About Saint Joseph · Ashland, Kansas
St. Joseph Parish is a small Roman Catholic community in Ashland, the county seat of Clark County in southwest Kansas, and is one of the parishes of the Diocese of Dodge City. The parish serves about 70 registered households of ranching families scattered across the sparse plains of south-central Kansas and shares its priest with Holy Spirit in Coldwater and St. Joseph in Greensburg. Worship is offered in both English and Spanish, reflecting the bilingual character of the surrounding agricultural communities. The parish is best known locally for the role it played in caring for its people during the March 2017 Starbuck Fire, the largest prairie wildfire in Kansas history, when its then-pastor Father Prakash Rao Kola raced back to Ashland as the flames approached town.
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Patrick (Kwame) Aberor
- Diocese
- Diocese of Dodge City
Why belong here
St. Joseph Parish is a close-knit Catholic community of about 70 ranching and farming households in the heart of southwest Kansas, where worship is offered in both English and Spanish each week. With a priest shared across three small country parishes, parishioners know their priests by name and their faith formation director personally, and the parish plays an outsize role as a spiritual anchor for the surrounding rural area — including standing with its people through events as devastating as the 2017 Starbuck Fire. Visitors and newcomers are welcomed as members of a multigenerational Catholic family that prays together, forms young disciples, and looks out for its neighbors in Clark County.
Mass times at Saint Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Diocese
St. Joseph Parish belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City, which covers roughly the western third of Kansas. The parish is listed in the diocesan directory under '60 — St. Joseph Parish, Ashland' and is identified as a small rural mission parish serving the ranching communities of Clark County. The diocese's priest directory notes that the current pastor simultaneously ministers to St. Joseph in Ashland, Holy Spirit in Coldwater, and St. Joseph in Greensburg — a hallmark of how the diocese provides sacramental care across its vast and sparsely populated territory.
- Diocese: Diocese of Dodge City
- Diocesan directory ID: 60
- Shared pastor across three parishes (Ashland, Coldwater, Greensburg)
- Located in the Deanery / region covering Clark, Comanche, Kiowa, and surrounding counties
Clergy & Parish Staff
The current pastor of St. Joseph is Rev. Patrick (Kwame) Aberor, who serves Ashland, Coldwater, and Greensburg simultaneously and can be reached through the parish phone line (620-635-2338) or his office line (785-432-7018). Day-to-day parish life is supported by Jenny Betschart, who serves as Parish Secretary and Director of Religious Education, and David Guerra, who serves as Director of Christian Initiation. The parish office and rectory are at 514 Main Street in Ashland, while the church itself is a few blocks away at 512 Cedar Street.
- Pastor: Rev. Patrick (Kwame) Aberor
- Parish Secretary & DRE: Jenny Betschart — 620-826-5026
- Director of Christian Initiation: David Guerra — 620-635-0357
- Office & Rectory: 514 Main Street, Ashland
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Joseph offers a Saturday evening vigil Mass in English and a Sunday afternoon Mass in Spanish each week. As a small rural parish sharing its priest with two other communities, the schedule can shift occasionally for holy days, seasons, and travel between parishes, so parishioners are encouraged to confirm times by phone or to follow the parish's Facebook page before traveling. A pastor other than Father Aberor occasionally celebrates weekday or funeral Masses at the parish.
- Saturday 5:00 pm — English (Vigil)
- Sunday 2:00 pm — Spanish
- Funeral and Holy Day Masses as scheduled (presiders have included Rev. Clifford Oyati)
Faith Formation & Christian Initiation
Religious education for the parish's children and the Christian initiation of adults are coordinated by two lay staff members named in the diocesan directory. Jenny Betschart serves as both Parish Secretary and Director of Religious Education (DRE), and David Guerra serves as Director of Christian Initiation, overseeing the parish's RCIA process for those preparing to enter the Catholic Church. Together they form the core of the parish's catechetical ministry.
- Director of Religious Education (DRE): Jenny Betschart — 620-826-5026
- Director of Christian Initiation: David Guerra — 620-635-0357
- Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) offered through the parish
- Parish-based catechesis for school-age children
Parish Life & Outreach
St. Joseph is best understood as a tightly knit rural parish where the same families have worshipped together for generations. The Parish Council provides lay leadership, and members such as Trisha Elliott have spoken publicly about the role of the parish in coordinating community-wide response during emergencies — most notably after the 2017 Starbuck Fire, when the parish worked closely with Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas to identify families in need, distribute meals, and connect ranchers and farmers with longer-term relief. The diocese has noted that the parish's strong tradition of mutual aid is one of its defining characteristics.
- Parish Council with lay leadership
- Disaster-relief partnership with Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas
- Outreach to ranching and farming families across Clark County
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) parish life
The Starbuck Fire of March 2017
On the afternoon of March 6, 2017, what would become the largest prairie wildfire in Kansas history — the Starbuck Fire — raced across Clark and surrounding counties with winds pushing the flames toward Ashland. Father Prakash Rao Kola, M.S.F.S., the parish's pastor at the time, was in Coldwater 30 miles east when frantic calls began coming in. He evacuated Holy Spirit Church with only minutes to spare, then drove west toward Ashland through 'miles and miles of smoke.' The parish and church were ultimately saved, but several parishioner families lost their homes and livestock. In the days that followed, Trisha Elliott of the parish council helped coordinate food, water, and relief distribution from the local fire station while her husband Adam worked as a volunteer firefighter. The story became a powerful example of how a small rural Catholic parish can serve as the backbone of community response in a crisis.
- March 6, 2017 — Starbuck Fire approaches Ashland
- Pastor Father Prakash Rao Kola evacuated Coldwater, then raced to Ashland
- Church building was saved; several parishioner families lost homes
- Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas coordinated diocesan-wide relief
Visiting & Contact
Visitors and returning Catholics are warmly welcomed. The parish office can be reached at 620-635-2338 during business hours, and the office/rectory is located at 514 Main Street in Ashland, with the church itself at 512 Cedar Street. Mail should be addressed to PO Box 577, Ashland, KS 67831-0577. The Ashland Chamber of Commerce also lists the parish with a Facebook presence under the name 'St. Joseph Catholic Church' for the most up-to-date schedule announcements.
- Parish phone: 620-635-2338
- Office/rectory: 514 Main Street, Ashland
- Church: 512 Cedar Street, Ashland
- Mailing: PO Box 577, Ashland, KS 67831-0577
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Prakash Rao Kola, M.S.F.S.served through at least 2017
Missionary of St. Francis de Sales; led the parish through the March 2017 Starbuck Fire; also served Holy Spirit quasi-parish in Coldwater.
- Rev. Patrick (Kwame) Aberorcurrent
Current pastor; simultaneously serves St. Joseph Ashland, Holy Spirit Coldwater, and St. Joseph Greensburg.