St Peter's Cathedral

Story

The Cathedral of Saint Peter is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Kansas City, Kansas, United States and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.HistoryThe Rev. Bernard Kelly was appointed by Bishop Thomas Lillis of the Diocese of Leavenworth to organize St. Peter’s parish on October 7, 1907. The parish’s first Mass was held in the Bishop’s residence on Sandusky for 126 people on December 8, 1907. Fund raising began for a combination church and school and the cornerstone for the new building was laid on March 14, 1908. The facility was dedicated on September 7 of the same year. A rectory was built from 1916-1917. Construction began on the current church building in 1925. The first Mass was celebrated in the building on August 1, 1927 and it was dedicated on September 5 of the same year.On May 10, 1947 the See City was transferred from Leavenworth, Kansas to Kansas City by Pope Pius XII. Bishop George Donnelly consecrated St. Peter’s as a cathedral in 1948. Twelve gold crosses that represent the Twelve Apostles were placed between the Stations of the Cross. A portable Bishop’s throne was placed in the sanctuary.A parish center was built in 1992, and the interior of the cathedral was renovated in 1998. From October 6, 2006 to October 8, 2007 the parish observed its centennial. A statue of St. Joseph the Worker was placed in the Centennial Courtyard and a time capsule, to be opened in 2057, was buried nearby.