Following in the Footsteps of the Redeemer
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June 26, 2024The Redemptorist community at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Kansas City has a rich history and a vibrant presence of preaching and serving the people of Kansas City and neighboring areas for 146 years. From 1878, when a few immigrant families – Irish, German, Slav and Italian – joined the Redemptorist priests and brothers in the chapel for Mass, the parish has grown to become the ninth largest parish in the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph.
The Redemptorist community continues to preach the Gospel and serve the spiritual and material needs of the poor, the marginalized, the immigrants, the elderly, and youth and young adults in various ministries.
Currently there are eight confreres in the community – Fr. Thomas Danielsen, Br. William Cloughley, Fr. Gregory Schmitt, Fr. Mike McAndrew, Fr. Hau Pham, Br. Steve Fruge, Fr. Don Willard and Fr. Joe Thong Ngo, local superior – who serve two parishes: Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Vietnamese Holy Martyrs. We also are involved with the Redemptorist Social Service Center and Christo Rey High School, preach Foreign Mission Appeals and for Unbound, and provide pastoral care for migrants, youth and young adults.
We would like to share some of our ministries serving the People of God:
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (also known as Redemptorist) is the ninth largest parish in the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph. Bishop James Johnston stated the other day, “Redemptorist is arguably the prettiest church in the Diocese.”
Every year we celebrate more than 80 weddings, so Fr. Don keeps busy preparing all the couples and officiating at weddings, as well as maintaining a regular Mass schedule. We offer confessions daily after the 7:30 am Mass and the 11:00 am Mass, and are available for confession for two-and half hours every Saturday. We are fulfilling our parish vision to bring hope and healing to the greater Kansas City area.
This was evident when we hosted the funeral for Lisa Lopez, the woman who was shot and killed in February at the city-wide celebration for the Kansas City Chiefs Superbowl victory parade. More than 5,000 people attended her vigil and another 1,200 were present for the funeral.
Some may also remember Alice Atwell, the parish business manager. She retired to spend more time with her grandchildren so we welcomed Kurtis Marinez as our new business manager. Pat McDonald has been busy preparing for our parish festival on June 22. She mailed 5,000 raffle ticket forms to the members and friends of the parish.
In short, the parish is thriving and growing, the staff is engaged and happy, and the entire Redemptorist community ministers with the parish, the Redemptorist Social Services Center, and Christo Rey High School.
Vietnamese Holy Martyrs Church
The Vietnamese Holy Martyrs Church in Kansas City was established more than 30 years by Fr. Joseph Hanh Phan, a diocesan priest, to serve the Vietnamese Catholic community.
The parish’s mission is to follow the example put forth by the Vietnamese Martyrs to live the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ through a life of witness, charity and unity. The parish also strives to preserve and promote the Vietnamese culture and traditions within the context of the Catholic faith, and organizes cultural events such as Vietnamese Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival for children, as well as other community gatherings, to foster a sense of community and support the spiritual growth of Vietnamese Catholics. Last December, the parish moved to a new location: 4101 E 105th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64137.
Fr. Francis, pastor, (above, with the choir) leads more than 600 families in the parish on several projects, which currently include the renovation of the religious school building, the parish kitchen and the prayer flower garden.
With the intercession of the Vietnamese Holy Martyrs, the Vietnamese Holy Martyrs Church in Kansas City will growth strong in unity and service to the Vietnamese Catholic Community.
Unbound by Greg Schmitt, C.Ss.R.
I have been preaching for Unbound, a charitable sponsorship organization, since 2014. As a preacher, I travel to different parishes, preaching the Gospel and inviting people to become a sponsor for a child or elderly person living in one of 17 different countries.
Sponsorship involves a financial commitment (currently $40 per month), but it also involves exchanging letters so that sponsors get to know and form relationships with those they sponsor.
I was living in Chicago working on a mission preaching team when I began to preach for Unbound, but there is a special connection to the organization in Kansas City. Four of the original lay founders of Unbound – members of the Hentzen family – were part of our Redemptorist parish and attended our Catholic school.
Bob Hentzen went on to become a Christian Brother and served as a missionary in Columbia. Eventually he left the Christian Brothers and returned to his family in Kansas City. It was here that the family conceived of Unbound (originally called the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging) in 1981.
Bob Hentzen truly became the face of Unbound. In 1996 he made a 4,000-mile walk from Kansas City to Guatemala, “Walking with the Poor.”
In 2009, at the age of 73, he made an 8,000-mile walk from Guatemala to the southern tip of Chile. Many of the poor walked with him. Being with the poor was important for Bob, as it still is for Unbound. Bob died in 2013. His tomb is in Guatemala. But his spirit continues to drive the mission of Unbound.
I have been on two preacher awareness trips, traveling to Costa Rica and to Guatemala, because Unbound wants its preachers to understand what they are preaching about.
Visit https://www.unbound.org/ for more information about the organization, which is headquartered right across the border inKansas City, KS.
Redemptorist Social Services
Redemptorist Social Services Center has provided a lifeline to the poor and elderly of metropolitan Kansas City since 1986. Their comprehensive programs of Emergency Client Assistance, Homeless Assistance, Senior Services, Legal Assistance, and Health Maintenance meet the basic needs of individuals facing chronic poverty; the working poor; the elderly; the homebound, and the homeless; the long-term and the newly unemployed.
The Center addresses their most basic needs by providing critical assistance with: shelter, utility and medical payments; a food pantry and clothing pantry; education and work-related needs. The staff of the Redemptorist Center offers a combined total of more than 50 years of experience dedicated to making a substantial difference in the lives of people in crisis.
On average, the Center serves 1,500 people per week. In 2023, the Center distributed over $3 million of food to those in need in Kansas City.