at Rockhurst. Burmese Liaison to the parish is James Khung Thang.
- April 12, 2009 — Fr. Paul Lwin celebrates first Mass for the Myanmar Catholic Community
- November 2017 — Community transfers to Holy Family Church under then-pastor Fr. Peter Jaramillo
- Fr. Michael Van Lian — Sacramental Minister to the Burmese Community (since January 2016)
- Sunday 12:15 PM Mass in Burmese
- James Khung Thang — Burmese Liaison
Monsignor Heliodore Mejak — A Legendary 63-Year Pastorate
Rev. Msgr. Heliodore N. Mejak was appointed pastor August 2, 1944 and remained until his death on Christmas Eve 2007 at age 98 — a 63-year pastorate in which he never formally retired. Although legally blind and using a walker in his later years, he continued to celebrate daily Mass, administer the sacraments, publish the weekly bulletin and serve the parish he loved. Pope John Paul II elevated him to Monsignor in 1998, his 60th year as a priest, and the city of Kansas City, Kansas named the pedestrian way next to the parish social hall 'Mejak Lane' in his honor.
- Installed three marble altars with relics of Sts. Victor and Eumanius sealed in the main altar
- Oversaw dedication of the hall-gymnasium / kitchen / clubroom by Archbishop Edward L. Hunkeler on February 5, 1956
- Kept Slovenian customs alive — Easter basket blessings, Slovenian hymns
- Often cited as the oldest active pastor in the United States
Sacraments and Faith Formation
The parish celebrates all seven Catholic sacraments and welcomes inquiries through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Marriage preparation requires at least six months' notice, Baptismal certificates, proof of parish registration and participation in prenuptial classes. Men discerning priesthood are referred to the Archdiocesan Vocation Office or the Society of St. Augustine (Augustinians of Kansas) on Facebook.
- Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist
- Reconciliation (Saturdays 3:00 PM or by appointment)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Matrimony (6-month notice, prenuptial classes, Baptismal certificates required)
- Holy Orders — Vocations referrals
- RCIA — contact parish office for the next class
Parish Ministries and Organizations
Holy Family sustains a remarkably full roster of ministries for a small parish, many of them dating back generations. The Holy Family Club, founded by Fr. Daniel Gnidica in 1940, still flourishes and publishes 'The Anchor.' The Altar Society, Holy Name Society, Sodality, choir, Finance Council, Parish Council and the long-running KSKJ St. Veronica Lodge #115 carry on the parish's Slovenian-American heritage, while the Burmese Liaison and Sr. Mary Michael MacChesney's Ministry of the Sick reflect the parish's current diversity. The weekly bulletin 'Gems' (Biseri in Slovenian), founded in 1937, is still published.
- Holy Family Club (Julie Schneller) — young-adult social club since 1940
- Altar Society — Sandy Cannon
- Choir — Marla Serra (Assistant)
- Parish Council — Robert Serra
- Finance Council — Joe Keller
- Social Concerns Committee
- St. Veronica Lodge #115 / KSKJ (Slovenian fraternal) — Julie Schneller
- Ministry of the Sick — Sr. Mary Michael MacChesney
- Burmese Liaison — James Khung Thang
Schools: Resurrection Catholic School and Bishop Ward High School
Although Holy Family School merged with St. John's in 1989 and became part of the consolidated Resurrection School at the Cathedral of St. Peter in 2007, the parish continues to actively support both Resurrection Catholic School and Bishop Ward High School. The Burmese community's 53 students are a major presence at Resurrection, with another 5 Burmese students at Bishop Ward and 1 at Rockhurst.
- Holy Family School founded 1908 by Fr. Kompare; first 12 pupils
- School Sisters of St. Francis from Maribor, Slovenia staffed the school from 1909
- First graduate Mary Sneller received her diploma in 1918
- Merged with St. John's in 1989; consolidated into Resurrection School at the Cathedral of St. Peter in 2007
- Bishop Ward High School — parish-supported alma mater of Msgr. Mejak; site of the Mejak Scholarship
About Our Pastor — Father Joseph Arsenault, SSA
Announced in the May 21, 2021 edition of The Leaven newspaper, Father Joseph Arsenault was appointed pastor of Holy Family Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish effective June 1, 2021; he was installed by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann on June 27, 2021. A member of the Society of Saint Augustine of Kansas City, Kansas, Fr. Joseph also continues to serve as judicial vicar, ecumenical officer, director of the Sanctuary of Hope Prayer and Retreat Center, and coordinating chaplain for the Sisters, Servants of Mary. He can be reached at 913-371-1561.
- Father Joseph Arsenault, SSA — Pastor (since June 27, 2021)
- Society of Saint Augustine of Kansas City, Kansas
- Also pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish
- Judicial vicar, ecumenical officer, director of Sanctuary of Hope Prayer and Retreat Center
- Coordinating chaplain for the Sisters, Servants of Mary
- Phone: 913-371-1561
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Family by phone at the parish office (913-413-0022), by email at [email protected], or via Facebook at @holyfamilychurchkck. The parish office is at 515 Ohio Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66102, on Strawberry Hill. Fr. Joseph Arsenault can be reached directly at 913-371-1561.
- Address: 515 Ohio Ave, Kansas City, KS 66102
- Parish Office Phone: 913-413-0022
- Pastor Phone: 913-371-1561
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: holyfamilychurchkck.org
- Facebook: @holyfamilychurchkck
- Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas (913-371-8101, www.rcskck.org)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Kompare1908 – c. 1910
Founding pastor; arrived from Slovenia spring 1908, blessed the first frame church on Aug. 15, 1908, taught the first 12 pupils of Holy Family School; later transferred to a parish in St. Louis.
- Rev. Engelbert Pollock, O.F.M.August 1910 – May 1911
Franciscan; secured the parish's affiliation with the (Leavenworth) diocese; imported hand-carved Holy Family, Sacred Heart and Blessed Virgin Mary statues from Europe.
- Rev. John Persec. 1911 – March 10, 1936
Carniola-born, previously served 17 years at a Slovenian parish in Leadville, CO; paid off $10,000 debt, then built the present grand church (cornerstone Oct. 11, 1925; dedicated July 4, 1926) with a Kilgen pipe organ; devout to the Infant of Prague; died at age 68 of a brain tumor.
- Rev. Daniel Francis Gnidica, O.S.March 20, 1936 – c. 1944
Holy Cross Abbey, Canon City, CO; Slovenian-speaker; reorganized Sodality, Altar Society and Holy Name Society; launched weekly bulletin 'Gems' (Biseri) in 1937 and founded the young people's social club in 1940.
- Rev. Msgr. Heliodore N. MejakAugust 2, 1944 – December 24, 2007
63 years as pastor; learned Slovenian, kept Easter basket blessings and Slovenian hymns; installed three marble altars with relics of Sts. Victor and Eumanius; oversaw 1956 hall-gymnasium; named Mejak Lane in his honor; elevated to Monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1998; died Christmas Eve 2007 at age 98, cited as the oldest active pastor in the United States.
- Fr. Peter Jaramillopre-2021
Welcomed the Burmese Catholic community to Holy Family Church in November 2017 with compassion and love.
- Father Joseph Arsenault, SSAJune 27, 2021 – present
Society of Saint Augustine; installed by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann; also serves as pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish, judicial vicar, ecumenical officer, director of the Sanctuary of Hope Prayer and Retreat Center and coordinating chaplain for the Sisters, Servants of Mary.