About St. Philip Neri · Osawatomie, Kansas
St. Philip Neri Catholic Church is a parish in the small Miami County town of Osawatomie, Kansas, founded in 1889 and now part of a tri-parish cluster served by one pastor along with Sacred Heart in Mound City and Our Lady of Lourdes in La Cygne. The parish worships in a church built in 1970 and dedicated by Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker, continuing more than 135 years of Catholic life that began with the 1838 Potawatomie mission. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and is pastored by Fr. Barry Clayton, who has shepherded the three-country parishes since January 2018. Weekly Mass is offered Tuesday and Friday mornings, Saturday evening, and Sunday late morning, with adoration and a Knights of Columbus community rounding out parish life.
- Established
- 1889
- Patron
- St. Philip Neri
- Rector
- Fr. Barry Clayton
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
St. Philip Neri is a small-town Catholic community with deep roots — its parish stretches back to the 1889 founding and even earlier to the 1838 Potawatomie mission — and it pairs that heritage with the warmth of a tri-parish family that worships across Osawatomie, Mound City, and La Cygne. Visitors can attend Mass four times a week, pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament during Sunday afternoon adoration (12-5 pm), walk the Stations of the Cross in Lent, gather for the Knights of Columbus Fish Fry, and join the annual Fall Bazaar and parish picnic at St. Philippine Park. With a live-streamed Mass for those who cannot attend in person and a pastor known personally to each household, it is a parish where you can quickly feel at home.
Mass times at St. Philip Neri
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Penance Service for Lent: Thursday March 19, 7:00 pm at St. Philip Neri Osawatomie
Adoration times
- Sunday 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm at St. Philip Neri (Lent and beyond)
Parish History
The parish's story begins not in 1889 but on November 4, 1838, when migrating Potawatomie Indians traveling with Jesuit Father Petit settled in the area and were joined by Father Hoecken, gathering the first Catholic congregation in a temporary church. In 1889, the Catholics of Osawatomie claimed their denominational plot from the Town Company of Osawatomie, and Fr. O'Connor — pastor of Paola — organized the new parish and named it St. Philip Neri. For the next thirty years Paola pastors said Mass only on the fourth Sunday of the month.
- 1838: First Catholic congregation gathered by Fathers Petit and Hoecken with migrating Potawatomie
- 1889: Parish formally organized and named St. Philip Neri by Fr. O'Connor of Paola
- 1918: Fr. Eugene Vallely becomes first resident pastor; builds combined church, school, and sisters' residence
- Ursuline nuns from Paola teach at the parish school
- 1966: Parish school closes due to shortage of sisters
- January 1970: Construction begins on a new church
- November 29, 1970: Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker blesses and dedicates the new church
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Philip Neri offers four Masses each week in its Parker Avenue church, with a simple but consistent schedule rooted in the rhythms of a small-town Catholic community. Mass is celebrated Tuesday and Friday mornings at 8:00 am, Saturday evening at 4:30 pm, and Sunday morning at 10:45 am. The parish live-streams Mass for those who cannot attend in person — available on Miami County KS TV via Facebook and on YouTube.
- Tuesday — 8:00 am
- Friday — 8:00 am
- Saturday — 4:30 pm
- Sunday — 10:45 am
- Live Stream on Miami County KS TV Facebook page
- Live Stream on YouTube
Sacramental & Devotional Life
Beyond Sunday Mass, St. Philip Neri hosts regular adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the traditional Lenten devotions that bind the three Miami-Linn parishes together. During Lent, adoration is held Sunday afternoons at St. Philip Neri (12:00 pm - 5:00 pm), with parallel adoration at the sister parishes (Our Lady of Lourdes 10:00 am - 1:00 pm; Sacred Heart 8:00 am - 12:00 pm).
- Sunday Adoration — 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm at St. Philip Neri
- Stations of the Cross — Wednesdays 5:45 pm during Lent
- Lenten Penance Service — typically held at one of the three parishes
- Corpus Christi Mass and Procession at St. Philippine Park (annual)
- Good Friday Celebration of the Passion of the Lord — 7:00 pm at St. Philip Neri
Pastor & Staff
St. Philip Neri is served by Fr. Barry Clayton, who has been the pastor of the tri-parish cluster (St. Philip Neri in Osawatomie, Sacred Heart in Mound City, and Our Lady of Lourdes in La Cygne) since January 2018. A native of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Fr. Clayton was baptized at Prince of Peace in Olathe, attended grade school at St. Pius X in Mission and Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, and began his discernment while a student at K-State, eventually transferring to Conception Seminary College and Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. He was ordained a deacon on May 22, 2010 (feast of St. Rita) and ordained a priest on May 28, 2011.
