About St. Michael · Axtell, Kansas
St. Michael Parish is a small rural Roman Catholic parish in Axtell, Marshall County, Kansas, founded in 1881 by Benedictine missionaries and now a member of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. It serves a tight-knit farming community in north-central Kansas, also caring for the mission parish of Holy Family in Summerfield. The parish is best known for its 1905–1906 red-brick church with a tall spire, beautiful vaulted ceilings, and detailed stenciling that was sensitively restored in 2010, and for its long-running Catholic grade school staffed largely by the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica.
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. James Shaughnessy
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
St. Michael's offers the kind of close, multigenerational Catholic community that has become rare in rural America: weekend Mass on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, a parish school, an active choir and Holy Name / Altar Society groups, and a pastor who also serves the neighboring Holy Family mission in Summerfield. Visitors regularly comment on the beauty of the 1905 red-brick church — particularly the vaulted ceilings and restored stenciling — and on the warm, family-style welcome that defines parish life here.
Mass times at St. Michael
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Michael Parish, Axtell
St. Michael Parish is a small rural Roman Catholic parish in the farming community of Axtell, Marshall County, in north-central Kansas, founded in 1881 by Benedictine missionaries from St. Bridget's. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and today is cared for by a single resident pastor who also serves Holy Family Parish in Summerfield. The parish retains its historic 1905–1906 red-brick church with its tall spire, a parish grade school, and an active community of lay groups and sodalities that have continued in various forms since the early 20th century.
- Type: Roman Catholic parish
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
- Founded: 1881
- Current church built: 1904–1906
History
The parish's roots reach back to the early 1880s, when scattered Catholic families in Marshall County had been driving to St. Bridget's, six miles north, for Mass. St. Michael's congregation was organized by Rev. Timothy Duber, O.S.B., and the first small church was built in 1883 on ground donated by Michael Murray. The community grew through a succession of resident pastors in the 1880s and 1890s (Fathers Martin, Rettle, Hudson, Daily, Meile, Hurley, Bononcini, Shields, Hiawalka, O'Sullivan, and J. N. Burk), and suffered a setback in 1894 when the small parochial school was abandoned for lack of children.
The Taton Era and the 1905–1906 Church
The defining chapter of the parish's history opened on August 17, 1903, when Bishop Thomas F. Lillis transferred Rev. Francis H. Taton, an Indiana-born priest who had been ministering across Kansas since 1889, from Paola to Axtell. On November 8, 1904, he broke ground for the present church; the cornerstone was laid by Bishop Lillis in the spring of 1905, and the building was dedicated on April 24, 1906, at a total cost of nearly $22,000. Taton subsequently built the parish house in 1909 (over $7,000) and the parochial school, whose foundations were begun in 1913 and finally completed on February 8, 1917, at a cost of $9,000. By 1918 the parish supported the Mutual Benefit Association, the Catholic Truth Society, the Knights of Columbus, the Altar Society, the Young Ladies' Sodality, the Children's Sodality, the League of the Sacred Heart, and the Young People's Rota Club.
- New church cornerstone laid spring 1905 by Bishop Lillis
- Church dedicated April 24, 1906
- Parish house built 1909
- Parochial school completed February 8, 1917
Architecture & 2010 Renovation
The present church is a 1905–1906 red-brick edifice crowned by a tall spire, in the small-town vernacular of early-20th-century parish architecture. Its interior — vaulted ceilings and walls decorated with detailed stenciling — was carefully preserved when parishioners pledged about $90,000 in 2010 for a top-to-bottom restoration under Father Albert Hauser, O.S.B. Workmen reworked the original stenciling, refinished the pews, installed inlaid terrazzo flooring with new sanctuary steps and marbleized columns, added an elevator for handicapped accessibility, upgraded lighting and electrical wiring, and installed a new heating and cooling system. The original baptismal font was reworked to include a flowing-water source and now serves as the holy water font at the entrance to the sanctuary; the exterior entrance stairway and the basement parish hall were also redone.
- Red-brick exterior with tall spire
- Vaulted ceilings with detailed stenciling
- Terrazzo flooring and marbleized sanctuary columns
- Elevator for accessibility
- Reworked baptismal/holy water font
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Michael Parish celebrates weekend Mass on Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m., both in English. The pastor also serves Holy Family in Summerfield from Axtell, so weekday Mass and reconciliation schedules rotate between the two parishes.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m. (English)
- Sunday: 10:15 a.m. (English)
St. Michael's Catholic School
The parish operates St. Michael's Catholic School, a parish grade school serving K–8 at 6th & Elm in Axtell. For many decades the school was staffed by the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery in Atchison — photographs in the Mount St. Scholastica archive document sisters such as Sister Gervase Judge teaching there. Father Thomas H. Dolezal's legacy in particular is closely tied to the survival of this small rural Catholic school, and his will included a bequest for its continued operation.
- Address: 6th & Elm, Axtell, KS
- Phone: (785) 736-2257
- Historically staffed by Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica
Parish Ministries, Sodalties & Societies
St. Michael's has long maintained an unusually rich set of parish societies. By 1918 the roster included the Mutual Benefit Association, the Catholic Truth Society, the Knights of Columbus, the Altar Society, the Young Ladies' Sodality, the Children's Sodality, the League of the Sacred Heart, and the Young People's Rota Club. The parish choir continues to provide music for Sunday Mass and funerals (it sang at the funeral Mass for parishioner Ronald Koch in 2009 and at the Mass of Christian Burial for Beulah Stueve in 2012).
- Altar Society
- Knights of Columbus
- League of the Sacred Heart
- Children's Sodality
- Young Ladies' Sodality
- Parish choir
- Mutual Benefit Association (historical)
- Catholic Truth Society (historical)
- Young People's Rota Club (historical)
Sacraments
The pastor prepares parishioners for the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick, and regularly celebrates funerals. The original baptismal font was reworked during the 2010 restoration to include a flowing-water source and now serves as the holy water font at the sanctuary entrance — a small but meaningful link between the parish's sacramental life and its restored 1905 interior.
- Baptism
- Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funerals
Visiting Axtell & St. Michael's
Axtell is a small farming town in Marshall County, north-central Kansas, roughly 12 miles east of Marysville along the highway. Visitors to St. Michael's are drawn by the 1905 red-brick church with its tall spire and, especially, its restored interior of vaulted ceilings and detailed stenciling. Parking is on-site, and the 2010 renovation added an elevator for accessibility to the sanctuary level.
- 504 6th Street, Axtell, KS 66403
- Rectory phone: (785) 736-2230
- School: 6th & Elm, (785) 736-2257
Sister Parish: Holy Family, Summerfield
Since at least the early 2000s St. Michael's has also cared for Holy Family Parish in Summerfield, listed in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas directory as 'served from Axtell.' Father James Shaughnessy is named in the directory as pastor of both parishes.
- Holy Family, Summerfield — served from Axtell
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Timothy Duber, O.S.B.1881–1883 (organizer; founded the parish; first small church built 1883)
Benedictine from St. Bridget's who organized the Axtell congregation.
- Rev. S. Daily1882
Took charge after Father Hudson; served briefly.
- Rev. B. F. Hudson1887–1888
Completed the first church and took charge after Father Fitzgerald's death.
- Rev. Francis (Frances) Taton1889–1895 (at Axtell/region); transferred to Paola 1895, returned to Axtell 1903
Built the present church (1904–1906), the parish house (1909), and laid the foundations for the new parochial school (1913, completed 1917). Originally from Indiana; ordained 1889 by Bishop Maes at Covington, KY.
- Rev. M. A. Meile1883 (interim)
Took charge when Beattie was attached to Marysville.
- Rev. Hurley1890 (approx.)
Built the first parochial residence and moved the church to its northeast site.
- Rev. Bononcini1891 (approx.)
Built the small parochial school and procured the church bell.
- Rev. Shields1894 (approx.)
One of the three priests (with Hiawalka and O'Sullivan) listed for 1894–1898.
- Rev. F. S. Hiawalka (Hlawalka)1894–1898
Served Axtell in the late 1890s.
- Rev. P. R. O'Sullivan1894–1898
St. Bridget's priest who also attended Beattie mission.
- Rev. J. N. (M.) Burk1898–1903
In 1901 purchased Block 13 for a new church site and began arrangements for the new church; removed before the building was finished.
- Rev. Francis H. TatonAugust 17, 1903–after 1918 (long-tenured)
Returned as pastor; built and dedicated the present church (1906), built the 1909 parish house and 1917 school; celebrated silver jubilee of ordination in 1914.
- Rev. Thomas H. Dolezallong-tenured, through the 1980s–2000s era
Known as a champion of the rural Catholic school; left a bequest in his will for St. Michael's School; ordained 1970 by Archbishop Strecker; died Jan. 1, 2020.
- Rev. Albert Hauser, O.S.B.into the 2010s–2017
Benedictine of St. Benedict's Abbey, Atchison; oversaw 2010 interior renovation; fell ill with diabetes in 2017; died May 19, 2019.
- Rev. James Shaughnessy2017–present
Succeeded Father Hauser; also serves Holy Family, Summerfield; celebrated 50th anniversary of ordination in retirement.