About Saint Joseph · Ellinwood, Kansas
St. Joseph Parish is a Catholic community in Ellinwood, Kansas, founded in 1876 by German Catholic settlers in Barton County. A member of the Diocese of Dodge City, the parish worships in a striking 1900 Gothic-style limestone church with a 150-foot steeple that remains a town landmark, and operates St. Joseph Catholic School, a tuition-free K-8 school founded in 1885. Today the parish has about 265 registered households and serves the surrounding rural area together with its mission parish of Immaculate Conception in nearby Claflin.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Aneesh Parappanattu, MSFS
- Diocese
- Diocese of Dodge City
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers the small-town Catholic life many long for: a Gothic limestone church with stained glass and a soaring steeple that has anchored Ellinwood since 1900, a tuition-free parish school that has been educating children continuously since 1885, and a tightly knit community of about 265 households that prays, serves, and celebrates together. Parishioners can attend daily Mass, weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays, the Sacraments, RCIA, PSR religious education, the Knights of Columbus, Altar Society, Social Committee, and Disaster Preparedness Team — and send their children to a parish school rooted in faith and staffed with state-licensed teachers.
Mass times at Saint Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:00 pm (or by appointment with the parish office)
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday in Ellinwood: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
- Eucharistic Adoration first Wednesday of the month at Immaculate Conception, Claflin: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Parish History
German Catholic settlers organized St. Joseph Parish in 1876, three years before Ellinwood's population reached 1,817. The first resident pastor, Father Michael Emmer, arrived in 1877 and also served the mission of Sts. Peter and Paul to the north. Over the following decades the parish built its first rectory (1879), founded St. Joseph School (1885), and in 1900 constructed the present Gothic limestone church with its 150-foot steeple, four-dial tower clock, and three Archangel bells. Religious sisters — Dominican Sisters from 1903, then the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood from 1911 until 2003 — staffed the school for most of its history. By the parish centennial in 1976, the small German-immigrant congregation had grown to 376 families (1,429 people), and today the parish numbers about 265 households.
- 1875: First Mass in Ellinwood (June 4, corner of Main & 'A' Street)
- 1876: Parish organized under the patronage of St. Joseph
- 1877: Father Michael Emmer, first resident priest; Altar Sodality formed; first baptism Dec. 23
- 1885: St. Joseph School founded by German immigrants
- 1900: Present Gothic limestone church built ($22,204)
- 1902: Bells Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael blessed
- 1926: Present school building constructed
- 1952: Ellinwood District Hospital opened under the Sisters of St. Joseph
- 1958: Legion of Mary established in Ellinwood
- 1984: Parish Center built and dedicated
- 2005: St. Joseph School Living Legacy Fund established
- 2016: Parish school celebrated 130 years of continuous Catholic education
Parish Staff and Clergy
St. Joseph is currently served by Rev. Aneesh Parappanattu, MSFS, as pastor. He is assisted in the parish office by Secretary and Bookkeeper Jamie Komarek. Religious education is led by Director of Religious Education Jaron Lane and Director of Christian Initiation Curtis Wolf, and St. Joseph School is led by Principal Laurie Kolling. The pastor, school principal, and parish staff are supported by active Pastoral, Finance, and School councils.
- Pastor: Rev. Aneesh Parappanattu, MSFS ([email protected])
- Parish Secretary/Bookkeeper: Jamie Komarek
- Director of Religious Education: Jaron Lane
- Director of Christian Initiation: Curtis Wolf
- School Principal: Laurie Kolling
Parish Councils and Committees
Following Canon Law and diocesan norms, the parish is guided by consultative bodies that assist the pastor in spiritual, financial, educational, and material decisions. The Pastoral Council aids in pastoral planning, program development, and evaluation; the Finance Council (mandated by Canon 1280) oversees temporal goods; and the School Council supports the school principal and parish mission. A Property Commission cares for the church plant, the Living Legacy Board stewards the school endowment, and the Disaster Preparedness Team organizes parishioner response to local emergencies.
- Pastoral Council — meets 3rd Monday of Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec at the Parish Office
- Finance Council — chaired by Mark Hammeke; meets 7:00 pm 3rd Monday of Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov
- School Council — chaired by Josh Komarek
- School Advisory Council — chaired by Denis Hammer (meets 2nd Tuesday at 7:00 pm, except summer)
- Property Commission — chaired by Steve Oelke
- Living Legacy Board — chaired by Leroy Thill
- Disaster Preparedness Team — parish calling tree for local emergencies
Sacraments
St. Joseph prepares parishioners for all seven sacraments. Infant baptism is offered to families after a single formation class; older children and unbaptized adults enter through the RCIA process. First Eucharist is typically celebrated in the second grade, and Confirmation follows a two-year preparation in seventh and eighth grades, with the Bishop conferring the sacrament in a special ceremony (adults receive Confirmation at the Easter Vigil or when the Bishop visits). Reconciliation is heard Saturday afternoons and by appointment, and a communal Anointing of the Sick is celebrated twice each year — in March and October — with the pastor always available for individual anointing at any serious change in health.
