About St. Teresa of Avila · Westphalia, Kansas
St. Teresa of Avila is a small, historic Roman Catholic parish serving the rural farming community of Westphalia in Coffey County, Kansas. Founded in 1880 by German Catholic settlers from Westphalia, Iowa, the parish is one of four clustered parishes — together with St. Francis Xavier in Burlington, St. Joseph in Waverly, and St. Patrick in Emerald — administered as a single pastoral unit within the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Approximately 75 families worship at the parish today, and its weekend Mass, weekday Mass, Thursday Eucharistic Adoration, and active lay societies (Altar Society, Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary) continue the Catholic life begun by those first immigrant families more than 140 years ago.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- St. Teresa of Avila
- Rector
- Rev. George Rhodes (Parochial Administrator, effective October 31, 2025)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
St. Teresa of Avila is a small, family-sized Catholic community with deep roots in rural Coffey County, where about 75 families still gather around the altar built by their immigrant ancestors. Parishioners worship in the same town settled by German Catholics from Iowa in 1880, share a Thursday of Eucharistic Adoration (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) with their neighbors, and stay connected through the Altar Society, Knights of Columbus, and Legion of Mary. With religious education (CCD) for children, a Lenten Fish Fry, and the wider four-parish cluster for shared faith and fellowship, St. Teresa offers a warm, close-knit place to practice the Faith.
Mass times at St. Teresa of Avila
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30 pm – 5:50 pm
- Sunday 9:25 am – 9:55 am
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
Parish History
St. Teresa of Avila Parish was founded in 1880 by German Catholic settlers from Westphalia, Iowa, and has been the spiritual center of Westphalia and the surrounding farming community ever since. Three brothers — Emil, Anton, and Carl Flushe — traveled from Iowa to find a suitable place to settle; the first Mass was celebrated at their home on April 13, 1880, by a Carmelite priest from Scipio for fourteen adults and several children. More families from Iowa followed that June, and by May 1881 the parishioners had built a 22-by-40-foot church dedicated to the Spanish mystic St. Teresa of Avila, which also served as a lay-taught parochial school.
The 1891 Gothic Church
By 1888 the original church was already too small. The parishioners excavated the basement, quarried and hauled limestone and sand, and made their own bricks to construct a new Gothic-style church. When it was dedicated in April 1891 it was judged one of the most beautiful churches in the state of Kansas.
The 1966 Church Building
In 1965, after seventy-five years, the Gothic church was found to be structurally unsound and was replaced. The new church was built on the same site and dedicated August 28, 1966. The statues from the old church were refurbished in bronze to match the modern style, and the three large bells from the original steeple were hung in a free-standing bell tower to keep continuity with the parish's earlier life.
Parish Life & Ministries
The parish is supported by several long-standing lay organizations. All Catholic women are welcome in the Altar Society; Catholic men 18 and older can join the Knights of Columbus; and the Legion of Mary is a lay apostolate that meets at 7:00 pm each Sunday evening at a rotating host parish. Together with the wider four-parish cluster, St. Teresa also offers Religious Education (CCD) for children, Young Adult Ministry for ages 18–30, and a four-parish pastoral council that meets every couple of months.
- Altar Society — contact Wilma Setter
- Knights of Columbus — contact the parish office
- Legion of Mary — meets Sundays at 7:00 pm; contact Marie Drumm, 620-203-8391
- Religious Education / CCD — contact Holly Ellington or Reva Pracht
- Young Adult Ministry (ages 18–30) — contact Angela in the parish office
- Four Parish Councils — joint meetings every couple of months
Religious Education (CCD)
Religious Education Classes resume each fall for the new school year. Volunteer teachers and substitutes are required to be Virtus-trained; the parish office can help with training or with transferring existing certification. Families interested in enrolling their children or volunteering should contact Holly Ellington or Reva Pracht.
Annual Traditions & Lent
St. Teresa continues several traditions that bind the parish and the wider four-parish community together. During Lent the parish gathers for Stations of the Cross and hosts the annual Parish Lenten Fish Fry, and parishioners also take part in Legion of Mary door-to-door outreach and visits to the sick throughout the year.
- Stations of the Cross during Lent
- Annual Parish Lenten Fish Fry
- Legion of Mary visits to the sick
- Legion of Mary door-to-door evangelization in Westphalia and the surrounding communities
Four-Parish Cluster (Coffey County)
St. Teresa of Avila is one of four parishes in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas that share a single pastor and a collaborative pastoral council. Together with St. Francis Xavier in Burlington, St. Joseph in Waverly, and St. Patrick in Emerald, the cluster serves the farming communities of Coffey County under a single administrative office.
- St. Francis Xavier — 214 Juniatta Street, Burlington, KS 66839
- St. Joseph — 508 Pearson Avenue, Waverly, KS 66871
- St. Patrick — 33721 NW Crawford Road, Williamsburg, KS 66095
- St. Teresa of Avila — 404 Garrison Avenue, Westphalia, KS 66093
- Four Parish Office: 620-364-5671
Staff & Clergy
St. Teresa of Avila is served by the clergy and staff of the four-parish cluster. Following the September 17, 2025 decree of appointments by the Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas, the Very Rev. Colin Haganey, V.F. (former pastor and Dean of the Southern Deanery) was transferred to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Emporia, and Rev. George Rhodes was named Parochial Administrator of the four parishes effective October 31, 2025. The four-parish office is staffed by Office Manager Angela Myers and Office Assistant Cyndy Heinz.
- Parochial Administrator — Rev. George Rhodes
- Office Manager — Angela Myers
- Office Assistant — Cyndy Heinz
- Emergency after-hours line — Fr. Rhodes: 620-757-6822
- Four Parish Office phone: 620-364-5671
About the Patron — St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila (born March 28, 1515; died October 4, 1582) was a Spanish Carmelite mystic, reformer of the Carmelite order, and founder of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns and Friars. She was beatified on April 24, 1614 and canonized on March 12, 1622. In 1970 Pope Paul VI named her — together with St. Catherine of Siena — the first women to receive the title Doctor of the Church. She is the patron of Catholic writers and of headache sufferers, and her statue in St. Peter's Basilica bears the inscription 'spiritual mother.' Her feast day is October 15.
Visiting & Contact
St. Teresa of Avila is located at 404 Garrison Avenue in Westphalia, Kansas. The mailing address for the four-parish office is 214 Juniatta, Burlington, KS 66839. Bulletins and parish news are published online through the four-parish website, and contributions, Mass intentions, and bulletin announcements are coordinated through the central parish office.
- Church address: 404 Garrison Avenue, Westphalia, KS 66093
- Mailing address: 4 Parish Office, 214 Juniatta, Burlington, KS 66839
- Office phone: 620-364-5671
- Bulletin news / basement rental: 620-364-5671
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Colin Haganey, V.F.until September 2025
Former pastor of all four parishes (St. Francis Xavier, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Teresa of Avila); also Dean of the Southern Deanery; transferred to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Emporia, KS.
- Rev. George Rhodeseffective October 31, 2025
Appointed Parochial Administrator of the four-parish cluster by Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas.