About Holy Ghost · Sharon Springs, Kansas
Holy Ghost Parish is a small Roman Catholic mission church in Sharon Springs, Kansas, the seat of Wallace County on the High Plains. It belongs to the Diocese of Salina and is administered from nearby Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Goodland, where its pastor, Fr. Carlos Ruiz-Santos, also serves as Director of Hispanic Ministry. Founded in 1907 to serve Volga German and other Catholic settlers in far western Kansas, the parish gathers weekly for Sunday Mass and a Wednesday CCD Mass, and traces its roots back to the missionary journeys of Father Valentine Sommereisen beginning in 1877.
- Established
- 1907
- Patron
- Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit)
- Rector
- Fr. Carlos Ruiz-Santos
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salina
Why belong here
Holy Ghost is a close-knit rural mission where a single Sunday Mass gathers the whole Catholic community of Sharon Springs and the surrounding Wallace County wheat country. Visitors and parishioners worship together in a church rebuilt by the community after the 1950 fire, with weekly CCD classes for children Pre-K through 12th grade on Wednesday evenings and the personal attention of a pastor who also leads Hispanic ministry across the four-parish Northwest Kansas cluster. It is an ideal place for families, retirees, and travelers looking for a quiet, faith-centered Catholic home on the High Plains.
Mass times at Holy Ghost
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30–7:50 am (Mountain Time, at Holy Ghost, Sharon Springs)
- 30 minutes before Mass (per Diocese of Salina schedule)
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month, following the 8:00 am Mass
- Lenten Adoration every Friday during Lent, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Holy Ghost Parish — Sharon Springs, Kansas
Holy Ghost is a Catholic mission parish in Sharon Springs, the county seat of Wallace County in far western Kansas. It belongs to the Diocese of Salina and is pastored from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Goodland, where Fr. Carlos Ruiz-Santos serves the four-parish Northwest Kansas cluster. The parish is listed by the Diocese of Salina as founded in 1907.
- Diocese of Salina
- Mission status, served from Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Goodland
- Founded 1907
History
Catholic life in Sharon Springs traces back to 1877, when Father Valentine Sommereisen first rode out from Hays to bring the sacraments to settlers along the Kansas Pacific Railway. Regular Mass began in 1907, first in an old brick schoolhouse and later in the old courthouse. The first church was built in 1916 on 2nd Street, four blocks west of Main. It was destroyed by fire in 1950, and the current church was rebuilt on Main Street using plans already drawn up before the fire; it was dedicated on April 16, 1952. A parish hall followed in 1973.
- 1877 — Father V. Sommereisen first visits Sharon Springs from Hays
- 1907 — Regular Mass begins in an old brick schoolhouse
- Father Joseph Hughes — first resident priest
- 1916 — First church built on 2nd Street
- 1950 — Church destroyed by fire
- 1952 (April 16) — New church dedicated on Main Street
- 1973 — Parish hall built
Clergy & Staff
Holy Ghost is currently pastored by Fr. Carlos Ruiz-Santos, who also serves as Director of Hispanic Ministry for the Northwest Kansas Catholic cluster based at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Goodland.
- Pastor & Director of Hispanic Ministry: Fr. Carlos Ruiz-Santos
Faith Formation (CCD)
Religious education at Holy Ghost is organized through the cluster's CCD program, which runs September through April for youth Pre-School through 12th grade on Wednesday evenings. A CCD Mass is celebrated on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm (please check the bulletin).
- CCD program for Pre-School through 12th grade
- Wednesday evenings, September–April
- Wednesday CCD Mass at 6:30 pm
Parish Life & Facilities
Holy Ghost occupies a church on Main Street (403 N. Main) rebuilt in 1952 after the 1916 church burned, with a parish hall added in 1973 that continues to serve community gatherings. As one of the four Northwest Kansas Catholic parishes — alongside Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Goodland, St. Francis in St. Francis, and St. Joseph in Bird City — Holy Ghost shares regional staff and ministries with its sister churches.
- Current church dedicated April 16, 1952
- Parish hall built 1973
- Part of the four-parish Northwest Kansas Catholic cluster
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Ghost through the parish secretary line and email, which also serves the rest of the Northwest Kansas cluster. The mailing and physical address is on Main Street in Sharon Springs.
- Address: 403 N. Main St., Sharon Springs, KS 67758
- Phone: (785) 890-7205
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: olphgoodland.com/holy-ghost
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Valentine (V.) Sommereisen1877 (visiting missionary from Hays)
First Catholic priest to come to Sharon Springs, ministering to settlers along the Kansas Pacific Railway; based in Hays from 1876.
- Priest from Collyer1907
Began celebrating regular Mass in Sharon Springs, using an old brick schoolhouse and later the old courthouse.
- Father Joseph Hughes
First resident priest of Holy Ghost Parish.