- Baptism (with parent class or via RCIA)
- Eucharist (First Communion in 2nd grade)
- Confirmation (7th–8th grade, two-year prep)
- Reconciliation (Saturdays 4:00 pm or by appointment)
- Anointing of the Sick (communal in March & October; on request)
- Marriage (contact parish office)
- Holy Orders (inquire through the pastor)
St. Joseph Catholic School
St. Joseph Catholic School is one of the oldest parish schools in western Kansas, founded in 1885 by German immigrants and teaching without interruption ever since. The original teachers were German schoolmasters; the Dominican Sisters took over in 1903, and from 1911 to 2003 the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood of Wichita staffed the school for 92 years. The present school building was built in 1926 at a cost of just over $41,000. Today the school is staffed with fully Kansas-licensed teachers and offers an all-day Kindergarten through eighth-grade program. For registered parish families the school is tuition-free; families are expected to use the parish envelope system, take part in fundraising, and purchase $300/month in Scrip. Non-parish families may enroll at modest tuition rates, with scholarships available. The 120th anniversary of the school was marked in 2005 with the establishment of the Living Legacy Fund.
- Founded 1885; current brick building built 1926
- Taught historically by Dominican Sisters (1903–1911) and Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood (1911–2003)
- Kindergarten through 8th grade, all-day K, 8:00 am–3:30 pm
- Tuition-free for registered parishioners; modest sliding scale for non-parish families
- School address: 111 West 3rd, Ellinwood — phone 620-564-2721
- Principal: Laurie Kolling
- Living Legacy Fund established in 2005
Parish School of Religion (PSR)
The Parish School of Religion complements the parish school by offering Catholic faith formation to children whose families choose public or homeschool education. The elementary program covers prayers, the Mass, the Bible, the seven sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and applying the Catholic faith to daily life, with special emphasis on Reconciliation and the Eucharist in second grade. Confirmation is a two-year preparation in seventh and eighth grades. The high-school PSR seeks to plant seeds of discipleship and help students discover their gifts and calling.
- Elementary PSR — prayers, Mass, Bible, sacraments, Ten Commandments
- First Reconciliation and First Eucharist preparation in 2nd grade
- Confirmation: two-year preparation in 7th–8th grade
- High-school PSR — Christian principles, discipleship, vocations
Parish Life, Ministries, and Organizations
St. Joseph's parish life is anchored by long-standing organizations. The Altar Society (originally the 1877 Altar Sodality) provides for the material needs of worship — altar cloths, candles, servers' robes — and prays the Rosary for deceased parishioners and with residents of Woodhaven. The Ellinwood Knights of Columbus Council 1187, chartered January 13, 1907, hosts a soup sampler, Lenten catfish fry, and October pancake breakfast supporting Special Olympics and Barton County organizations. The Social Committee puts on the Over 70's dinner, Fat Tuesday shrimp boil, RCIA Easter Vigil reception, and Christmas Social. A Welcoming Committee reaches out to new families, while a Disaster Preparedness Team maintains a calling tree for parish-wide response to tornadoes, floods, or other emergencies.
- Altar Society — founded 1877 as the Altar Sodality; Mathew Hammeke, contact
- Knights of Columbus Council 1187 — chartered Jan. 13, 1907
- Social Committee — Gaila Demel, contact
- Welcoming Committee — David & Karla Gonzales, chairs
- Disaster Preparedness Team — parish calling tree for local emergencies
- Legion of Mary (started in Ellinwood, 1958)
Becoming Catholic (RCIA / OCIA)
Adults who are unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or baptized Catholic but uncatechized are welcomed into the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults — the parish's RCIA/OCIA process. Formal sessions begin in September and continue through the Easter season, with the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) celebrated at the Easter Vigil. The parish encourages inquirers to take advantage of the time to ask questions, study Scripture, and grow in faith. Mary Waite chairs the local process.
- Open to unbaptized adults, Christians of other traditions, and catechized Catholics
- Sessions September through Easter
- Initiation at the Easter Vigil
- Contact: Mary Waite, 620-564-2518
Contact, Address, and Online Giving
The parish church sits at 214 N. Main Street, Ellinwood, KS 67526-1642, with the parish office at 109 West 3rd Street, the school at 111 West 3rd, and the Parish Center at 110 West 2nd Street. The parish office can be reached at 620-564-2534 (fax 620-564-2613). Online Giving is available through the parish website as a web service and as an Apple mobile app (church ID 1161 — St. Joseph, Ellinwood; or 1155 — Immaculate Conception, Claflin), with technical support at 800-348-2886, option 2.
- Church: 214 N. Main Street, Ellinwood, KS 67526
- Parish Office: 109 West 3rd Street — 620-564-2534
- School: 111 West 3rd Street — 620-564-2721
- Parish Center: 110 West 2nd Street
- Website: stjosephellinwood.com
- Online Giving: app and web; church ID 1161
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Boniface, OSB1865–1870
Benedictine monk from St. Benedict's Abbey, Atchison; first priest believed to have celebrated Mass in Barton County, before the parish was organized.
- Father Michael Emmer1877–1878
First resident pastor of St. Joseph; also served the mission of Sts. Peter and Paul north of Ellinwood.
- Father Warren Emmerichfrom 1911
Invited the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood of Wichita to staff the school.
- Rev. Terrance Klein
Parochial administrator in 2016; alumnus of the parish grade school (attended 1964–1972).
- Rev. Aneesh Parappanattu, MSFScurrent
Current pastor; leads the parish together with the mission of Immaculate Conception, Claflin.