About Mary Queen of Angels · Fort Scott, Kansas
Mary Queen of Angels is a Roman Catholic parish in Fort Scott, Kansas, in the Diocese of Wichita. It is one of the oldest parishes in southeast Kansas, established in 1860 by Jesuit missionaries from the Osage Mission. The parish serves about 308 families (roughly 739 individual Catholics), supports its own parish school, St. Mary's Catholic School, and worships in a red-brick church at 714 S. Eddy Street that was most recently rebuilt and dedicated on November 23, 2024, after the previous church was destroyed by a lightning-caused fire on August 29, 2022. The current pastor is Fr. Yancey Burgess.
- Established
- 1860
- Patron
- Mary Queen of Angels (Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Queen of Angels)
- Rector
- Rev. Yancey Q. Burgess
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wichita (Bishop Carl A. Kemme)
Why belong here
Mary Queen of Angels is a stable, multi-generational Catholic community in Fort Scott with deep regional roots going back to 1860. Parishioners benefit from a full schedule of Sunday and weekday Masses, daily and Saturday confession times, Perpetual-style adoration throughout the week, a parish school (St. Mary's Catholic School), and active outreach such as the on-site GriefShare support ministry. The congregation has just stepped into a brand-new sanctuary — rededicated by Bishop Kemme in November 2024 and built to feel like the old church — making this an unusually meaningful moment to join a parish family that worships, forms children, and grieves together.
Mass times at Mary Queen of Angels
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 7:00 – 7:30 AM
- Sunday: 9:00 – 9:30 AM
- Monday: No confessions
- Tuesday: 4:30 – 5:20 PM
- Wednesday: 7:15 – 7:50 AM
- Thursday: 7:15 – 7:50 AM
- Friday: 7:15 – 7:50 AM
- Saturday: 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Adoration times
- Per Diocesan directory: Adoration runs from 5:00 PM Monday through 12:00 AM Saturday (continuous adoration across the week).
Parish Identity and Location
Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church serves the Fort Scott area of southeast Kansas from its church at 714 S. Eddy Street, with its parish office in the adjacent school building at 705 S. Holbrook St. It is a parish of the Diocese of Wichita, currently shepherded by Fr. Yancey Q. Burgess and parish secretary Heather Hall. The parish numbers roughly 308 families, or about 739 individual Catholics.
- Church: 714 S. Eddy St, Fort Scott, KS 66701
- Parish Office: 705 S. Holbrook St, Fort Scott, KS 66701
- Phone: 620-223-4340
- Email: [email protected]
- Emergency / Sacramental line: 620-502-0079
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Diocese: Wichita (Bishop Carl A. Kemme)
History of the Parish
Mary Queen of Angels traces its origins to 1860, when three Jesuit missionaries from the Osage Mission — Rev. J. Schoenmaker, Rev. E. M. Ponziglione, and Rev. J. Van Gach — gathered Fort Scott's first Catholic congregation. Land donated by the Fort Scott Town Company, plus three more acres purchased through Father Schoenmaker, gave the parish a home. A stone church was built in 1864 under Father Bononcini and Father Paul Ponziglione, and by 1870 a larger brick edifice had been started; Bishop Louis M. Fink of Leavenworth dedicated it on June 16, 1872, and solemnly consecrated it on September 29, 1889.
- 1860 — Parish organized by three Jesuit fathers from Osage Mission
- 1864 — First stone church built under Fathers Bononcini and Paul M. Ponziglione
- 1872 — Larger brick church dedicated by Bishop Louis M. Fink
- 1889 — Same church consecrated by Bishop Fink on September 29
- 1896 — Father Bernard McKernan appointed; succeeded Fr. Wattron
- 1917 — Fr. Dr. John Maher arrives; new parish school built
- 1928 — Fr. William L. Rice succeeds Maher; serves until his death in 1935
- August 29, 2022 — Lightning fire severely damages the church
- November 23, 2024 — Bishop Carl A. Kemme dedicates the rebuilt church
The 2022 Fire and the Rebuild
On August 29, 2022, a lightning strike set the historic church ablaze. With Bishop Carl A. Kemme's blessing at the groundbreaking during Advent, the parish undertook a full rebuild designed by Alloy Architecture of Wichita (Andrew Faires) and constructed by Simpson Construction Services of Wichita. The architects intentionally echoed the original structure — the rose window, side stained-glass windows, the reredos, the side altars, the Stations of the Cross and statues were all refurbished and reinstalled, while the new building added indoor plumbing, a ground-level floor for accessibility, a vesting sacristy, additional restrooms, and a larger paved parking area south of the church. Bishop Kemme dedicated the new Mary Queen of Angels on November 23, 2024.
