About St. Anthony Mission · Miltonvale, Kansas
St. Anthony Mission is a small Catholic mission church serving the farming community of Miltonvale in north-central Kansas. It is a mission of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Clay Center, with all administrative and faith-formation functions operating out of the SS Peter & Paul Parish Center. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Salina and gathers the faithful weekly for Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. in a 1910 brick church distinguished by nine-foot-tall stained-glass windows imported from Belgium.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Fr. Michael (Mike) Leiker
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salina
Why belong here
St. Anthony Mission offers a small, close-knit Catholic community in north-central Kansas where generations of farming families have gathered since 1883. As a mission of Saints Peter and Paul Parish, it benefits from a full parish staff — a pastor, two deacons, a religious-education director, and parish school of religion programs at the K-12 level held at the SS Peter & Paul Parish Center — while keeping the intimacy of a single Sunday Mass in a historic 1910 brick church. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a parish whose identity is rooted in Belgian stained glass, cathedral-salvaged furnishings, and more than 140 years of faithful presence on the prairie.
Mass times at St. Anthony Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 am – 8:15 am (at St. Anthony, Miltonvale)
About St. Anthony Mission
St. Anthony Mission is a Roman Catholic mission church in Miltonvale, Kansas, part of the Diocese of Salina and served as a mission of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Clay Center. The mission offers one Sunday Mass per week and provides a steady Catholic presence in this rural north-central Kansas farming town. All parish administrative work, religious education, and sacramental coordination flow through the SS Peter & Paul Parish Center in Clay Center.
- Mission church of SS Peter & Paul Parish, Clay Center
- Diocese of Salina
- Sunday Mass at 8:30 am
- Office and K-12 Religious Education at SS Peter & Paul Parish Center
History of St. Anthony Parish
Catholic faith in Miltonvale dates back to 1883, when the first Mass was celebrated in the homes of settlers. For more than 25 years, visiting priests offered Mass as frequently as once a month or as rarely as every three or four months, until 1909 when the growing Catholic community began gathering at the town's opera house. A brick church was completed in 1910, with the first Mass offered on Christmas morning.
- 1883 — First Mass celebrated in settlers' homes
- 1909 — Mass moves to the town opera house
- 1910 — Brick church completed; first Mass on Christmas morning
- 1916–1928 — Served by Oblate Fathers
- Mid-1950s — Redecoration; altar railing and pews installed from old Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina
- 1964 — Addition completed
- 1981 — Parish hall added
- Except for 1951–1969, the parish has been a mission
Building & Architecture
The 1910 brick church is most notable for its nine-foot-tall stained-glass windows imported from Belgium. The mid-1950s redecoration tied the parish visually to the mother cathedral of the diocese: the altar railing and pews from the old Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina were refinished and installed in the mission church. A 1964 addition and a 1981 parish hall expanded the facilities for the ongoing life of the community.
- Nine-foot-tall stained-glass windows imported from Belgium
- Altar railing and pews from the old Sacred Heart Cathedral, Salina
- Addition completed in 1964
- Parish hall added in 1981
Pastoral Team & Staff
The mission is pastored by Fr. Michael (Mike) Leiker, appointed in 2023, and supported by two deacons, Walt Slingsby and Mike Robinson. Day-to-day administration, faith formation, music, custodial, and maintenance work is shared across the SS Peter & Paul–St. Anthony partnership, with Amy Glaves as Administrative Assistant and Tomi Moos as Director of Religious Education based at the SS Peter & Paul Parish Center in Clay Center.
- Pastor — Fr. Michael (Mike) Leiker
- Deacon Walt Slingsby
- Deacon Mike Robinson
- Administrative Assistant — Amy Glaves
- Director of Religious Education — Tomi Moos
- Finance — Tessie Hanson
- Sacristan (St. Anthony) — Deb Coleman
- Music (St. Anthony) — Debra Cyre
Faith Formation & Religious Education
K-12 Religious Education is offered through SS Peter & Paul Parish, with all classes taking place at the SS Peter & Paul Parish Center in Clay Center. Tomi Moos serves as Director of Religious Education and can be reached at [email protected].
- K-12 Religious Education classes held at SS Peter & Paul Parish Center
- DRE: Tomi Moos ([email protected])
- CYO youth ministry led by Brad and Catherine Girton
Sacraments & Devotions
St. Anthony Mission offers Sunday Mass and pre-Mass Reconciliation on Sunday mornings, and welcomes parishioners and visitors from throughout Clay County. The Sacrament of Penance is also available by appointment with Fr. Mike. Baptisms, marriages, anointing of the sick, and other sacraments are coordinated through the SS Peter & Paul Parish Center.
- Sunday Mass — 8:30 am
- Sunday Reconciliation — 8:00 am – 8:15 am
- Reconciliation by appointment with Fr. Mike
- Prayer Requests — [email protected]
- Hospital & Homebound Visits by calling the parish office
Getting in Touch
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at SS Peter & Paul by phone, email, or in person during office hours. Prayer requests, hospital/homebound visit requests, and general questions are all routed through the central parish office.
- Phone: (785) 632-5011
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 612 W 4th St., Miltonvale, KS 67466
- Website: https://sspeterpaul.weconnect.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Donald Pfannenstiel1978–1981
Pastor of St. Peter Parish in Aurora and St. Anthony Parish in Miltonvale (additional assignments followed).
- Fr. Donald Zimmerman
Listed in diocese directory as having served St. Anthony Parish in Miltonvale alongside St. Peter Parish in Aurora (parish records note 1976 assignment).
- Fr. Kerry Ninemire
Previously pastor of SS Peter & Paul Parish in Clay Center and St. Anthony Parish in Miltonvale; transferred in 2023.
- Fr. Michael (Mike) Leiker2023–present
Released from parochial vicar assignment at Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Manhattan to be appointed pastor of SS Peter & Paul in Clay Center and St. Anthony in Miltonvale. Ordained September 14, 2019, by Bishop Jerry Vincke at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina.