Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Kansas City, Missouri) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
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| Location | 416 W. 12th Street Kansas City, Missouri |
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| Built | 1882–1883 |
| Part of | Quality Hill, Kansas City (ID78001657) |
| Added to NRHP | July 7, 1978 |
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a special Catholic church in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is called a cathedral because it is the main church for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. A diocese is an area managed by a bishop. This cathedral shares its role with the Cathedral of St. Joseph.
This beautiful building is part of the historic Quality Hill neighborhood. This area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important place worth preserving.
History of the Cathedral
The story of this church began in 1833. A priest named Rev. Benedict Roux came to Kansas City. Two years later, he built a church from logs. It was named St. John Francis Regis.
From 1845 to 1880, another priest, Rev. Bernard Donnelly, served the area. He was a "circuit-riding" priest, meaning he traveled a lot. In 1857, he had a brick church built. This church was named Immaculate Conception.
In 1880, Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of Kansas City. A diocese is like a church district. Bishop John Joseph Hogan chose the Immaculate Conception church to be the main cathedral for this new diocese.
He laid the first stone, called a cornerstone, for the current cathedral in 1882. The first church service was held in 1883. At that time, the inside was not fully finished. The cathedral was built on the highest point in the city. It was 150 feet (37.6 meters) tall. This made it the tallest building in Kansas City back then! People could even buy tickets to climb the tower and see the view.
In 1895, a set of eleven bells was put in the tower. This set of bells is called a carillon. Each bell has a saint's name. The largest bell is named St. Thomas. It rings more often than the others.
Beautiful stained glass windows were added in 1912. Local artists at the Kansas City Stained Glass Works Company made them. These windows show different scenes from the Bible and the life of Jesus.
Changes and Renovations
In 1955, Bishop Edwin V. O’Hara led a big project. They updated the inside of the cathedral.
A major change happened in 1956. Pope Pius XII decided to combine parts of two dioceses. He merged the western part of the Diocese of St. Joseph with the northern part of the Diocese of Kansas City. This created the new Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph. Because of this, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception became one of two main cathedrals. The other is the Cathedral of St. Joseph.
The copper dome on the cathedral tower started to wear out. In 1960, Bishop John Cody led an effort to replace it. A new dome, a small tower called a cupola, and a cross were added. They were covered in 23-carat gold leaf. This made them shine brightly!
Later, in 2001, a big fundraising effort began. It was called "Gift of Faith." The money helped pay for another major renovation of the cathedral. Bishop Raymond J. Boland officially opened the newly restored cathedral on February 23, 2003.
See also
In Spanish: Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción (Kansas City) para niños
Images for kids
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Cathedral from the northeast
