Being one of the eight houses of worship destroyed in the May 4, 2007 Greensburg tornado, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church’s former location on west Morton has been recognizable in the 13 months since by nothing more than its surviving bell tower, and more lately, a temporary modular unit used for worship. That began to change last Sunday, however, as church leaders and parishioners grabbed shovels following mass to participate in a groundbreaking for a new structure expected to be completed as early as January.
The approximately 8,000 square foot structure will incorporate the worship area, classroom space and social hall into one building. The aforementioned bell tower will remain on the site. The bell itself became part of a daily rite in the days following the tornado, being rung each day at noon and 6 p.m. as a signal of hope and faith in the darkest hours following the town’s devastation.
During the mass preceding the groundbreaking, Rev. Ronald M. Gilmore, Bishop of Dodge City, called the event “a glorious day for the St. Joseph Parish, a glorious day for all the parishioners, and it’s a welcome day for me, as your bishop.”
With St. Joseph’s pastor, Father Gregory LeBlanc at his side in the modular structure, Bishop Gilmore reminisced for several moments regarding the land on which St. Joseph’s was first erected over half a century ago.
He recalled Bishop John Franz having spotted the property in 1952 and immediately wanting it for his new diocese. Franz, however, encountered considerable opposition, in that the owner holding title to the ground had stubbornly refused to sell the real estate for a number of years, despite a long history of offers.
Franz thereupon asked the priest involved with the Greensburg parish to pray to St. Joseph about the matter, and to then go see the owner of the land with a statue of the saint tucked in his pocket. The strategy proved effective, the owner yielding to the church’s offer to purchase the land. By this time, it seems, there was little doubt the parish and church would be named for the patron saint of workers.
Once the church itself was erected, the former owner of the land attended the dedication, coming forward to thank Bishop Franz for building a church on his former land, handing the bishop a handsome donation in the process.
“This land was sacred to Bishop Franz,” Gilmore said last Sunday. “This land is sacred to the Lord. Even in the midst of that incredible destruction, this land endured. This sacred land—your sacred land—endured.”
Though Sunday overall was an occasion of joy and celebration, it was tinged with a touch of sadness over the recent reassignment of Father LeBlanc, who’s proven a source of consolation to Greensburg’s parishioners over the past year. While remaining pastor of Sacred Heart in Pratt, LeBlanc will take up duties as sacramental minister of St. John. Ellen Peters, meanwhile, will soon assume duties as Parish Life Coordinator for St. Joseph.
LeBlanc had referred to St. Joseph’s parishioners earlier this year as “tremendous witnesses…a treasure to the Church.”
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Being one of the eight houses of worship destroyed in the May 4, 2007 Greensburg tornado, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church’s former location on west Morton has been recognizable in the 13 months since by nothing more than its surviving bell tower, and more lately, a temporary modular unit used for worship. That began to change last Sunday, however, as church leaders and parishioners grabbed shovels following mass to participate in a groundbreaking for a new structure expected to be completed as early as January.
The approximately 8,000 square foot structure will incorporate the worship area, classroom space and social hall into one building. The aforementioned bell tower will remain on the site. The bell itself became part of a daily rite in the days following the tornado, being rung each day at noon and 6 p.m. as a signal of hope and faith in the darkest hours following the town’s devastation.
During the mass preceding the groundbreaking, Rev. Ronald M. Gilmore, Bishop of Dodge City, called the event “a glorious day for the St. Joseph Parish, a glorious day for all the parishioners, and it’s a welcome day for me, as your bishop.”
With St. Joseph’s pastor, Father Gregory LeBlanc at his side in the modular structure, Bishop Gilmore reminisced for several moments regarding the land on which St. Joseph’s was first erected over half a century ago.
He recalled Bishop John Franz having spotted the property in 1952 and immediately wanting it for his new diocese. Franz, however, encountered considerable opposition, in that the owner holding title to the ground had stubbornly refused to sell the real estate for a number of years, despite a long history of offers.
Franz thereupon asked the priest involved with the Greensburg parish to pray to St. Joseph about the matter, and to then go see the owner of the land with a statue of the saint tucked in his pocket. The strategy proved effective, the owner yielding to the church’s offer to purchase the land. By this time, it seems, there was little doubt the parish and church would be named for the patron saint of workers.
Once the church itself was erected, the former owner of the land attended the dedication, coming forward to thank Bishop Franz for building a church on his former land, handing the bishop a handsome donation in the process.
“This land was sacred to Bishop Franz,” Gilmore said last Sunday. “This land is sacred to the Lord. Even in the midst of that incredible destruction, this land endured. This sacred land—your sacred land—endured.”
Though Sunday overall was an occasion of joy and celebration, it was tinged with a touch of sadness over the recent reassignment of Father LeBlanc, who’s proven a source of consolation to Greensburg’s parishioners over the past year. While remaining pastor of Sacred Heart in Pratt, LeBlanc will take up duties as sacramental minister of St. John. Ellen Peters, meanwhile, will soon assume duties as Parish Life Coordinator for St. Joseph.
LeBlanc had referred to St. Joseph’s parishioners earlier this year as “tremendous witnesses…a treasure to the Church.”
