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st. Catherine catholic church

The mission of St. Catherine Parish is to provide for the spiritual welfare of our parish family through sacraments, education, and participation in the Catholic faith by loving service of God and neighbor.

Worship with us today.  We welcome and invite you to attend any of our weekend masses.  Mass and confession times can be found on the right-hand side of the page. 

Coordinators:

Pastor: Fr. Earl Befort OFM, Cap.

Parish Coordinator: Glenda Schuetz
Home Telephone: 785-625-5478

Bulletins: Pam Schmidt
Home Telephone: 785-628-2910

Director of Religious Education: Ann Schmidt
Home Telephone: 785-650-8299

St. Catherine Cemetery Director: Tom Sauer
Home Telephone:  785-625-5403

Organists:  Glenda Schuetz at 785-625-5478
and Brenda Schmeidler at 785-625-5278

Sacristan:
Greg Schmidt; Home Phone: 785-628-2910

Parish History:

St. Catherine Church is located in the small German community of Catherine, located nine miles northeast of Hays, Kansas.  The founders of Catherine were the first of all the German-Russians to leave the land of the Czars for far-off America. On October 22, 1875, a group of twenty-seven persons left Katharinenstadt, a large German colony on the Volga in Russia.  After meeting up with several other families from Pfeifer, Kamenka, Herzog, Obermonjour, Marienthal, Boregard, Liebenthal and several other villages, they took passage on the North-German Lloyd liner "Ohio," on November 2.

Arriving in Hays in March 1876, the group from Katharinenstadt rented Krueger's store, in which they all lived for about five weeks.  Each morning they drove to the site where Catherine now stands, and worked on their new homes, hauling lumber and other necessary material from Hays. The houses finally complete they moved to their new home on April 8, 1876. On July 27, 1876 a new group of seventy-three persons joined the original group. After that more people would arrive over the next two years with
the last group arriving in November 1878.

The land where Catherine is located was purchased from the Kansas School Commission. It was purchased by four of the settlers, each buying a quarter, at aprice of $3.00 per acre. Each resident contributed to the purchase price, receiving in return one or more shares. Shares ranged from six to thirty-eight acres. Five acres of meadow land entitled the buyer to one town lot.

In the absence of a priest they held devotions in the open air, gathering around the cross. The devotions were conducted by Jacob Schmidt, popularly known as "Der Schulmeister" (the schoolmaster), who had for many years occupied that position in Russia. Mr. Schmidt was also the leader and director of the choir and performed all the services that were required of the schulmeister in the old country, such as teaching, holding devotions, etc...

Work began on the church in May 1890 and the cornerstone laid on June 29th. The parishioners provided much of the labor. Limestone was quaried and hauled as far as 15 miles away. On October 6,  1892 the church was dedicated. Over the next several years the church was furnished by the parishioners. St. Catherine Church and its parishioners are still active. The parish does have the Christian Mothers/Alter Society organization as well as the Knights of Columbus. CCD is taught on Sunday morning after the 8:00 a.m. mass in the Parish Center ( the former grade school.) We have five dedicated teachers. 

St. Catherine Church

Weekend Mass Times:

Weekday Confession: