About Immaculate Conception · Leavenworth, Kansas
Immaculate Conception–St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic community in Leavenworth, Kansas, served by the Carmelite Order (O.Carm.) since 1864. The parish is the outgrowth of four historic Leavenworth County parishes — the Cathedral Parish of the Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph Carmelite Parish, Holy Epiphany Parish, and Sacred Heart, Kickapoo — and today worships at two church sites, Immaculate Conception (711 N. 5th Street) and St. Joseph (306 N. Broadway). It is the first permanent foundation of the Carmelites in the United States and the home of the first cathedral built west of the Mississippi River, founded in 1855 by Jesuit Bishop Jean Baptiste Miege, S.J.
- Established
- 1855
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Fr. Glenn Snow, O.Carm.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception–St. Joseph offers a rare combination: two historic worship sites (the 1964 post-conciliar Immaculate Conception and the 1871 German-Gothic St. Joseph), the spiritual heritage of the Carmelites (the very first Carmelite foundation in the United States), and an active parish life that ranges from Eucharistic Adoration and the OCIA/RCIA process to St. Vincent de Paul, Knights of Columbus, the Carmelite Third Order, an Altar Society, a quilting group, youth group, men's society and a Germanfest that honors the parish's German immigrant roots. It is a community that openly invites people of all ages, races, and cultures, with a pastor and deacons who are easy to reach, daily and weekend Mass at both churches, Saturday confessions, and a live-streamed Saturday Mass for those who cannot be there in person.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM at Immaculate Conception Church
Adoration times
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM Eucharistic Adoration (per parish directory listing)
About Immaculate Conception–St. Joseph Parish
Immaculate Conception–St. Joseph Parish in Leavenworth, Kansas, is a Roman Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, served by the Carmelite Order (O.Carm.) since 1864. The parish is the outgrowth of four historic Leavenworth County parishes — the Cathedral Parish of the Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph Carmelite Parish, Holy Epiphany Parish, and Sacred Heart, Kickapoo — and worships at two church sites just blocks apart in downtown Leavenworth. The parish describes itself as 'vibrant, embracing people of all ages, races, and cultures,' with Fr. Glenn Snow, O.Carm., as pastor since 2020.
- Parish Office / Mailing: 747 Osage St., Leavenworth, KS 66048
- Immaculate Conception Church: 711 N. 5th Street
- St. Joseph Church: 306 N. Broadway
- Carmelite Priory: 300 N. Broadway
- Part of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
A Rich Parish History (1855–Today)
The community traces its origin to August 15, 1855, when Jesuit Bishop John Baptist Miege, S.J., founded the Cathedral Parish of the Immaculate Conception in the new Kansas Territory's 'First City.' Three years later he founded St. Joseph Parish for the German immigrant community, and on October 7, 1864, two Carmelite priests from Bavaria — Fathers Cyril Knoll and Xavier Huber — arrived to take administration of St. Joseph, making it the first permanent Carmelite foundation in the United States. Bishop Miege built his magnificent Italian Renaissance cathedral in 1864–1868; it burned on December 30, 1961, and the present Immaculate Conception Church was dedicated May 31, 1964 under Monsignor Alexander Harvey. The parishes were canonically united on July 1, 2007, and in 2014 the parish hosted Carmelites from around the world to mark the 150th anniversary of the Order's American arrival.
- 1855: Immaculate Conception founded as Cathedral Parish by Bishop Miege, S.J.
- 1858: St. Joseph Parish founded for the German community
- 1864: First U.S. Carmelite foundation at St. Joseph (Fathers Knoll & Huber)
- 1868: 'Old Cathedral' of the Immaculate Conception dedicated
- 1961: Old Cathedral destroyed by fire (Dec 30)
- 1964: Present Immaculate Conception Church dedicated May 31
- 1981: Carmelites take over administration of Immaculate Conception
- 2007: Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph canonically united (July 1)
- 2014: 150th anniversary of Carmelites in America celebrated
Heritage of the Old Cathedral and Bishop Miege
Bishop Jean Baptiste Miege, S.J., had been named Vicar Apostolic for the Indian Territory east of the Rocky Mountains in 1850 and worked with the Pottawatomie near present-day St. Mary, Kansas from 1851–1854. After the Kansas-Nebraska Act he chose Leavenworth and named his cathedral parish for the Immaculate Conception. The 1868 cathedral, considered the grandest church between St. Louis and San Francisco, was Italian Renaissance in style with Corinthian columns, barrel-shaped ceilings and rounded arches, and its ceiling decorations were painted by the French artist Leon Pomrade. The cathedral was later served by Bishop Louis Fink, a German-born Benedictine (coadjutor from 1871), and a succession of Leavenworth bishops; it burned in 1961 and the building is still affectionately called the 'Old Cathedral' by senior parishioners.
