About St. Anthony of Padua · Garden Plain, Kansas
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church is a rural, family-sized Catholic parish serving Garden Plain, Kansas, and the surrounding Sedgwick County farming community. Founded in 1901 and now in the Diocese of Wichita, the parish counts roughly 420 families (about 1,259 individual Catholics) and is led by Father H. Setter with a priest in residence. Weekends anchor the parish around a Saturday Vigil and two Sunday Masses, supported by Monday Eucharistic Adoration, an active Catholic Youth Ministry, the St. Elizabeth Altar Society, and the local Knights of Columbus council. A parish grade school, St. Anthony's School, shares the campus on North Main Street as part of the regional Renwick (USD 267) district.
- Established
- 1901
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. H. Setter
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wichita
Why belong here
St. Anthony of Padua offers the kind of parish life that small-town Kansas Catholics value: a pastor and a priest in residence who know the families, a tight three-daily-Mass weekday schedule plus two Sunday Masses, and confession every Saturday and Wednesday. The parish is rooted in stewardship as 'a way of life' under Father H. Setter, with the St. Elizabeth Altar Society, the Knights of Columbus, and a Catholic Youth Ministry that travels to the March for Life and Steubenville conferences each year. A parish school and a parish school of religion (PSR) with a Totus Tuus summer program complete the picture, making St. Anthony a place where families can worship, be formed, and serve together.
Mass times at St. Anthony of Padua
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–3:45 PM
- Wednesday 5:00–5:45 PM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Monday 8:00 AM through Tuesday 7:00 AM (begins after the 7:30 Monday Mass; concludes right before Tuesday morning Mass)
Parish History
St. Anthony of Padua Parish was founded in 1901 by Catholic farming families in the Garden Plain area of Sedgwick County, Kansas. A diamond-jubilee souvenir booklet was produced in 1976 to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary and is preserved in the University of Notre Dame Library as a primary record of the parish's early history. The parish grew over the twentieth century into a stable rural community anchored by a sanctuary at 607 N. Main Street, a parish school next door at 615 N. Main, and a parish cemetery maintained by volunteer staff. The 1965 formation of the Renwick (USD 267) school district, which consolidated St. Anthony's School with Catholic schools in St. Joe, Andale, Colwich, Aleppo, and St. Mark, formalized the parish's ongoing collaboration with neighboring Catholic communities.
- Founded 1901
- Diamond jubilee commemorated 1976
- Part of the Renwick USD 267 consortium since 1965
Parish Staff
The parish staff combines pastoral, administrative, religious-education, maintenance, and cemetery care. Father H. Setter serves as Pastor with Rev. Benjamin D. Shockey as Priest in Residence.
- Rev. H. Setter — Pastor
- Rev. Benjamin D. Shockey — Priest in Residence
- Joyce Ridder — Parish Secretary
- Marilyn Helten — Bookkeeper
- Julie Puetz — Director of Religious Education
- Sarah Beying — Director of Youth Ministry
- Patty Renner — Sacristan
- Dale Haukap — Grounds & Maintenance
- Todd Kampling — Church Cleaning
- Margie Conyac — Bus Driver
- Suzanne Stuhlsatz — Bus Driver
- Glenn Meyer — Cemetery Maintenance
- Albert 'Jr.' Kraus — Cemetery Maintenance
- Al Thimmesch — Cemetery Maintenance
Organizations and Parish Life
St. Anthony's three flagship lay organizations are the Knights of Columbus, the St. Elizabeth Altar Society, and Catholic Youth Ministry. Together they cover most of the parish's social, charitable, and youth life.
- Knights of Columbus — local council active in the fish fry, Mexican Fiesta, and Memorial Breakfast
- St. Elizabeth Altar Society — sanctuary care, funeral dinners, Lenten fish fry, parish Memorial Dinner, receptions for First Communions/Confirmation, graduating seniors dinner, Italian Dinner / Lasagna fundraiser, annual church cleaning
- Catholic Youth Ministry — Wednesday-evening meetings during the school year; coffee-and-donuts, Drive-In Movie, Soup and Skits night, blessing bags for the homeless, Living Way of the Cross, Easter Egg Hunt, Mother's Day/Father's Day gifts, March for Life (D.C. & Topeka), Steubenville conferences
Faith Formation and PSR
Julie Puetz, Director of Religious Education, oversees the parish's Parish School of Religion (PSR) program of weekly religious-education classes. For summer formation, the parish hosts Totus Tuus for grades 1 through 12 — a week-long, team-led catechetical program scheduled in 2026 for June 28 – July 3. The parish also subscribes to Formed, the Catholic on-demand video and study platform, which is linked from the calendar page for parish-wide use.
- PSR weekly classes during the school year
- Totus Tuus (grades 1–12): June 28 – July 3, 2026
- Formed (online Catholic video/study platform) access
Stewardship — Our Way of Life
The parish frames stewardship not just as an annual pledge drive but as a 'way of life': a grateful response by Christian disciples who recognize God's gifts and share them in love of God and neighbor. Father Setter has written that, for him, 'stewardship really isn't about Time, Talent and Treasure, but everything about FAITH.' The parish's registration packet includes three forms — Registration, Stewardship of Time & Talent, and Stewardship Treasure Pledge — which are collected via the Sunday collection, mail, or the parish office drop box.
- Registration Form
- Stewardship of Time & Talent Form
- Stewardship Treasure Pledge Form
- Pledge returns via Sunday collection, mail, or parish office drop box
St. Anthony's School and Renwick USD 267
St. Anthony's School, located at 615 N. Main Street in Garden Plain, shares the parish campus and serves as the parish's grade-school partner. The school belongs to Renwick USD 267, a district formed in 1965 by the consolidation of Catholic elementary schools across the area — including parishes in St. Joe, Andale, Colwich, Garden Plain, Aleppo, and St. Mark. The Renwick handbook continues to name a St. Anthony of Padua Garden Plain parent representative, showing the parish's ongoing participation in the cooperative district.
- St. Anthony's School — 615 N. Main St., Garden Plain, KS 67050
- Member school of Renwick School District (USD 267)
- Parish provides bus drivers to support student transportation
Cemetery
The parish maintains its own cemetery, cared for by a volunteer maintenance crew listed on the parish's staff page. The cemetery is a recognized ongoing ministry of St. Anthony of Padua.
- Glenn Meyer — Cemetery Maintenance
- Albert 'Jr.' Kraus — Cemetery Maintenance
- Al Thimmesch — Cemetery Maintenance
Visiting and Joining the Parish
The parish welcomes new members and invites them to complete a Registration Form, plus the Stewardship of Time & Talent and Treasure pledge forms, available through the parish office. Forms can be returned via the Sunday collection, by mail to P.O. Box 275, Garden Plain, KS 67050, or by placing them in the parish office drop box. Visitors are encouraged to come as they are, attend any weekend Mass, and consider signing up for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration on Mondays.
- Mass times for visitors: Sat 4:30 PM, Sun 8:00 & 10:00 AM
- Contact the parish office to register: (316) 531-2252
- Office email: [email protected]