St. Monica Catholic Church

Situated in a building off the west side of The Paseo, Saint Monica Catholic Church has been serving Catholics in the 18th and Vine area since its founding in 1910. A year earlier, Bishop John J. Hogan and Fr. Cyprian Sauer had come to the conclusion that the Black community in Kansas City, MO was criminally underserved, and sought to open a mission in the area. A year later, the St. Monica Mission for Colored Catholics was opened, with financial support from Bernard Corrigan and St. Katherine Drexel. St. Monica became the first Catholic church in Kansas City to cater specifically to the African-American population, including educational facilities for children. Unfortunately, according to the African-American History Trail of Kansas City, the buildings quickly became dilapidated, though fundraising led by Dr. Thomas E. Purcell allowed the church to be rededicated in 1913. The expanded campus included a convent, housing for priests, and additional school facilities in the basement and the first floor. Throughout the decades, the facilities and services have waxed and waned in tune with the needs of the community. In 1940, the church was renamed to St. Joseph Parish, operating under that name until a 1995 merger with the Church of the Risen Christ saw the congregation renamed to Saint Monica Catholic Church. Today, Saint Monica Catholic Church continues to provide ministry and services to its congregation and the community at large.

According to information published by the African-American History Trail of Kansas City and the official St. Monica website, the institution that is now known as Saint Monica Catholic Church was founded in 1910. A year prior, Bishop John J. Hogan and Father Cyprian Sauer sought to establish a Catholic mission to serve the African-American community in Kansas City. After being appointed pastor, Father Sauer gathered thirty-five African-American Catholics to form the first congregation. However, the congregation had no brick-and-mortar gathering place, and the poverty of the area prompted Father Sauer to seek funding help from elsewhere. According to a Black Catholic Centennial Celebration Souvenir Booklet held by the Black Archives of Mid-America, "[Father Sauer] decided to write to Mother Katherine Drexall (sic) who was known for her generosity to poor Indian and Black Missions. When months passed without hearing from her, Father Cyprian, persevering in prayer, appealed to St. Monica, a Black woman, who was known for her long years of prayer for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine. He promised her, if he would get financial help, the mission would be dedicated in her honor. It would be named St. Monica's. . . . Exactly one week later he heard from Mother Drexall (sic). She came to Kansas City, and with Father Cyprian, picked the site of 17th and Lydia for the location of the church and school. She presented him with a check for $8000 for the purchase of the property which consisted of two cottages."

Three years later, however, the buildings became too worn to continue housing the congregation, prompting a temporary move to Saint Joseph Sanctuary at 19th and Harrison. Through fundraising efforts by Father Cyprian, the Catholic Club, and a $3000 donation from Mother Drexel, a two-story building was constructed on the site, with the congregation moving in on October 26, 1913. The top floor of the building housed the church, with the first floor and basement serving as the school. The new construction also included a convent in the back of the building and a separate cottage for priests. Around the same time, the Society of St. Benedict the Moor was founded to help disadvantaged families with the cost of sending their children to the school. In 1927, the St. Monica Institute for Girls opened, with later expansions including boys, though it closed ten years later due to availability of better facilities elsewhere.

Due to an expanding congregation, the church moved buildings on January 27th, 1940, taking up residence in what had been St. Joseph Church at 19th and Harrison. This prompted the church to be renamed to St. Joseph's, though the school element remained St. Monica's. The school was expanded to include a high school, with an initial graduation held in 1944. In 1949, thanks to the work of Father Alvin Deem, all of the high schools in the diocese were successfully desegregated, prompting the closure of the smaller high school at St. Monica. In 1959, the elementary school was renamed to St. Joseph's, coinciding with a remodeling effort. Two years after this, St. Joseph's moved into new facilities at the current location between E 16th and E17th St on The Paseo, next to what was at the time De La Salle High School Military Academy. When De La Salle closed, St. Joseph purchased the property as an expansion for the Catholic school in 1971.

According to the African-American History Trail of Kansas City, the church currently known as St. Monica's is the result of "...not just one church, but several inner-city parishes. Holy Spirit opened in 1945 and merged with Holy Name in 1956. Holy Name and St. Vincent parishes closed in 1975 when the congregations consolidated with Annunciation parish and changed their name to The Church of the Risen Christ. Blessed Sacrament and St. Augustine closed in 1991. The merger of Risen Christ and St. Joseph Parishes on October 22, 1995 serve as the foundation for today's St. Monica parish." Today, St. Monica's offers numerous religious and social ministries to the surrounding area, including a food pantry, the Africa-Rising Club, a chapter of the Knights of Peter Claver, a chapter of the Legion of Mary, and numerous other services.

Black Catholic Centennial Celebration Souvenir Booklet. Kansas City, MO: St. Monica Catholic Church, 2010.

Copy held by The Black Archives of Mid-America

St Monica Catholic Church. “About Us.” St Monica Catholic Church. Accessed November 23, 2022. https://stmonicakc.org/about-us. 

“St. Monica's Catholic Church.” African American Heritage Trail of Kansas City. Accessed November 23, 2022. https://aahtkc.org/st-monicas-catholic-church.