St. Sabina Parish has been part of Belton, Missouri, since the first Mass was offered on September 10, 1944, in a closed liquor store on old Highway 71. Eight decades later, the parish gathers roughly 1,900 Hispanic and English-speaking members at 700 Trevis Avenue for weekend Masses in two languages, faith formation for every age, and outreach that stretches from Cass County to El Salvador and the colonia of Anapra in Mexico. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and describes itself as "an open and hospitable community where all are welcome as we live out God's word, build community, and strive for justice."
Mass Times, Confessions, and Sacraments
Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in English, on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. in English, on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in English, and on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in Spanish. The Saturday 4:00 p.m. Mass and the Sunday Spanish Mass are livestreamed on the parish Facebook page and recordings are posted for the following week. Reconciliation is heard on Saturday from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. or by appointment. Mass intentions can be scheduled through the parish office with a suggested stipend of $10.
The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church - Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick - are celebrated throughout the year. Baptisms, First Communions, Marriages, and Quinceañeras all involve preparation, and the parish asks families to contact the office well in advance. Special blessings outside the seven sacraments include Presentations of three-year-olds, Quinceañeras, and anniversary blessings for married couples. Anointing of the Sick is arranged through the parish office for those facing surgery or serious illness, and the parish maintains a Ministry to the Sick and Homebound with Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who visit parishioners who cannot attend Mass.
Marriages at St. Sabina are scheduled on Friday evenings or on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m., and the parish asks engaged couples to allow nine months to a year for marriage preparation, including the diocesan FOCCUS process. Weddings during Advent and Lent are discouraged; if celebrated in those seasons, they are kept simple in keeping with the liturgy of the time.
A Parish Built in Three Chapters
The story of St. Sabina is really the story of three buildings. The Mass that began in the back of a liquor store in 1944 quickly outgrew that space and moved to the Belton public school auditorium. In 1945, Henry Mucke began a fundraising campaign to purchase land, and a generous donation from James Green came with the request that the new church be named for his late wife, Sabina. Bishop O'Hara granted the patronage of St. Sabina to the mission on March 9, 1945. The first baptism, of Linda Ann Plunkett, was celebrated on December 16, 1945; the first marriage, between Kenneth A. Webber and Ruth A. Miller, took place on January 15, 1946; and the first First Communion class received the Eucharist on April 29, 1951.
In December 1947, a surplus Army chapel from Camp Crowder in Neosho, Missouri, was dismantled and rebuilt on six lots the Diocese had purchased at Third and Herschel. Bishop O'Hara dedicated the resulting Herschel Church on August 8, 1948. With the arrival of a resident pastor, Father Daniel T. Murphy, the Belton mission was raised to full parish status on July 3, 1951. By 1959, the parish census listed 425 adult Catholics and 264 children, and a school of religion with 140 pupils was underway, taught by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion.
By the early 1970s, the Herschel building had been outgrown, and the Diocese sold 13.93 acres in Lacy Estates and bought five acres from Roger Maier on Trevis Avenue. Bishop Charles H. Helmsing dedicated the new campus on May 12, 1974. The 1974 church was a two-story brick building with a nave and vestibule above five classrooms and a parish hall, joined by a rectory across the drive. In 1989, Bishop John J. Sullivan returned to bless a new 6,000-square-foot education wing and a 9,000-square-foot gym, dedicated during the pastorate of Monsignor John F. Huhmann. The cross that once topped the 1974 building was later moved to the top of the new Cross Tower in 2007.
By 1992, the building could no longer keep pace with growth. The parish had grown from 470 families in 1989 to more than 800 by 1994 and an estimated 1,000 two years later. After a decade of planning under Father Joe Matt, Bishop Raymond Boland broke ground on the new worship space on June 9, 2002, and the present church was dedicated on July 12, 2003. The congregation processed in singing "All Are Welcome," and dignitaries including Belton Mayor Bob Gregory and Raymore Mayor Juan Alonzo, a St. Sabina parishioner, took part in the celebration. The new worship space added wider aisles, full handicap accessibility with cutouts in the pews for walkers and wheelchairs, a day chapel that also serves as a cry room, a pastor room, a choir room, and a bride room.
Art, Windows, and the Cross Tower
Father Matt commissioned liturgical artist Abraham Mathew of Bramante Studio in Ontario to design a risen Christ for the new building. The cross and corpus were based on a drawing Father Matt had seen of the crucified Christ by Salvador Dali and were blessed by Father Chuck Tobin at the Thanksgiving Evening Mass on November 24, 2004.
