About St. Anthony of Padua · Strong City, Kansas
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Strong City, Kansas, the seat of Chase County in the heart of the Flint Hills. A member of the Diocese of Wichita, the parish serves about 88 families (roughly 280 individual Catholics) and shares its pastor, Rev. Andrew J. Seiler, with the neighboring St. Rose of Lima parish in Council Grove. The parish is known for its distinctive limestone church built of native Flint Hills stone, its 8:30 AM Sunday Mass, and an extended schedule of Perpetual Adoration that runs from Sunday evening through early Wednesday morning.
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Reverend Andrew J. Seiler
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wichita
Why belong here
St. Anthony of Padua offers the classic gifts of a small rural Catholic parish: a beautiful historic limestone church, the quiet rhythm of a single Sunday Mass at 8:30 AM celebrated in a close-knit community of about 88 families, weekday noon Masses on Tuesday and Thursday, and one of the more remarkable Eucharistic Adoration schedules in the diocese — continuous Perpetual Adoration from Sunday at 7:00 PM through Wednesday at 6:00 AM. For Catholics in Chase County and the surrounding Flint Hills, it is a place where faith, family and ranching heritage meet, and visitors are warmly welcomed.
Mass times at St. Anthony of Padua
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00–8:20 AM (before Mass)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Sunday 7:00 PM through Wednesday 6:00 AM (continuous Perpetual Adoration)
Parish Identity & Diocese
St. Anthony of Padua is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Wichita, serving Strong City — the county seat of Chase County in the Flint Hills of Kansas. It is a small but devoted rural parish of about 88 families (roughly 280 individual Catholics). The parish is paired with St. Rose of Lima in nearby Council Grove under a single pastor, Rev. Andrew J. Seiler, and the two parishes share an office phone line and a Council Grove mailing address.
- Diocese of Wichita
- Reverend Andrew J. Seiler, Pastor
- Approximately 88 families / 280 individual Catholics
- Partner parish: St. Rose of Lima, Council Grove
History & Architecture
The parish worships in a 19th-century stone church constructed of Cottonwood Limestone — the native building stone that defines the historic architecture of Chase County and the Flint Hills. The building is catalogued in the Kansas Geological Survey's photographic archive as a representative example of Flint Hills church architecture, and it stands along the Flint Hills Scenic Byway where it is visible from Highway 50. The parish itself is one of the longstanding Catholic communities serving the ranching country of the Flint Hills, and the building's native-stone construction links it visually to other Chase County landmarks of the same era.
- 19th-century stone church
- Native Cottonwood Limestone construction
- Listed by Kansas Geological Survey as Flint Hills church architecture
- Visible from U.S. Highway 50
Parish Staff & Partner Parish
St. Anthony of Padua is pastored by Rev. Andrew J. Seiler, who has served as pastor since June 2019 and is also pastor of the partner parish of St. Rose of Lima, Council Grove. The two parishes share a single office telephone (620-767-6412) and a fax line (620-767-5370). The parish's mailing address is handled through the St. Rose of Lima office at 300 Spencer, Council Grove, KS 66846, even though Mass and adoration at St. Anthony take place at the Strong City church.
- Rev. Andrew J. Seiler, Pastor (since June 2019)
- Shared office with St. Rose of Lima, Council Grove
- Phone: 620-767-6412
- Fax: 620-767-5370
- Mailing: 300 Spencer, Council Grove, KS 66846