A Parish on Andover Road, From Eleven Families to Six Hundred
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church sits just north of Kellogg on 123 North Andover Road in Andover, Kansas, and serves as one of the larger parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita. The parish traces its roots to 1954, when eleven Catholic families in the area came together because their children were driving forty-five miles round trip to Augusta for catechism classes. On October 10 of that year, Father John Curran celebrated the first Mass in the home of Clarence and Isadel Seimer, while Harold and Rita Becker and Ralph and Margaret Overman opened their homes for instruction taught by Sister Thomansine and Sister Justin. By Christmas Eve, the community had grown to thirty-five families and gathered for Mass in a cabin at Shady Rest Resort offered by Leonard Stoltz, with Monsignor Leon McNeil of St. James in Augusta presiding. Bishop Mark Carroll formally established the parish in June 1955 and named Father Justin Betzen as its first pastor.
Mass Times, Confessions, and Eucharistic Adoration
Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Daily Mass is offered Tuesday at 8:10 a.m., Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., Thursday at 12:00 noon, Friday at 8:10 a.m., and Saturday at 9:00 a.m.; there is no Mass on Monday. Confessions are heard thirty minutes before each weekday Mass and on Saturdays from 4:00 to 4:40 p.m. in the Daily Chapel. All Masses, daily and weekend, are livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel and Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.
Eucharistic Adoration is at the heart of parish prayer life and is held every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., giving the community a full day of prayer before the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
The Sacraments of the Church
St. Vincent de Paul celebrates all seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation form the journey of Christian initiation. Marriage preparation, the Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders are also supported by the parish staff. For families walking through the death of a loved one, the parish offers a complete funeral ministry. A priest meets with families to plan a funeral Mass, and the parish provides funeral luncheons at no rental cost; families are invited to compensate the music ministers and to make a donation toward the dinner. Rosary or Vigil Services can be arranged the evening before a funeral, and the parish maintains lists of approved Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel readings as well as approved music selections to help families prepare.
Becoming Catholic and the OCIA Process
Adults interested in the Catholic faith are welcomed into the OCIA process, led by Teresa Marshall-Patterson, Director of OCIA and Liturgical Ministries. The program walks inquirers through the teachings of the Church, the sacraments of initiation, and life in a parish community, with the goal of full reception into the Church at the Easter Vigil.
Children's Faith Formation
Faith formation for children is built around several programs that meet between the Sunday Masses or on weekday evenings. Bible Quest brings together children in third through fifth grade and their families once a month between Masses for Bible heroes of the Old Testament and a shared breakfast. Kids' Small Groups serve children in kindergarten through fifth grade twice a month from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., running from September through May. First Reconciliation and First Communion classes are offered for children in second and third grade across nine Wednesday sessions during the year. Time Travelers Kids gathers children for their own age-appropriate faith experience during the weekend.
Vacation Bible School is held the third week in June for children ages four through those entering fifth grade, centered on a Bible theme with games, crafts, and music. The parish also welcomes the youngest members of the family through KidVille, a nursery and playroom for children eighteen months to five years old, available during weekend liturgies and some parish events. KidVille is staffed by specially trained and Virtus program-certified employees, with care provided free of charge so that parents can fully participate in Mass.
EDGE and LifeTeen: Middle and High School Ministry
Middle school students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade gather for EDGE on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the upstairs youth room. EDGE offers a social and faith-filled environment with games, talks, and small group discussion, and friends and newcomers are always welcome. High school students meet for LifeTeen on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., also in the youth room. The program includes guest speakers, retreats, mission trips, food, and off-site activities designed to deepen the teens' relationship with Christ. Both ministries are led by Shelby Wasinger, Facilitator of Youth Ministries.
LIFE: A Parish-Wide Program for the Whole Family
LIFE (Living Inspired Faith Everywhere) is the parish-wide faith formation program designed to help the whole parish grow in relationship with Jesus and with one another. The program brings families together across generations for shared learning, prayer, and fellowship throughout the year.
Small Groups: From Boy Scouts to Bible Studies to Quilters
St. Vincent de Paul runs one of the most extensive small group networks in the area, reflecting the parish's vision of being a parish of small groups that strengthen and support one another. Groups fall into several broad categories.