Two rose windows by Kansas City artist Kathy Barnard give the sanctuary its color. The East Baptismal Window, with a descending dove, was installed in May 2005 and blessed on Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 2005; a major gift from Ken and Dorothy Swartz in memory of Dorothy's parents, Peter and Hildred Bures, helped fund it. The West Burning Bush Window, a gift from Merle and Alta Feuerborn in memory of their son Andrew, was installed on December 20, 2005, and blessed on February 26, 2006.
The Cross Tower on the parish grounds was funded and built by the Knights of Columbus through their annual Paul Vargo Memorial Golf Tournaments, organized by Bob Coshun. Its design was patterned after the bell tower of the chapel in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The foundation was laid on May 14, 2007, and the tower was dedicated by Father Tobin at a special bilingual Mass on August 26, 2007, with the cross from the original 1974 building placed at its top.
At the back of the property, the Easter Vigil Fire Pit was built by Jake Larkey and Boy Scout Troop 111 as Jake's Eagle Scout project on October 4, 2008, with donated materials from the Water Garden Society and Bryan Meyer of Semco Corporation. It was dedicated and blessed at the 10:30 Mass on Sunday, November 9, 2008.
The Hispanic Community
The Hispanic character of St. Sabina began to take shape in September 2000, when Monica López and Lupe Bencomo began meeting with the parish staff about the possibility of a Sunday Mass in Spanish. Father Matt asked the pair to find out how many local families would be interested and to line up Spanish-speaking priests who could celebrate the liturgy. Volunteers went door to door in Belton, Raymore, and Martin City, and within about two weeks had compiled a list of around one hundred interested families, along with three priests willing to celebrate. The first Spanish Mass was held on February 18, 2001, with Fathers José Herrera and Joe Matt as celebrants.
Today, roughly 400 Hispanic families make their home at St. Sabina. Members of the community come from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Cuba, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, Chile, and elsewhere. Several liturgies are celebrated bilingually throughout the year, with the readings and music offered in both languages. The choirs rehearse and sing together at major celebrations. Yearly observances include the Feast of the Epiphany, when three children dress as the three kings and offer each child in the congregation a bag of candy, peanuts, and an orange; the Stations of the Cross every Friday in Lent in both English and Spanish; bilingual liturgies for the Triduum; a Mass and celebration each March honoring Bishop Oscar Romero, who was martyred while celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980, in El Salvador; Cinco de Mayo; a Heritage Celebration in September with tables representing the many countries of origin of parishioners and a potluck of dishes from those lands; the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, with a reenactment of the apparition to Juan Diego, Matachines dancers, and Mass; and Las Posadas, a reenactment of Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem, with songs, skits by the children, a shared meal, and piñatas.
Hispanic Ministry is coordinated by Berenice Zayas, a native of Honduras who has been a member of the parish since 2008. She works with ministry leaders across the parish, plans celebrations and fundraisers including the Romero Committee's raffle and two pupusa sales, and coordinates annual liturgical training in Spanish for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Extraordinary Ministers to the Sick and Homebound, Lectors, Altar Servers, and the Quinceañera Workshop. Kris Larkey, the parish Business Manager and a St. Sabina parishioner since 1974, assists with the Hispanic community and serves as an annulment advocate. Adult faith formation for the Hispanic community is taught by Raúl Félix, who handles baptism and marriage preparation and the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults.
Faith Formation for Every Age
Faith formation at St. Sabina is shaped by the bishops' pastoral plan, "Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us," and by the vision of the Second Vatican Council for full, conscious, and active participation in the mission of Jesus. Programs are offered in English and Spanish.
The Parish School of Religion (PSR) serves children from Pre-K through sixth grade and prepares them for First Reconciliation and First Communion. Older children move into the Youth Ministry program. Classes are taught by trained volunteer catechists on Sundays from the third weekend of September through the first weekend of May. A Safe Touch program is taught as part of a diocesan requirement to maintain safe environments. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) is offered for children just beginning in the Church.
The Youth Ministry program is open year-round to young people in grades 7 through 12. Junior High youth meet twice a month with the Youth Minister and volunteer Youth Leaders, focusing on the application of their Catholic education to real-life issues and using resources such as "Faith Works" from St. Mary's Press. At least one social event is held each month. High School Youth Ministry for grades 9 through 12 meets twice a month and is led primarily by Peer Ministers, confirmed high school and college youth who share their gifts, faith, and talents with the parish. Confirmation classes are available for youth in tenth grade and older and use the "Confirmed in a Faithful Community" series. Confirmation candidates also meet monthly at the parish with their sponsors. The Youth Ministry program is coordinated by Krissy Berkovich, a licensed Clinical Social Worker and daughter of parishioners Chuck and Mary Sellmeyer. Cathy Cisetti oversees all faith formation programs as Faith Formation Director.
