About St. Joseph · Atchison, Kansas
St. Joseph Church in Atchison, Kansas is one of three worship sites that together form Saint Benedict Parish in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Located at 8th and Spring Garden Street on a quiet residential rise near the Missouri River, the church hosts a single Sunday morning Mass at 10:30 a.m. and shares the wider parish's priests, deacons, faith formation programs, and outreach with neighboring St. Benedict and St. Patrick churches. The community gathers beneath a tradition rooted in the Benedictine spirituality of nearby Benedictine College and St. Benedict's Abbey.
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Jeremy Heppler, OSB
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
St. Joseph is one of three welcoming doors into Saint Benedict Parish — a vibrant, Benedictine-rooted Catholic community that blends generations of Atchison families with the students and staff of Benedictine College. Worshippers here enjoy a single Sunday Mass in a smaller, neighborhood-style church, while still having access to the wider parish's Perpetual Adoration Chapel, faith formation programs, OCIA (for adults entering the Church), and the warm hospitality of a parish that takes both the faith and the joy of community seriously.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (held at St. Benedict Church)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (held at St. Benedict Church)
- Anytime by appointment: (913) 367-0671
Adoration times
- Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration available 24/7 at the parish's Perpetual Adoration Chapel (housed in the wider St. Benedict Parish complex)
About St. Joseph Church
St. Joseph Church is one of three worship sites of Saint Benedict Parish, a consolidated Catholic parish in Atchison, Kansas that belongs to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. The parish gathers across St. Benedict, St. Patrick, and St. Joseph churches, serving a community that mixes long-time Atchison families with the students and staff of nearby Benedictine College. St. Joseph itself is a smaller, neighborhood-style church where the parish offers a single Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m.
- Worship site of Saint Benedict Parish
- Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
- Benedictine spiritual tradition
Parish Staff and Clergy
Saint Benedict Parish is led by a pastor of the Order of Saint Benedict (OSB), in keeping with the parish's Benedictine heritage. Pastoral care, deacon service, and parish administration are provided by a team of priests, deacons, parish administrators, and office staff who serve all three worship sites.
- Pastor: Fr. Jeremy Heppler, OSB
- Deacon Charles Welte
- Deacon Stan Sluder
- Deacon Frank Contreras
- Parish Administrator: Sandy Fitzmaurice
- Administrative Assistant & Archivist: Catherine Peitsch
- Administrative Assistant: Lindsay Koester
- Administrative Assistant: Laura 'Sox' Cross
- Facilities Manager: Cheryl Contreras
- Sacred Heart Variety Store Manager
Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation
Faith formation at St. Benedict Parish is centered on Faith Formation Wednesdays, held in the lower level of St. Benedict Catholic School from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. beginning in mid-September. The umbrella program gathers families of children in Kindergarten through Confirmation preparation and supports parents as the primary educators of their children in the faith. Programs include Family of Faith (K–7), First Communion Preparation (typically 2nd grade), and Confirmation (8th grade), as well as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and OCIA for adults entering the Church.
- Family of Faith (K–7)
- First Communion Preparation
- Confirmation (8th grade)
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
Sacred Heart Variety Store
Saint Benedict Parish runs the Sacred Heart Variety Store, a thrift-style outreach that serves the wider Atchison community. The store is staffed by a parish manager and supported by parish volunteers, providing both affordable goods to neighbors and a tangible ministry of charity.
- Parish-run thrift and outreach ministry
- Managed through the parish office
Plan Your Visit
St. Benedict Parish welcomes visitors, returning Catholics, and those simply curious about the Catholic faith. Sunday Mass at St. Joseph lasts about 45–60 minutes and follows a consistent order of prayer, Scripture, and Eucharist. While there is no official dress code, modest and reverent clothing is requested (covering chest, shoulders, and at least to the knee). Families with children are very much at home; the narthex is available as a quiet space if little ones need a step out.
- Sunday Mass: ~45–60 minutes
- Daily Mass: ~45 minutes
- Modest, reverent dress requested
- Handicap parking in front of each church
- Parish office open Mon–Fri 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Contact and Parish Office
All three churches of Saint Benedict Parish share a single parish office located across from St. Benedict Church at 1001 North 2nd Street, Atchison, KS 66002-1497. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and can be reached by phone at (913) 367-0671 for appointments, sacramental records, and general inquiries.
- Parish Office: 1001 N. 2nd Street, Atchison, KS 66002
- Phone: (913) 367-0671
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
- St. Benedict Church: 1001 N. 2nd Street
- St. Joseph Church: 8th and Spring Garden Street
- St. Patrick Church: 19384 234th Road