Our History

In August of the 1938, the Catholic Register announced that there would be a new parish created in the vicinity of Blue Ridge and 40 Highway.  The Assistant Pastor at Holy Trinity Parish in Kansas City, Father John J. Whelan, along with Robert Joyce, Harry Hare, John Putthoff, Herman Schwickrath and John Paul Byrne canvassed the area for a suitable place to say Mass. A motel owner, Mary Martin, suggested  the Pitcher School. On September 11th, the first mass was ofered by Father Whelan and he announced the name of the parish to be "Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary" since it was near her feast.

In addition to the families of the men mentioned above, the first mass was attended by Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Marota, Dr. and Mrs. Charles Monaghan, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Monaghan, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Witherow, the John Frick family, the Moran family, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Mitts, Rose Mitts, Mrs. Harry Poole, the Ross Family, and Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Goodwin and family. Father Whelan used an improvised altar and the assistance of altar boys from Holy Trinity. Mrs. Eaton and Mrs. Poole helped organize an Altar Society. On September 22, 1938, the Nativity BVM Altar Society was formed to care for the altar, making and laundering linens and assisting the pastor as best they could. The first president was Mrs. Clementine Frick.

After writing the letter directing Fr. Whelan to start the church, Bishop Lillis became ill. No boundaries for the parish had been set and now no one had the authority to set them. Fr. Whelan enlisted the aid of Mrs. Eugene Eaton and Mrs. Harry Poole to canvas the district, trying to get people to come to our church. Nativity was not the only church using the facilities at Pitcher school and soon Fr. Whelan received a letter of complaint regarding damage done to the school. To avoid any further trouble, a house was purchased to serve as Rectory and Church. Since the parish had no funds, Fr. Whelan purchased the home at 3601 Blue Ridge Blvd. with his own money. Bishop Lillis died December 28, 1938. On April 22, 1939, Pope Pius XII appointed the Most Rev. Edwin V. O'Hara, Bishop of Great Falls, Montana, the third ordinary of the Kansas City Diocese.

In December, 1938, services were held in the living room of Father's home. By summer, the congregation had grown, so the altar was moved to the basement of the house and services were held there until the basement church was ready. In the summer of 1939 the men of the parish formed the Holy Name Society to give honor to the Holy Name of Jesus and assist the pastor in ways befitting their nature. The first Holy Name president was Mr. William Sommerhauser.

In February of 1940 Father formed a church committee (Harry Hare, Fred Reinkemeyer, William Mitts, John Kieff, John Puthoff and Paul Burne) to buy a couple of acres for the church. Two acres were purchased at 36th Terrace and Blue Ridge Blvd. which at that time was a pasture.

If ever a church started from scratch, Nativity did. Rock for the foundation of the church was donated but had to be dug. Many parishioners helped but the men who worked the most were Bernard Henze, Fred Reinkemeyer, John Kieff, and Walter Reinkemeyer. Henry Gilbert used his truck to haul the rock.

Fr. Whelan kept the parishioners going with his delightful Irish brogue, determination and faith in God. He would take Parishioners with him and ring doorbells asking the Catholics to come to church. He would tell the congregation, "Get the church built and the poeple will come."

Construction was begun on the church basement in September, 1941. Fr. Whelan depended on Hobart Blue for guidance. Father often said, "Nativity must never forget Hobart Blue", for he gave generously of his time and talent to a group that was willing to work, but didn't know how to get the job done. The basement church was dedicated September 13, 1942.

Fr. Whelan was replaced as pastor of Nativity by Rev. James L. Wallace who was officially installed on January 9, 1943.  Fr. Wallace lived at 3601 Blue Ridge Blvd. for one year. In January, 1944 he bought a home at 10014 E. 36th Terrace which served as the rectory until the new rectory adjacent to the church was completed in December, 1956.

The basement adequately cared for the needs of the parish for several years. Not until 1948 were plans and work begun on the super structure for the church. The plan, conceived back in 1941, was to to have a three story structure with the basement used as a hall, the furst floor the church and the second floor a four room school. The four-room school was abondoned at this time. On Easter Sunday, April 17, 1949, the first Mass was said in the new Church. The actual dedication took place October 9, 1949, officiated by Bishop Marling.

With the phenomenal growth in the area in the years to come, the demands for a school could no longer be ignored. Plans for a five room school and lunch room became a near reality when construction was begun in May, 1955.

A census and fund raising drive were conducted to determie the number of school age children in the parish and for the raising of necessary funds for the approaching, staggering debt. A Parent Teacher Association was organized and the following officers installed on March 29th: President Mrs. Gertrude Baker, Vice-president Mrs. Dale Brooks, Seond Vice-President Mrs. Paul Kienberger, Corresponding Secretary Mrs. Josephine Pisciotta, Recording Secretary Mrs. Ed Hodges, Treasurer Mrs. Dale Haug and Auditor Mrs. Jay Totta.

In the spring of 1955 a home for the Sisters was purchased at 3721 Delridge for $18,500. Men of the parish remodeled the living room of the home to provide a chapel for the nuns. Furnishings for the home were paid for by the three organizations of the church. Nativity parishioners donated many items. The Sisters of St. Francis from Nevada, Missouri took possession of the newly decorated home on August 23, 1955.

Since the school building was not ready for the beginning of the 1955-56 school year, classes for the 145 children already enrolled were held in temporary classrooms erected in the basement of the church.

Sister Carmelita was principal and teacher of the fourth and fifth grades, Sister M. Clara, teacher of second and third grades, and Sister M. Fidelis, teacher of the first grade.  All 145 students were dressed in uniform. The girls wore white blouses and blue jumpers. The boys were not permitted to wear jeans.