St. Francis Xavier church to celebrate centennial
St. Francis Xavier parishioners in Mayetta will note the church’s centennial this Sunday, Oct. 4, with a special mass and dinner presided by Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City.
The church and its members have been an established part of the community for 100 years, and 120 families currently attend mass services each week, according to Centennial committee members Joan Hood, Elsie Beam and Larry Larkin.
“It’s always been steady,” Beam said of membership. “When St. Joseph’s Church in Hoyt closed, the church had some families come over.”
Larkin said that more than 250 people are expected to attend a noon mass and dinner on Sunday, including current and former pastors and parishioners.
Mass will be led by Archbishop Naumann, Monsignor Gary Applegate and several cardinals. The church’s Blessed Mother statue will receive the blessing of the Monument to the Unborn by the archbishop.
“Our hope is that the church keeps going in the future,” Larkin said.
Committee members say they hope younger generations step up to take over leadership at the church so the parish can see another 100 years.
“I didn’t think I’d be here for the 100th celebration,” Hood says with a laugh. “I think it’s absolutely marvelous.”
Besides serving its parishioners, the church and its hall are also a staple in the community, as it is the official polling location for several townships, as well as the meeting location for Boy Scouts, senior citizens and Alcoholic Anonymous.
Church members also host a prayer breakfast for staff members at Royal Valley prior to the start of the school year, and many funeral dinners are served at the hall.
Father Marianand Mendem began serving as the pastor of the church this summer following Father Chris Rossman.
Mass is held at 8 a.m. each Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at St. Francis Xavier.
Prior to 1915, Catholics in Mayetta traveled to Hoyt or Holton to attend mass. At the encouragement of Bishop John Ward, Mayetta’s Catholic residents decided to build a church in the small town. A parishioner, William Conney, donated land at 301 E. James St., and the new building was dedicated on Sept. 29, 1915.
The church was built and furnished at a cost of $10,617.40 and served 30 families. Attendance at the church grew in the early 1920s when St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hoyt was sold.
In 1936, St. Francis Xavier became a mission church of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church of Holton, and the pastor of St. Dominic also began serving the Mayetta church.
The church building was destroyed in an evening fire on Nov. 11, 1958. The only thing that survived the fire was the cornerstone. Parishioners began holding mass and religious education classes in a former store in Mayetta while the church was rebuilt.
Sylvester W. Wendel and Associates of Kansa City were selected as the architects for the construction of the new church, which was built on the same site as the old church. The new building was dedicated on June 26, 1960, and the total cost of construction and furnishings was $70,000.
On March 29, 1987, Council 9535 of the Knights of Columbus was chartered at St. Francis Xavier.
In 1988, the St. Francis Xavier Hall and Parish Center were added to the southwest corner of the existing church. The new space offers an office, restrooms, storage area, kitchen and hall with a lower level of classrooms and storage.
Former pastors include:
* Father Francis Geinitz (1914-1936)
* Father John Ryan (1936-1944)
* Father Leo Ahearn (November 1944-April 1945)
* Father Francis Glowacki (1945-1954)
* Father Leo Cooper (1954-1957)
* Father Anthony Lickteig (1957-1963)
* Father Ed Hayes (1963-1971)
* Father William Kaufmann (1971-1979)
* Father Carl Dekat (1979-1985)
* Father Bob Hasenkamp (1985-1991)
* Father Ron Cornish (1991-2001)
* Father Kyle Haden (July to December 2001)
* Father John Fiala (January to April 2002)
* Father Norbert Lickteig (April to July 2002)
* Father John Hullinger (2002-2004)
* Father Robert Burger (sacramental minister, 2002-2003)
* Father Tom Hesse (sacramental minister, 2003-2004)
* Father Richard Halvorson (2004-2009)
* Father Francis Bakyor (July 2009 to August 2009)
* Father Bill Bruning (2009-2010)
* Father Chris Rossman (sacramental minister from 2009-2010 and then pastor from 2010-2015)
* Father Marianand Mendem (current pastor)
