Parish History
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The Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph Community has a history that dates to the origins of Catholicism in Kansas. On August 15, 1855, Bishop Jean Baptist Miege, S.J., established the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The influx of settlers to the area following the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 moved him to establish a church in Leavenworth, the first and fastest-growing city in the Kansas Territory. The Bishop originally had hoped to re-open the Sacred Heart mission in Kickapoo, but the town company had taken the church building over and refused to relinquish it. The growth of Leavenworth's Catholic population was rapid. In 1858, the parish territory was divided, and St. Joseph parish established to serve the growing German population. Father Casimir Seitz, O.S.B., oversaw construction of the first church, completed in 1859. Its first pastor was Father William Fisch. The current church was begun in 1866 by Father Albert Heimann, O.Carm., the parish's second pastor. The dedication of this church was held on June 18, 1871. |
In
1858, Bishop Miege welcomed Mother Xavier Ross and the Sisters
of Charity to Leavenworth. Parish schools, Immaculata High Scool,
Saint Mary College, and Saint John Hospital were established
by the Sisters.
On September 18, 1864, the cornerstone of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was laid. Remembered locally as the "Old Cathedral", it was dedicated on December 8, 1868. On December 29, 1961, that magnificent church was destroyed by fire. The present church was begun in 1962 under the guidance of Monsignor Alexander Harvey, and dedicated on May 31, 1964. -- Immaculate Conception - St. Joseph Church Parish Directory, 1991
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