About St. Mary of the Assumption Mission · Clifton, Kansas
St. Mary of the Assumption is a Catholic mission parish in the small town of Clifton, Kansas, in the rolling north-central part of the state. Founded in 1871 by German Catholic pioneers who had settled the Parsons Creek area more than a decade earlier, it is one of the oldest Catholic communities in the Diocese of Salina and is today twinned with St. John the Baptist Parish in nearby Clyde under a single pastor. The present brick church, the third on or near the original site, was built in 1922 to replace a larger sanctuary that had stood only twenty years before being destroyed by a lightning strike in 1918.
- Established
- 1871
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of her Assumption
- Rector
- Fr. Andrew Rockers
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salina
Why belong here
St. Mary's is a small, historically rooted mission parish where a single pastor faithfully shepherds the Catholic faithful of Clifton together with neighboring Clyde. Visitors can expect a traditional Sunday Mass with confessions offered beforehand, a tight-knit rural congregation shaped by more than 150 years of Catholic pioneer heritage, and a parish that still gathers in the same brick church built in 1922 to replace one lost to lightning. It is a place to pray, to belong to a long-running farming-community Catholic family, and to be part of a mission that has served north-central Kansas since 1871.
Mass times at St. Mary of the Assumption Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM (approximately 7:45–8:15 AM per mass-time directories, before the 8:30 AM Mass)
- 30 minutes before daily Mass
Parish History
Catholic families first settled the Parsons Creek area of north-central Kansas in 1859. Pioneers Nicholas Schumaker and Nicholas Esslinger traveled to Leavenworth in 1862 to ask Bishop John Miege for a priest; the community built a log-cabin church-and-school in 1865, and in 1871 Schumaker and Esslinger each donated land for the parish's first formal church and school. The arrival of the railroad at Clifton in 1877 finally made regular priestly ministry practical. A larger church was built in 1898, struck by lightning and burned in 1918, and replaced by the present church in 1922.
- 1859: Catholic settlers arrive at Parsons Creek
- 1862: Schumaker and Esslinger petition Bishop Miege at Leavenworth
- 1865: Log-cabin church and school built
- 1871: First formal church built; parish founded
- 1877: Railroad arrives at Clifton
- 1898: Larger second church constructed
- 1918: Second church destroyed by lightning
- 1922: Present church built
Clergy and Pastoral Care
St. Mary of the Assumption is served by Fr. Andrew Rockers, who was appointed in 2025 as Pastor of the clustered parishes of St. John the Baptist, Clyde and St. Mary of the Assumption, Clifton. He was ordained a priest on May 30, 2015 at Sacred Heart Cathedral by Bishop Edward Weisenburger. His immediate predecessor, Fr. Steven Heina, concluded his appointment in 2025 when the Diocese of Wichita named him a Hospital Chaplain.
- Fr. Andrew Rockers — Pastor (appointed 2025)
- Fr. Steven Heina — prior Pastor (concluded 2025)
- Fr. Joseph Browne — early pastor who died in 1949
Clifton and Clyde Catholic Cluster
The Diocese of Salina links St. Mary of the Assumption in Clifton with St. John the Baptist Parish in Clyde under one pastor. The cluster allows both small rural congregations to share sacramental ministry, faith formation, and priestly availability across the two Clay County communities.
- St. Mary of the Assumption — Clifton
- St. John the Baptist — Clyde
- Shared pastor: Fr. Andrew Rockers
Diocese of Salina
St. Mary of the Assumption belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Salina, which covers much of northern and western Kansas. The diocese maintains the official parish directory and lists Mass times, clergy assignments, and parish history. Donations to the parish can also be directed through the Catholic Foundation for Diocese of Salina's expendable fund for St. Mary of the Assumption Parish – Clifton.
- Diocese: Salina
- Diocesan parish directory: salinadiocese.org
- Catholic Foundation fund: St. Mary of the Assumption Parish – Clifton Expendable Fund
Contact and Location
The parish's physical address is 213 Clifton Street in Clifton, Kansas (ZIP 66937). Telephone and email are shared with the Clyde parish office at St. John the Baptist, and the two parishes share a single website at cliftonclydecatholic.com. The parish's official Facebook page is the hub for ongoing parish news and announcements.
- Address: 213 Clifton St., Clifton, KS 66937
- Phone: (785) 446-3474
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.cliftonclydecatholic.com/
- Facebook: St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church – Clifton, KS
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Andrew Rockers2025–present
Appointed Pastor of the clustered parishes of St. John the Baptist, Clyde and St. Mary of the Assumption, Clifton in 2025; previously on the in solidum team pastoring St. Theresa, Mankato and Sacred Heart, Esbon. Ordained May 30, 2015 at Sacred Heart Cathedral by Bishop Edward Weisenburger.
- Fr. Steven HeinaConcluded 2025
Departed in 2025 when the Diocese of Wichita appointed him as a Hospital Chaplain.
- Fr. Joseph Browne
Died in the parish rectory in 1949 from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty furnace flue; his housekeeper Jane Curry survived the same exposure.