- Fr. Barry Clayton — Pastor since January 2018
- Previous assignment: Pastor of Sacred Heart-Sabetha, St. Augustine-Fidelity, and St. James-Wetmore
- First assignment: Associate priest at Holy Trinity, Lenexa
- Mailing address: PO Box 4, Osawatomie, KS 66064
- Phone: 913-755-2652
Parish Ministries & Community Life
Parish life at St. Philip Neri is marked by the warmth of a small, interconnected rural community. The Knights of Columbus are particularly active, hosting seasonal Fish Fry fundraisers (held Friday evenings in Lent, 5-7 pm) and an annual Free Steak Dinner to honor the women of the three parishes. Youth ministry includes visits from the Benedictine College 'One Love Ministry' team for grades 6-12, while the Fall Bazaar and the parish picnic at St. Philippine Park are highlights of the social calendar.
- Knights of Columbus — Fish Fry (Feb 16 & March 1, 5-7 pm)
- Knights of Columbus — Free Steak Dinner honoring parish women (May)
- One Love Ministry (Benedictine College youth team)
- Annual Fall Bazaar
- Parish Picnic at St. Philippine Park
- Liturgical ministries: Altar Servers, Lectors, EMHC, Offertory Gifts, Ushers
Tri-Parish Cluster with Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Lourdes
Since 2008, St. Philip Neri has been twinned with Sacred Heart Parish in Mound City (Linn County) and Our Lady of Lourdes in La Cygne (Linn County) under one pastor. The three parishes share clergy, bulletins, a common website (miamilinncatholics.org), and joint events like the parish picnic, Knights of Columbus dinners, and the Corpus Christi Mass at the park.
- Sacred Heart — 729 W. Main St., Mound City, KS 66056 (Saturday 6:30 pm; Wednesday 6 pm)
- Our Lady of Lourdes — 819 N. 5th St., La Cygne, KS 66040 (Sunday 8:30 am; Thursday 8:30 am)
- Shared bulletin and website
- Joint Lenten penance services and devotions
Sacraments
St. Philip Neri offers the standard sacramental ministry of a Catholic parish. The parish website and bulletin direct parishioners to contact the pastor or parish office for baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick, RCIA, and First Communion/Confirmation preparation.
- Baptism
- First Communion / Confirmation preparation
- Marriage (contact pastor)
- Anointing of the Sick and pastoral care of the sick
- RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
Visit & Contact
The parish is located on Parker Avenue in the heart of Osawatomie, with the rectory mailing address at PO Box 4, Osawatomie, KS 66064. The parish office can be reached at 913-755-2652 or by email at [email protected]. Live-streamed Mass is available for those at a distance or homebound.
- Address: 514 Parker Ave., PO Box 4, Osawatomie, KS 66064
- Phone: 913-755-2652
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.miamilinncatholics.org/
- Facebook: St. Philip Neri Catholic Church (Osawatomie KS)
- Live Stream: Miami County KS TV on Facebook and YouTube
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. O'Connor1889 (organizer, pastor of Paola)
Pastored the Osawatomie mission from Paola; named the parish St. Philip Neri. Mission served by Paola pastors for ~30 years.
- Fr. Eugene Vallely1918 onward
First resident pastor of St. Philip Neri; built the combination church, school and sisters' residence.
- Fr. Reginald (Regie) SaldanhaOctober 2008 - December 2015
Originally from Mangalore, India; ordained 1997; served in Papua New Guinea and Australia before joining the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Later pastor in Baileyville/Seneca area.
- Fr. Michael Kantankacirca 2016-2017
Parochial administrator of St. Philip Neri, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Sacred Heart before returning to his home Diocese of Kumasi, Ghana.
- Fr. Shawn Tuninkcirca 2016-2017
Assigned as pastor of St. Philip Neri, Our Lady of Lourdes and Sacred Heart after completing canon law studies; also served as defender of the bond and canonical assistance in the tribunal.
- Fr. Barry ClaytonJanuary 2018 - present
Current pastor; ordained May 28, 2011; previously associate at Holy Trinity Lenexa and pastor of Sacred Heart-Sabetha cluster.