Founded by the Jesuits in 1909, St. Francis Xavier Parish has been a place of prayer, service, and community in Kansas City, Missouri, for more than 115 years. Our first Mass was celebrated in August of that year, and ever since, generations of faithful have gathered here to worship God and live out the Gospel through outreach, compassion, and a strong commitment to social justice.
Our story has included moments of challenge and renewal. After a fire destroyed the original church in 1925, the parish came together in hope and determination to build anew. From 1948 to 1950, our current church—designed by architect Barry Byrne—was lovingly constructed. With its distinctive elliptical shape, it has become fondly known fondly as the “Fish Church” and is proudly listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, we continue to honor this rich history while joyfully welcoming all who seek a spiritual home, inviting you to be part of our living, growing parish family.
St. Francis Xavier Parish is a Roman Catholic community of faith called together by God to experience Jesus Christ in His Word, in the sacraments of the Church, and in each other. We, as the body of Christ, joined in Baptism and inspired by the grace of the Holy Spirit, enrich our faith through prayer and worship, spiritual formation, intellectual rigor, diversity of membership, hospitality and fellowship, attention to family life, and concern for social justice. Guided by the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola, we strive to use our many gifts for the greater glory of God.
St. Ignatius Loyola taught that all created things owe their existence to a loving God who is revealed in the world and in human beings.
The world is a place where God meets people, a place of grace and goodness, and a place to live as authentic human beings before a loving God.
As reflections of a loving God, all created things have inherent dignity and goodness and are worthy of respect and care.
God has created us with the ability, through reflection and discernment, to discover God’s guidance and will in every part of creation.
We are called to apply this reflection and discernment to our lives and our human relationships, seeking always to discover how God wishes us to interact with others and the world around us.
By attending to motivations, feelings, thoughts, and patterns of decision-making, we can improve the freedom, goodness, and authenticity of our actions.
We respond gratefully to “finding God in all things” with a desire to seek what brings about the greater glory of God. We desire to respond in the fullest, most authentic way possible, always asking, “What more can I be and do?”
We seek greater knowledge and appropriation of our Catholic faith and tradition and our Jesuit heritage.
Through ongoing reflection and
discernment at both the personal and structural level, we desire to think and act creatively—never satisfied with mediocrity or easily contented with the status quo.
Human beings are understood to be spiritual at their deepest level. God desires all persons to discover how to live more fully, more freely, and more authentically as the people God has made us to be.
As a result, we respect and respond to the unique needs of individual persons and help them identify and develop the full range of their particular gifts and insights, especially with an eye toward service and leadership—not just in the parish, but in the neighborhood, city, and beyond.
Our reflection and discernment leads to action that builds up our parish community, serves others, promotes justice, and leads others to similar action.
Because we all have the ability to discover God’s will and guidance and to act accordingly, we are called to respond purposefully by freely giving what we have been given by God.
We believe that people—especially the poor and marginalized—can make a claim on our time, energy, and attention and that there is a necessary connection and interdependence between us.
The Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, wrote that “the world is charged with the grandeur of God.”
We believe that the rich diversity of creation is inherently good because that diversity reflects God’s own inexhaustible rich nature.
Thus, we seek to foster openness and interest in people, experiences and ideas that are new, different, and varied.
With an emphasis on hospitality and fellowship, we strive to create a community of trust, hopefulness, collegiality, and dialogue.
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St. Francis Xavier
Catholic Church
1001 E 52nd Street
(52nd and Troost)
Kansas City, MO 64110
Office Hours
Monday-Thursday:
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday:
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Contact Us
(816) 523-5115
Mass Times
Saturday: 4 p.m.
Sunday:
8 and 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m.
© 2025 All Rights Reserved