- First cathedral built west of the Mississippi
- Designed in Italian Renaissance style with Corinthian columns
- Ceiling artwork by French artist Leon Pomrade
- Twelve 1913 stained glass windows from the Royal Bavarian Art Institute of Munich lost in the 1961 fire
St. Joseph: The First Carmelite Parish in America
St. Joseph Parish was founded September 5, 1858 by Bishop Miege to serve the growing German immigrant community; its first church was dedicated July 10, 1859 on Osage Street. The present German-style Gothic church was dedicated in 1871 by Bishops Miege and Fink, built under the pastorate of Fr. Albert Heimann, O.Carm. (Miege's close associate who joined the Carmelites in 1865). German was spoken in the parish for over 80 years; since 2002 the parish has held an annual Germanfest to honor that heritage. The church was heavily damaged in a 1945 spring storm; on its 1946 reopening under Fr. Herman Golobic, O.Carm., and Fr. Leonard Kinzler, O.Carm., the men of the parish installed the present wood altar of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and excavated the basement parish hall now called 'Kinzler Hall.' St. Joseph was repainted and refurbished in 2007 in preparation for its 150th Jubilee, and the Carmelite community moved from the Old Cathedral Rectory to a new priory at 300 N. Broadway in 1990 under Fr. Cecil Pickert, O.Carm.
- Present German-style Gothic church dedicated 1871
- Wood altar of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel installed 1946
- 'Kinzler Hall' basement parish hall excavated by parishioners in 1946
- Annual Germanfest held since 2002
- 150th Jubilee celebrated in 2008
Holy Epiphany and Sacred Heart: The Other Two Founding Parishes
Two additional parishes complete the community's roots. In 1873, Bishop Miege founded Sacred Heart Parish in Kickapoo, near the original 1836 Jesuit mission site of Fr. Charles Felix Van Quickenborne, S.J. (Kansas's first Catholic mission). Sacred Heart served the faithful for nearly 100 years before being closed in 1970; Archbishop James P. Keleher later named it an Archdiocesan pilgrimage site during the 2000 Jubilee Year, and the re-gilded church remains a stational church with celebrations on Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, and Memorial Day, plus occasional Youth Masses, Stations of the Cross, May Crowning, Baptisms and Weddings. In 1874, Bishop Fink established Holy Epiphany Parish at Sixth and Pottawatomie Streets for African-American Catholics — the first Black Catholic parish west of the Mississippi — where the Oblate Sisters of Providence (the first group of African-American sisters founded in the U.S.) served the school and two orphanages (Guardian Angels Home for Boys and Holy Epiphany Home for Girls) until the parish closed in 1954, with parishioners transferring to Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph.
- Sacred Heart, Kickapoo — founded 1873, closed 1970, now a pilgrimage site
- Holy Epiphany — first Black Catholic parish west of the Mississippi (est. 1874)
- Oblate Sisters of Providence staffed the Holy Epiphany school and orphanages
Meet Our Staff
The parish is led by Fr. Glenn Snow, O.Carm. — the current pastor — together with two deacons, a Pastoral Associate who also serves as Director of Religious Education, a Parish Music Coordinator, and support staff in the parish office.
- Fr. Glenn Snow, O.Carm. — Pastor (since 2020) — [email protected]
- Deacon Patrick Hood
- Deacon Dean Gilbert
- Jani Christoffersen
- Kathleen Roemer — Parish Bookkeeper
- Mark Brown — Maintenance and Facilities Manager
- Theresa Vitt — Parish Music Coordinator
Ministries and Ways to Get Involved
The parish organizes its many opportunities for service into Liturgy and Worship, Christian Formation, Social Concerns, Prayer Ministry, Organizations, and Social Activities, encouraging parishioners to use their unique talents and available time. The Parish Office is the contact point to learn more about each ministry.