Adults are served through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), also called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), a process for those interested in becoming Catholic and for Catholics who wish to deepen their understanding of the faith. Adults preparing for Confirmation are also served through the Parish Catechumenate for Initiation of Adults (PCIA). Five-minute Faith Formation videos and a long-running archive of "Do You Know" videos offer ongoing catechesis on topics such as Black Catholic History, the Liturgical Year, Catholic Social Teaching, the History of the Mass, Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, Vatican II, the Saints, Scripture, and Stewardship. A Grief Recovery Group meets for six weeks at a time on Tuesday mornings in the parish conference room.
Scouting has a long history at St. Sabina. The parish is the Chartered Organization for Scouting America's Cub Scout Pack 4111 and Scouts BSA Troop 1111. The Cub Scout program welcomes boys and girls in kindergarten through fifth grade, while Scouts BSA serves boys in sixth grade and up with a focus on leadership, service, and outdoor adventure. Both units meet on Monday nights at 7:00 p.m., with the Cub Scouts in the education wing and Scouts BSA in the gym. The fire pit on the parish grounds is one reminder of that tradition.
Liturgy and Music
Liturgical ministries at St. Sabina include Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Ushers and Greeters, Altar Servers, Sacristans, Junior Sacristans, the Art and Environment Committee, a Sewing Ministry that produces banners, altar cloths, vestments, baptismal garments, and smaller altar linens, and a team that cares for candles, linens, and other liturgical items. Many liturgical ministers also serve weddings, funerals, reconciliation services, and Holy Week liturgies.
Music ministry at the parish is led by Susan Ratigan, who joined St. Sabina as a member in 1991 and served as Director of Music and Liturgy from 1993 to 2005 before returning to the role in August 2014. She holds a Bachelor's of Music Education from UMKC and a Master of Arts in Music from UCM. The 10:30 choir and hand chime choir rehearse under her direction, and she oversees cantors and accompanists for weekend Masses, weddings, funerals, and special liturgies. The parish also welcomes instrumentalists, youth and children's choirs, seasonal choirs for Christmas, Holy Week, and Confirmation, and a Resurrection Choir that sings at funerals.
Weddings bring their own planning resources. Couples can choose from a list of Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel, and responsorial psalm readings, with at least one selection specifically on marriage. Music selections range from processionals such as Canon in D and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, through psalms and Eucharistic songs, and a set of sample Prayers of the Faithful is offered in English and Spanish. Susan Ratigan and Anika Strong, the parish liturgist, walk couples through the choices.
Anika Strong, a member of the parish since 2019, holds a Bachelor of Music from Truman State University. After serving as a choir member and cantor and doing part-time liturgical work, she joined the staff full-time in 2023. Her responsibilities include coordinating all liturgical ministers, cantor scheduling and rehearsal, the Art and Environment Committee, bilingual Masses, and the maintenance of the sacristy and its contents.
Pastoral Care, Small Christian Communities, and the Wider Community
Pastoral Care at St. Sabina is the parish's response to people in need, modeled on the Good Shepherd. The office can be reached for emergencies at any time; after hours, prompts lead callers to the emergency line so that a priest can be reached. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion visit the sick and homebound, and priests and pastoral ministers regularly visit parishioners in area hospitals and nursing homes. (Because of privacy laws, hospitals no longer call the parish unless a patient requests a visit, so parishioners are asked to call the office if a hospital visit is desired.)
A Nursing Home Ministry celebrates Mass once a month at area nursing homes and retirement communities: 10:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday at Beautiful Savior Nursing Home and Assisted Living, 10:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday at Benton House, 10:00 a.m. on the third Wednesday at Foxwood Springs, 11:00 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday at Carnegie Village Chapel, and 8:00 a.m. on the fifth Wednesday at St. Sabina itself. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion visit the homes on a regular basis. The ministry is coordinated by Marta Roper.
Small Christian Communities (SCC) are groups of eight to twelve people who gather weekly in homes to explore how the Sunday Scriptures connect with daily life. The four components of SCC are learning and proclaiming the Gospel, Christian community, prayer, and service. The typical gathering lasts about an hour and a half and includes a welcome, an opening prayer and focus question, scripture sharing, faith sharing, a commitment to some form of service, and a closing prayer and sending forth.
From Death to New Life is the parish's funeral ministry, and the parish offers Annulment Information for those seeking a declaration of invalidity. Kris Larkey serves as a trained advocate and can walk Catholics through the process.
Mission Outreach to El Salvador and Mexico
St. Sabina's mission outreach reaches into El Salvador and Mexico. The parish partners with the Center for Exchange and Solidarity (CIS) to sponsor university scholarships in Cinquera and, more recently, San Isidro in El Salvador. Cinquera is a town that was destroyed during the country's civil war; its families returned around 1991 and rebuilt the community, establishing a strong leadership committee. In 1996, Cinquera became the first place where scholarships were offered, and many students have since graduated and found work in the area. Graduates repay half of their scholarship funds, and the town is close to sustaining the program on its own - a remarkable outcome that the parish credits to the power of steady support.