- Cause of loss: lightning strike, August 29, 2022
- Interim worship: Kennedy Gym on the parish grounds
- Architect: Alloy Architecture, Wichita (Andrew Faires)
- General contractor: Simpson Construction Services, Wichita
- Reused elements: rose window, side stained glass, reredos, side altars, Stations of the Cross, statues
- Improvements: indoor plumbing, ground-level accessibility, vesting sacristy, more restrooms, larger parking
- Dedication: Saturday, November 23, 2024, by Bishop Carl A. Kemme
- Cornerstone inscription: 'Established 1860, Dedicated 2024'
St. Mary's Catholic School
St. Mary's Catholic School is the parish school of Mary Queen of Angels, sharing the campus at 705 S. Holbrook St. It is open to parishioners and, with conditions, to non-parishioner families, and forms part of the parish's wider mission of Catholic education alongside Sunday Mass attendance, sacramental participation, and stewardship.
- Operates under the parish umbrella of Mary Queen of Angels
- Stewardship model: parishioners expected to attend Sunday Mass, support the parish, and pledge treasure (guideline of 8% gross income to parish + 2% to favorite charities)
- Non-Catholic families may apply and are asked to sign a Parish/School/Family Agreement and Admission/Tuition Agreement
- Enrollment traditionally held at the end of July
Parish Ministries and Outreach
Beyond Mass and the sacraments, Mary Queen of Angels runs and supports several lay ministries, most visibly the on-site GriefShare program — a 13-week, video-based grief support group led by Laura Meeks — that meets in Room 203 across from the parish office (entrance at the back of the school near the gym). The parish also maintains a prayer chain / parish news email list, an online giving portal, and sacramental-preparation pathways for baptism and marriage.
- GriefShare — 13-week support group led by Laura Meeks (740-317-6379)
- Parish Prayer Chain and Parish News email list
- Online Giving via ParishSoft
- Parish Registration for new parishioners
- Baptism request form
- Stewardship of treasure, time, and talent
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the standard seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church and supports parishioners through baptism preparation, regular and weekday confession, communion for the sick, marriage preparation, and sacramental emergency care via the dedicated emergency line.
- Baptism — Request for Baptism Form on the parish site
- Reconciliation — scheduled times before each Mass plus Saturday afternoon
- Eucharist — at Masses and brought to the sick
- Confirmation and First Communion — coordinated through the parish office / school
- Matrimony — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — call the sacramental emergency line 620-502-0079
Contact, Communication and Giving
Parishioners can reach the office by phone (620-223-4340) or email ([email protected]) during weekday office hours (Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM), with a 24/7 sacramental-emergency line at 620-502-0079. The weekly bulletin, announcements, and an online giving portal are accessible through the parish website, and the parish maintains an active Facebook page under the handle @maryqueenofangels1860.
- Phone: 620-223-4340
- Email: [email protected]
- Sacramental emergency: 620-502-0079
- Website: http://www.mqaftscott.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryqueenofangels1860/
- Online giving: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/givemqa
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. J. Schoenmaker, Rev. E. M. Ponziglione, Rev. J. Van Gach (Jesuits from Osage Mission)1860
Founded the parish in Fort Scott.
- Rev. Fr. John F. Cunninghamc. 1864
First priest in charge of the parish.
- Rev. Eugene Bononciniafter Cunningham – c. 1873
Directed construction of the 1864 stone church and began the larger edifice dedicated in 1872.
- Rev. M. J. Dohertyc. 1873
- Rev. John MurphyNov. 1873
- Rev. F. J. Wattron1874–c. 1896
Lifted the church out of debt; personally gifted the high altar; church consecrated under his pastorship in 1889.
- Rev. Bernard McKernan1896; returned later until 1915
First appointed by Bishop Fink in 1896; during a two-year absence the parish was led by Fathers Moore, Curtin, Maher, and Pompeney.
- Rev. Patrick J. NagleOct. 1915 – 1917; Aug. 1935 return
Transferred to Hutchison in 1917; returned to Fort Scott in August 1935.
- Rev. Dr. John Maher1917–1928
A new parish school was built during his pastorate.
- Rev. William L. Rice1928–1935
Remained until his death in 1935.
- Rev. Yancey Q. Burgesspresent
Shepherded the parish through the August 29, 2022 lightning fire and the rebuilding/rededication of the church on Nov. 23, 2024.