- Liturgy & Worship: Gift Bearers, Lector, Communion Minister, Altar Server (4th grade and up), Adult Altar Server, Sacristan, Music/Choir, Funeral Lector/Communion Minister
- Christian Formation: Religious Education teachers/aides/substitutes, OCIA (RCIA) Sponsor, Marriage Prep Couple, Youth Group Adult Team
- Social Concerns: Altar Societies, Carmelite Third Order, Transportation/Errands for the Elderly, Communion to the Homebound, Monthly Food Collection, Bereavement Ministry, Interfaith Community of Hope
- Organizations: St. Joseph's Men's Society, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph's Quilting Group, Young Adult Group, Knights of Columbus
- Social Activities: First Sunday Coffee & Donuts, Funeral Dinners, Confirmation/First Communion/RCIA receptions, IC St. Patrick's Day Event, SJ Germanfest, IC/SJ Parish Picnic
- Prayer Ministry: Eucharistic Adoration (1 hr/week), Prayer for vocations, Prayer for the Prodigals, daily 5-minute prayer for parishioners
Catholic Education in the Parish
Catholic education has been associated with Immaculate Conception since 1858, when the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth arrived from Nashville, Tennessee and opened their first school on Kickapoo Street. Immaculata High School was founded in 1909 on the third floor of the Cathedral Grade School, moved to Sixth and Shawnee Streets in 1924, and operated there until closing in 2017. Xavier Elementary School was formed in 1979 by unifying the four parochial elementary schools in Leavenworth, and moved in 2011 to a new site on Muncie Road near the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity, closing the various parish campuses. The old St. Joseph school building is now used for Parish Religious Education classes.
- Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth arrived 1858 — first school on Kickapoo Street
- Immaculata High School: 1909 – 2017
- Xavier Elementary: formed 1979, moved to Muncie Road 2011
- Parish Religious Education classes now held in former St. Joseph school buildings
Sacraments, Registration and Visiting
The parish welcomes visitors and new parishioners. Registration forms are available in the back of church or downloadable from the parish website, and may be emailed to [email protected], mailed, or dropped off at the Parish Office (747 Osage St., 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, closed 12:00 – 1:00 PM). The parish celebrates the usual sacraments of a Roman Catholic parish — Baptism, First Penance and First Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, OCIA/RCIA, Anointing of the Sick, and Communion to the Homebound — supported by Bereavement Ministry, Marriage Prep Couples, and OCIA Sponsors.
- Parish Office: 747 Osage St., Leavenworth, KS 66048 — (913) 682-3953
- Office hours: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (closed 12:00 – 1:00 PM)
- Registration: [email protected] or downloadable form at icsj.org/registration
Carmelite Heritage and Spiritual Identity
The parish frames its mission around the Carmelite charism. Its welcome page quotes Pope Benedict XVI's address to Carmelite leaders — 'Carmel teaches the Church how to pray' — and emphasizes liturgical, contemplative, intercessory, musical, scriptural, and charitable prayer as paths to God. A Carmelite Third Order group is part of parish life, and the parish maintains the Carmelite Priory adjacent to St. Joseph Church at 300 N. Broadway, with the live-streamed Saturday Mass continuing through the pandemic era as a ministry of presence.
- First permanent Carmelite foundation in the United States (1864)
- Carmelite Third Order lay group active in the parish
- Saturday 4:00 PM Mass live streamed on YouTube
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Bishop John Baptist Miege, S.J. (founder)1855
Jesuit founder of the Cathedral Parish of the Immaculate Conception on August 15, 1855, and of St. Joseph Parish on September 5, 1858; built and dedicated the original cathedral in 1868.
- Fr. Cyril Knoll, O.Carm. and Fr. Xavier Huber, O.Carm.1864
First Carmelite pastors of St. Joseph; arrived from Straubing, Bavaria on October 7, 1864 — first permanent Carmelite foundation in the United States.
- Fr. Albert Heimann, O.Carm.1865–1871
Bishop Miege's close associate who joined the Carmelite Order in 1865; oversaw construction of the present German-style Gothic St. Joseph church dedicated in 1871.
- Fr. Herman Golobic, O.Carm. and Fr. Leonard Kinzler, O.Carm.1945–1946
Led rebuilding after the 1945 spring storm; parish men excavated the basement hall now named 'Kinzler Hall.'
- Monsignor Alexander Harvey1953–1966
Pastor of Immaculate Conception who oversaw construction and dedication of the present Immaculate Conception Church on May 31, 1964.
- Fr. Cecil Pickert, O.Carm.around 1990
Oversaw move of the Carmelite community to the new priory at 300 N. Broadway adjacent to St. Joseph Church.
- Fr. Terrence Cyr, O.Carm.around 1995
Oversaw razing of the old Immaculate Conception Rectory in 1995.
- Fr. David McEvoy, O.Carm.2000–2020
Native son of the parish; pastor from 2000, led 150th Jubilee celebrations in 2005 (Immaculate Conception) and 2008 (St. Joseph), and the 2007 canonical union of the parishes.
- Fr. Glenn Snow, O.Carm.2020–present
Current pastor.