Faith-building groups include Walking With Purpose, a women's Bible study designed to nurture a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ through personal study and small group discussion; The Great Adventure Bible Study, which draws participants into the Prophets and the whole sweep of salvation history; and a small group built around the video series "The Chosen," meeting to watch episodes and discuss the life of Christ.
Scouting is a long-standing part of parish life. Boy Scout Troop 584 is open to boys in grades six through twelve and meets Monday nights from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. during the school year, with monthly weekend campouts and summer high-adventure trips to places like Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and SeaBase in the Florida Keys. Cub Scout Pack 584, named Greater Wichita's Pack of the Year in 2021 and 2022, is open to boys and girls in grades K through five, with den and pack meetings, camping, the Pinewood Derby, the Raingutter Regatta, and participation in the Greater Andover Days parade.
Service and community small groups include Dress a Girl, which works to ensure that every girl in the world has at least one dress; the Quilters, who produce more than twenty quilts each year for the parish's annual festival; the Prayer Shawl group, which knits and prays for those who are ill; and Kapaun's Men, a men's group modeled on the life of Father Emil Kapaun, a Catholic priest, Army chaplain, and prisoner of war. Common-interest groups include the Karate Club, which teaches practical and effective martial arts to students at least seven years old, with beginner and advanced classes on Monday evenings for a $10 monthly dues; Dance Lessons for those interested in two-step and line dancing; Financial Peace University, based on Dave Ramsey's money-management curriculum; and a Greeting Card Design Club.
Liturgical Ministries at Mass
Each weekend Mass is supported by an extended team of liturgical volunteers. Altar Servers, children who have celebrated their First Communion, assist by lighting candles, holding the Book of Prayers, carrying the processional cross, and helping the priest during the Offertory. Lectors proclaim the scriptures at Mass and are given training and a workbook for preparation. Greeters and Ushers welcome all who come through the doors, assist with seating, direct the Communion procession, and distribute the weekly bulletin at the end of Mass. Sacristans prepare the vessels, altar cloths, and linens used at Mass. Eucharistic Ministers also carry Communion to homebound parishioners on Friday mornings and weekends, visiting Catholic residents in Andover's care centers.
The Music Ministry, under the direction of Ada May, supports the congregation through song at weekend and daily Masses, accompanied by Christopher Dean, who serves as both Technology Director and Collaborative Pianist. The Media Ministry assists with sound and the livestreaming systems used for Mass and other events in the Ville.
Prayer and Hospitality Ministries
Beyond the liturgy, several ministries sustain the prayer and welcome of the parish. The Prayer Line brings together volunteers who pray daily for the intentions of parishioners who are ill, grieving, or suffering. The Prayer Shawl Ministry creates shawls while praying for the recipient. Respect Life offers education and outreach on the dignity of life from conception to natural death, including time spent each week in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and twice-yearly Respect Life baby showers. Harvest House welcomes parishioners age fifty and over for fellowship, with guest speakers on a variety of topics.
Hospitality After Masses goes beyond coffee and donuts, with ambassadors welcoming parishioners and helping newcomers feel at home. The Welcome Ministry staffs a table in the Gathering Space after every Mass to greet new members, answer questions, and connect people with groups and events. Be Our Guest coordinates the parish's funeral luncheons, preparing and serving home-cooked meals to families in grief. The Bereavement Ministry supports those who are mourning with practical help, companion visits, and outreach.
Compassion Ministries: Walking with Andover
Service to those in need is woven through the parish's identity. The Meal Train Ministry lends a hand to parishioners in short-term situations of need by coordinating the delivery of meals. The parish partners with the Andover Community Food Bank each summer to provide lunches to children through the Summer Lunch Program. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Andover conference, works to build a more just world through personal relationships with and service to those who are poor. A Medical Loan Closet lends wheelchairs, walkers, and other equipment to neighbors in need. Volunteers also serve Meals on Wheels, supporting senior neighbors to live healthier and more nourished lives in their own homes. Andover Caring & Sharing, a partnership of area churches, police and fire departments, the Andover Rotary, and school counselors, provides gifts, books, clothing, and other essentials to families in need.
The Knights of Columbus support the parish and community through pancake breakfasts, the annual Tootsie Roll drive, support for seminarians in the Diocese of Wichita, and sponsorship of a Boy Scout program. Volunteers from St. Vincent also serve monthly at The Lord's Diner at its Broadway and South Hillside locations and its Atwood community food truck, helping provide a nutritious meal with dignity and respect to anyone who is hungry.
