St. Mary’s was founded in 1854 with the original name St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and was officially incorporated in 1857. The St. Luke’s congregation built its first official building at 8th and Walnut streets in 1867. In 1872, Mary Troost, a wealthy supporter of the Church, deeded land at 13th and Holmes to the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri for a new building with the stipulation that St. Luke's parish change its patronage to that of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The current church building was built on that land in the neo-Gothic style and was completed in 1887.
During the 19th century, St. Mary’s operated schools for boys and girls in downtown Kansas City. Members of the parish were instrumental in the founding of All Saints Hospital in the River Market Area which eventually grew to become St. Luke’s Health System, with our bishop serving as chairman of its Board of Directors, even to this day. The parish operated a hunger relief and health care mission serving the working poor in the West Bottoms.
The parish’s commitment to care for the poor continued into the 20th century as the surrounding neighborhood began to change. In the late 1950s, the urban renewal movement and plans for a new downtown freeway caused nearly all of the existing buildings on the east side of downtown to be demolished. The church building had deteriorated. The roof and exterior masonry were structurally unsound and the building was slated for demolition. A grant from the David Woods Kemper Foundation supported repairs to restore its structural integrity. Since then, St. Mary's has been lovingly referred to by some as "Our Lady of the Freeway."
St. George’s Episcopal Church, which eventually became part of St. Mary’s, was started in 1891 at 32nd St. and Troost Ave. St. George’s occupied several other buildings, including one at Linwood and Paseo that burned down in 1954, until they formed a partnership with St. Mary’s that allowed them the use of their building. Bishop Arthur Vogel officially dissolved St. George’s Church in February 1989 and allowed the congregation to transfer membership to St. Mary’s.
Through the latter part of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st, St. Mary’s has continued to reach out to the community through its hunger relief and fine arts programs. The church building was the base of operations for Downtown Outreach which operated for many years distributing groceries to those in need, and serves as an important concert venue for the Kansas City music community.
In 2009, St. Mary’s began a capital campaign for restoration and renovation of the building. Over $1 million in improvements were made from 2010-2016. Since 2014, our community has grown little by little from an average Sunday attendance below 50 to over 90 (as of June 2019).
Our tradition of welcoming all who come through our doors as well as reaching out to those beyond our walls continues, now, in the second century of our service to Kansas City. From beautiful architecture to ancient liturgical customs, we continue to seek to lead sinners to a loving God through the Anglo-catholic tradition we've received from our forebears so long ago. St. Mary's is a beacon of hope and healing in a broken and weary world, offering a safe and loving community to all.
Click here to access the St. Mary's Archives at the Kansas City Public Library.
Click here to access the U.S. Dept. of the Interior National Register of History Places Nomination Form and Photographs.
Click here to read an article from The Living Church dated July 2, 2000, which discusses Fr. Jardine and the lore surrounding his alleged haunting of the parish.
During the 19th century, St. Mary’s operated schools for boys and girls in downtown Kansas City. Members of the parish were instrumental in the founding of All Saints Hospital in the River Market Area which eventually grew to become St. Luke’s Health System, with our bishop serving as chairman of its Board of Directors, even to this day. The parish operated a hunger relief and health care mission serving the working poor in the West Bottoms.
The parish’s commitment to care for the poor continued into the 20th century as the surrounding neighborhood began to change. In the late 1950s, the urban renewal movement and plans for a new downtown freeway caused nearly all of the existing buildings on the east side of downtown to be demolished. The church building had deteriorated. The roof and exterior masonry were structurally unsound and the building was slated for demolition. A grant from the David Woods Kemper Foundation supported repairs to restore its structural integrity. Since then, St. Mary's has been lovingly referred to by some as "Our Lady of the Freeway."
St. George’s Episcopal Church, which eventually became part of St. Mary’s, was started in 1891 at 32nd St. and Troost Ave. St. George’s occupied several other buildings, including one at Linwood and Paseo that burned down in 1954, until they formed a partnership with St. Mary’s that allowed them the use of their building. Bishop Arthur Vogel officially dissolved St. George’s Church in February 1989 and allowed the congregation to transfer membership to St. Mary’s.
Through the latter part of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st, St. Mary’s has continued to reach out to the community through its hunger relief and fine arts programs. The church building was the base of operations for Downtown Outreach which operated for many years distributing groceries to those in need, and serves as an important concert venue for the Kansas City music community.
In 2009, St. Mary’s began a capital campaign for restoration and renovation of the building. Over $1 million in improvements were made from 2010-2016. Since 2014, our community has grown little by little from an average Sunday attendance below 50 to over 90 (as of June 2019).
Our tradition of welcoming all who come through our doors as well as reaching out to those beyond our walls continues, now, in the second century of our service to Kansas City. From beautiful architecture to ancient liturgical customs, we continue to seek to lead sinners to a loving God through the Anglo-catholic tradition we've received from our forebears so long ago. St. Mary's is a beacon of hope and healing in a broken and weary world, offering a safe and loving community to all.
Click here to access the St. Mary's Archives at the Kansas City Public Library.
Click here to access the U.S. Dept. of the Interior National Register of History Places Nomination Form and Photographs.
Click here to read an article from The Living Church dated July 2, 2000, which discusses Fr. Jardine and the lore surrounding his alleged haunting of the parish.
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Priests-in-Charge and Rectors of St. Mary's Episcopal Church
Dcn.-in-Charge Joseph Ingoldsby Corbyn 1857-1860 Fr. Charles M. Calloway 1860-1861 Fr. Joseph Woods, Jr. 1865-1866 Fr. David Davis Van Antwerp 1867-1872 Fr. George C. Betts 1872-1876 Fr. Mynerson Erastus Buck 1876-1879 Fr. Henry David Jardine 1879-1886 Fr. John Dorsey Sword, Jr. 1886-1891 Fr. James Stewart Smith 1891-1915 Fr. Edwin Walter Merrill 1918-1953 Fr. Charles T. Cooper, Jr. 1953-1961 Fr. James David McCallum 1961-1967 Fr. Phillip Toll Brinkman 1967-1977 |
Fr. Robert M. Hutcherson 1978-1983 Fr. Lowell Jacobson Satre, Jr. 1984-1987 Fr. Richmond F. Thweatt, III 1987-1990 Fr. Bruce Donald Rahtjen 1990-1999 Fr. William Earl Lusk 1999-2000 Fr. Paul Raymond Cook 2000-2002 Fr. Jeffrey Paul Cave 2003-2005 Mtr. Lauren Lyon 2005-2014 Fr. Cecil Patrick Perkins 2014-2018 Fr. Charles M. Everson 2018-2023 Fr. Sean C. Kim 2023-present |
To the Glory of God and in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Mary's is a parish of the Diocese of West Missouri, The Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communion.
Address1307 Holmes Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64106 |
Telephone |
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