About St. Joseph · Flush, Kansas
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a small mission parish in the unincorporated community of Flush, in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. It is served from St. Bernard Catholic Church in nearby Wamego and belongs to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. The faith community gathers for Sunday Mass at 8:45 AM in its historic 1901 church building, which is one of the last reminders of the once-thriving German-Catholic farming settlement of Flush. The parish is widely known in the region for the annual "Flush Picnic," a fried-chicken fundraiser held the last Wednesday of July that draws more than 2,000 people.
- Established
- 1855
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Nick Blaha
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a quiet, historic setting in which to worship in the small German-Catholic farming tradition that founded Pottawatomie County, with a single welcoming Sunday Mass and an active lay community that keeps the parish grounds, rectory, and adjoining cemetery in beautiful condition. Because it is served from St. Bernard in Wamego, parishioners have full access to a much wider range of ministries — religious education, Knights of Columbus, Ladies' Guild, choir, finance and pastoral councils, stewardship and cemetery committees — as well as weekday Mass, confession, and 24+ hours of Eucharistic Adoration each week. The annual Flush Picnic each last Wednesday in July is a beloved regional gathering of more than 2,000 people that makes this small mission feel very much alive.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 4:45 – 5:30 PM (at St. Bernard, Wamego)
- Saturday: 3:30 – 4:30 PM (at St. Bernard, Wamego)
- Also available by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 7:00 AM through Friday 10:00 PM (at St. Bernard, Wamego)
History of St. Joseph, Flush
The Catholic story of Flush begins in 1854, when six German Catholic immigrants from Grossheubach, Bavaria — Michael Repp, Michael Floersch, Franz Anton Dekat, and others — followed the old military road through Pottawatomie County and staked homesteads in Rock Creek Valley. They had been encouraged by letters advertising affordable land under the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act and by the proximity of St. Mary's Indian Mission, where the only priests in the area were stationed. The first Mass in the new settlement was offered in late 1855 in the log cabin on Michael Repp's farm by Father Schultz, Superior of St. Mary's Indian Mission; two children were baptized at that Mass. In the decades that followed, traveling Jesuit priests from St. Mary's — Fathers Lager, Dumortier, and Weikmann — alternated Sundays between the Rock Creek (Flush) and Wamego communities, eventually laying the groundwork for what would become the Parish of Rock Creek. The 'Golden Age of Flush' is generally dated to the pastorate of Father Heer around 1909, who acquired one of the town's first automobiles (a Flanders 20) and pushed for a rail connection that ultimately was never built. The present church building was constructed in 1901 and last remodeled in 2001.
- 1854: Six German Catholic families from Grossheubach settle Rock Creek Valley
- 1855: First Mass at the Michael Repp farm by Father Schultz
- 1857: Father Lager begins traveling the Parish of Rock Creek on horseback
- c. 1890: Father Weikmann alternates Sundays between Flush and Wamego
- 1890s: Parish school opens
- 1901: Present St. Joseph church building constructed
- 1909: Father Heer's pastorate — 'Golden Age of Flush'
- 1927: Last German-speaking priest serves the parish
- 1976: Parish school closes
- 2001: Church remodeled
Mass & Liturgy
St. Joseph celebrates one Sunday Mass each weekend at 8:45 AM. Because it is a mission served from St. Bernard in Wamego, parishioners have full access to the liturgies there, including the Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM, additional Sunday Masses at 7:00 AM and 10:45 AM, and daily Mass Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 AM. Holy Week observances at St. Joseph follow the parish tradition of Good Friday at 7:00 PM and Easter Sunday at 8:45 AM.
- Sunday Mass — 8:45 AM
- Good Friday — 7:00 PM
- Easter Sunday — 8:45 AM
- Weekday Masses available at St. Bernard, Wamego (Tue–Sat 8:00 AM)
Parish Staff
St. Joseph and St. Bernard share a single pastoral team led by Fr. Michael Peterson, with administrative and formation support from parish staff.
- Jamie Stegman — Parish Administrator
- Amy Schwein — Religious Education Director
- Jody Weis — Music Coordinator & Choir Director
Parish Councils & Committees
Parishioners from both St. Bernard and St. Joseph serve on a broad set of councils and committees that keep the two-church community running — from liturgy and finance to stewardship, the cemetery, and the annual picnic.