A Sister Parish in Nebraska
St. Vincent de Paul shares a special relationship with St. Augustine Indian Mission in Winnebago, Nebraska. Parishioners raise funds for school equipment, gather school supplies each fall, and fund the salary of a kindergarten teacher each year, supporting the mission's work with the Winnebago community.
Stewardship and Giving
Stewardship, in the words of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God's gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbor. Each fall the parish invites members to renew their stewardship commitment by completing an annual stewardship form, exploring the ministries and small groups that will help them grow in faith.
Giving is offered in several forms. Online giving is available through Vanco, allowing one-time and recurring gifts from a checking account, debit card, or credit card. Gifts may also be made by cash or check at Mass or by mail. The parish accepts IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions for those 70½ and older and can assist donors with non-cash gifts of stock or bonds. The Dillon's Community Rewards program returns a portion of qualifying purchases to the parish through supporters who enroll their Plus Shopper's Card with organization number JP693.
A History of Mud, Water, and Resurrection
The story of St. Vincent de Paul is a story of buildings that did not last and a community that did. In September 1955 the parish moved into a converted one-time Sinclair pump station on Four-Mile Creek, where the green "Sinclair" sign on the exterior kept bleeding through each coat of paint. Father Denis Dougherty, pastor during this era, lived in continual fear of rain, and the creek flooded the building three times in 1958. Parishioners developed new ministries of shoveling mud and hosing off furnishings.
By November 1959, the parish had raised $40,000 for a more permanent home. On Christmas Eve, 1960, the community assembled for Midnight Mass in the new building, and Bishop Mark Carroll formally dedicated it on January 8, 1961, praising "the pioneer spirit of the community" and saying that "the heart of this beautiful church is its people." Through the 1970s the parish added classrooms, restrooms, and a gym-social hall, dedicated by Bishop Leo C. Byrne in 1978. The parish "burned the mortgage" for those facilities on December 15, 1973.
On the evening of April 26, 1991, a massive tornado cut a one-mile-wide path through Andover. Over eighty parishioners lost their homes, and two members of the parish family, Kathy Sargent and baby Malone, were killed. Every parish facility was destroyed. The community moved into the Andover High School Auditorium for the next two years, then set up temporary offices in the Plaza Shopping Center and held meetings at the Andover Methodist Church and Hope Community Church. Bishop Carroll's 1961 words, that the heart of the church is its people rather than the buildings, took on new meaning.
Groundbreaking on a new complex took place in October 1991. The Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday 1993 was the first worship service in the new church complex, and Bishop Eugene J. Gerber formally dedicated it on May 2, 1993, gifting the community with a relic of St. Vincent de Paul from his bishop's cross. Statues of Mary and St. Joseph salvaged from the destroyed church were mounted at the doors of the Daily Chapel, and the headless statue of St. Vincent de Paul, after repair, took up residence in the courtyard.
Through the 2000s and into the 2010s the parish grew from a small country parish into a large suburban one, adding LIFE and LifeTeen ministries along the way. Father Mike Baldwin led the parish for twenty-four years before being reassigned in 2011. Father Kent Hemberger became pastor that year, updating the campus and teaching the discernment rules of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, until pancreatic cancer took him into eternal life on July 22, 2020. Father Baldwin returned as administrator in the interim, and on October 13, 2020, Father Kenneth VanHaverbeke was assigned as pastor.
Mission, Vision, and Values
The parish family is dedicated to growing in Christ and building God's Kingdom. The vision is to create a community that grows closer to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, engages in service, and leads others to God through compassion and joy. Five values shape that work: Invitation, the active outreach to disconnected Catholics and all others seeking faith; Welcome, hospitality and acceptance that make all people feel at home; Celebration, joyful experiences connecting the community with God and with one another; Growth, all members of all ages growing in faith, hope, and love; and Compassion, loving care to support those in need.
Getting Involved
Newcomers are invited to register as parishioners, attend a Mass, and consider joining a ministry, small group, or faith formation program. The parish office at 123 North Andover Road can be reached at (316) 733-1423, and a contact form is available for those who would like to learn more about joining, sacraments, liturgical ministries, or faith formation.