San Isidro, in the Cabañas department, the poorest department in El Salvador, has a population of about 10,000 spread across seven villages. The village of El Llano de la Hacienda, with a population of about 1,500, is the community St. Sabina has been asked to help. Students travel by bus about four hours to the university, returning home on weekends. The scholarship covers tuition, room and board, internet fees, and bus fare. Each year of study for one student costs approximately $1,300. Students are required to attend monthly meetings and complete monthly community service, along with maintaining their grades. As CIS has noted, "Education is the most powerful tool for the families to maintain their homes and to get out of extreme poverty." Currently, donations from St. Sabina cover the costs of six of the seventeen students on scholarship in Cinquera, with new students from San Isidro being added as Cinquera students graduate.
In Mexico, the parish partners with Manos Amigas in Anapra, a colonia on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez. Each summer, parishioners lead a Vacation Bible School for the children of Anapra, and donations of supplies are gathered throughout the year. The partnership is coordinated by Dwayne and Sandy Katzer.
Locally, St. Sabina supports a number of justice initiatives. Migrant farmworkers who come to Lafayette County, Missouri, for the apple harvest each September receive beans, rice, blankets, and other necessities through a program sponsored by Legal Aid of Western Missouri. On the second Saturday in October, parishioners volunteer with Christmas in October to repair homes in the Kansas City area for those who lack the resources to do the work themselves. St. Sabina coordinates volunteers for Uplift Organization's outreach to people experiencing homelessness in Kansas City on the fourth and fifth Monday of each month and collects donations of white underwear, socks, bug spray, and empty water and soda bottles. During Advent, the Jesse Tree in the sanctuary gathers gifts, outerwear, and food for local families in need. During Lent, the parish participates in Catholic Relief Services' Operation Rice Bowl. Recycling and environmental efforts are ongoing through partnerships with Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition and others.
Stewardship, Social Justice, and Becoming a Member
Stewardship at St. Sabina is rooted in 1 Peter 4:10 - "As each has received a gift, employ it for one another as good stewards of God's varied grace." The parish follows the USCCB definition of a Christian steward as one who receives God's gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them responsibly, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord. Stewardship is treated as a lifestyle that extends from parish life into family life, work life, and the wider community. Online giving is available through the parish's hosted giving portal.
Social Justice ministry at the parish is described as a work of faith anchored in prayer, the Scriptures, and Church teaching, with two dimensions - charity and justice. The parish draws on the USCCB's "Communities of Salt and Light" and is connected to Catholic Climate Covenant, NETWORK Lobby, Catholic Relief Services, JustFaith, Bread for the World, Sojourners, the Missouri Catholic Conference, and the Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition.
Families who wish to join the parish can register online through the Becoming a Member form, which collects basic family information, sacramental dates, and contact details. Sacramental records can be uploaded through the form or sent by mail. The parish office is open during the week at 700 Trevis Avenue, Belton, MO 64012, and can be reached at 816-331-4713 (fax 816-322-6196).
Fr. Jeff Stephan has served as pastor since June 12, 2012. A graduate of Conception Seminary College (1995) and Mundelein Seminary (MDiv, 2001), Fr. Jeff studied Spanish in Guadalajara during seminary summers and was ordained on May 26, 2001. Before coming to St. Sabina, he was pastor of St. Joseph in Easton and St. Ann in Plattsburg. Deacon Mike Gates and his family have been parishioners since 1986; he was ordained a deacon on June 4, 2011, and is involved with the Marian Prayer Group, Hispanic, marriage, and hospice ministries. Brenda Bremer, whose grandparents Lawrence and Louise Mucke and mother Maxine were a founding family of the parish, joined the parish staff in May 2024 after retiring from a payroll and accounting career; she became an altar server in 2023 and now edits the bulletin, manages communications, and tends the parish's online presence. Kris Larkey, a parishioner since 1974 (with time away from 1976 to 1981), has worked in the parish office since March 2006 and previously directed the Hispanic choir from 2001 to 2006. Jeff Shields, the son of parishioners John and Kathy Shields, has volunteered in Youth Ministry since 2007 and worked for the parish since December 2013; he holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting from UMKC. The parish also benefits from the service of custodian Hilda Alvarado and maintenance worker Travis Brooker.
The parish draws its name from Saint Sabina of Vindena, an early Christian martyr who died on August 29 in the year 125 AD under Emperor Hadrian, whose feast day the parish celebrates each year. Her relics are venerated under the High Altar of the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill in Rome.