- Finance Council — Chair Mark Ward (Doug Hermesch, Bryndon Meinhardt, Laurene Pageler)
- Pastoral Council — Chair Barry Schmidt (Joel DeRouchey, Janelle Fulton, Joe Haug, Joanne Burgos, Dustin Holthaus, Sandy Klein, Tom Fulmer)
- Stewardship Committee — Chair Des Prockish; Auction Chair Meghan Kearn
- Knights of Columbus — Grand Knight Ben Geiger
- Cemetery Committee — Director Rikki Blume (Fred Dietrich, Bill Umscheid)
- Environment Committee — Contact Mary Jean Peterson
- Ladies' Guild — Lisa Nyberg, Tina Wick, Tricia Vanderbilt, Brenda Annan, Renee Pachta, Des Prockish
- Religious Education — Co-Chairs Courtney Simpson & Jillian Tinkel (Tracey Bearman, Kathleen Scherer)
- Music Ministry — Jody Weis
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education for the parish family is coordinated by Amy Schwein, Religious Education Director, working with the co-chairs of the RE program. The program serves families from both St. Bernard and St. Joseph and typically prepares children for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation, with adult formation through RCIA coordinated through the parish office.
- Religious Education Director — Amy Schwein
- RE Co-Chairs — Courtney Simpson and Jillian Tinkel
- Team — Tracey Bearman, Kathleen Scherer
Music & Liturgical Ministries
Music and liturgical service at St. Bernard / St. Joseph is coordinated by Jody Weis (Music Coordinator & Choir Director). The parish uses an online Liturgy Signup so that parishioners from both churches can volunteer as sacristans, servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and ushers for weekend and weekday liturgies.
- Music Coordinator & Choir Director — Jody Weis
- Online Liturgy Signup form hosted on stbernardwamego.org
- Roles include sacristan, server, lector, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, usher
The Flush Picnic
The annual Flush Picnic is the signature event of the parish and one of the best-known Catholic fundraisers in northeast Kansas. Held the last Wednesday in July, it features a fried-chicken dinner (adults $15, kids ages 5–12 $7) and a community fair that draws crowds of more than 2,000 people to Flush each year — a remarkable turnout for a community that otherwise has only a few visible reminders of its past.
- When: Last Wednesday in July
- Where: St. Joseph campus, 8965 Flush Rd.
- Sit-down dinner and drive-thru preorder options
- Auction and parish fundraising
Cemetery
A historic Catholic cemetery flanks the church along Flush Road and is cared for by the parish Cemetery Committee. Many of the founders of the German Catholic settlement — including the Repp, Floersch, and Dekat families — rest here. The committee director is Rikki Blume, working with Fred Dietrich and Bill Umscheid.
- Cemetery Committee Director — Rikki Blume
- Members — Fred Dietrich, Bill Umscheid
Becoming a Parishioner
Anyone wishing to register with St. Joseph in Flush (or St. Bernard in Wamego) can do so online through the New Parishioners form on stbernardwamego.org or by printing the form and mailing it, placing it in the collection basket, or bringing it to the church office. Questions about registration can be directed to Jamie Stegman, Parish Administrator, by phone or email.
- Online registration form at stbernardwamego.org/new-parishioners
- Contact — Jamie Stegman, Parish Administrator
Contact & Visiting
St. Joseph is a mission of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Wamego, and most parish communication flows through the St. Bernard office. Visitors are warmly welcomed at the 8:45 AM Sunday Mass and at the annual Flush Picnic.
- Address — 8965 Flush Rd., St. George, KS 66535
- Phone — (785) 494-8234
- Email — [email protected]
- Website — stbernardwamego.org/st-joseph-flush
- Office (St. Bernard) — (785) 456-7869
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Schultz1855
Superior of St. Mary's Indian Mission; celebrated the first Mass in the Flush settlement at Michael Repp's log cabin.
- Father Lagerfrom 1857
Traveled the Parish of Rock Creek mainly on horseback.
- Father Weikmannc. 1890
Served both the Rock Creek (Flush) and Wamego parishes, alternating Sundays from his horse and buggy.
- Father Heerfrom 1909
Brought the 'Golden Age of Flush'; famously acquired one of the town's first automobiles, a Flanders 20.