Photographs

Introduction

What are the churches of Baldwin City?
Has work on this church's history already been done? Is there a written history of the church? If yes to either question, find out more so you don't duplicate someone else's efforts.
What People In This Church Know About Its History?
Father Bill Fisher, the priest at Annunciation Catholic Church and the Catholic church in Edgerton; Mary Jardon, a member of the church whose ancestors were among the founders of the church; and Ginny Meinen. Both agreed to be interviewed in the spring of 2004.
What Written Documents Or Artifacts Are Available?

Pictures and drawings of the three successive church buildings. Most of the history of the church has been passed on by oral tradition and has not been written down. Since ancestors of many members of the congregation were present at the founding, information has passed down through the generations by word of mouth. Father Fisher and Mary Jardon provided copies of the available pictures and drawings.

How Did The Church Get Started?

Before discussing the beginning of Annunciation Church, it is important to note the story of Catholic missionaries in Kansas. According to the Internet site “Local Catholic Church History and Catholic Ancestors of Kansas,” http://home.att.net/~Local_Catholic/CatholicUS-KansascityKS.htm#Brief%20Historical%20Chronology%20of%20the%20Catholic%20Church, the first Catholic missionary in Kansas was Father Juan de Pedilla, who was part of the Coronado expedition of the 16^th century and who remained here to preach to Indians, eventually giving his life as a martyr. Missionary efforts continued, and in the 19^th century priests and religious established missions and schools at a number of locations in northeast Kansas. Later in that century the organization of dioceses began.

Specifically related to the Annunciation Church is the information given to us by Father Fisher and Mary Jardon. In 1854, the Reverend Paul Mary Ferrero Ponziglione di Borgo d’Ales, a Jesuit priest and descendant of the Italian royal families Guerra and Ponziglione, began his missionary labors in southeastern Kansas. In 1857, he set up a missionary station at Prairie City, KS near Baldwin City. It was later moved to west Baldwin. This is the first permanent Catholic presence in or near Baldwin City. The mission comprised about fifteen families, most of whom were immigrants from Ireland and France. These immigrants and their descendants still constitute the larger part of the congregation of Annunciation Catholic Church. In fact, nearly all of them are now related to each other by marriage.

In 1859, Father Schacht built a small stone church about twenty by thirty feet, at a cost of about $400. The church was named the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1867, at the request of Bishop Miege, Father Joseph P. Machebeuf, D.D., of Denver, Colorado, visited the church to administer the sacrament of confirmation and also dedicated the newly purchased cemetery.

In 1870, the parish numbered about thirty families. Around this time, the Reverend Felix Swembergh built a parochial residence adjoining the church. It was eighteen by thirty-four feet and cost $600 to build. This building served as the home for two or more priests who, from this point, ministered to the spiritual needs of people in neighboring missions. Also, a small Catholic school operated for a short time in the house during the pastorate of Father Swembergh.

By 1893, the church was too small to accommodate the growing membership. The. Reverend Joseph A. Pompeney collected $1500 for a new church. The Reverend R.B. Groener, Father Pompeney’s successor, built the church in 1893. The finished church was thirty by fifty feet and had seating for two hundred people. It cost $1800.

Who were the founders?

The Catholic missionaries present in Kansas in the late 1850s decided that they wanted a church built. While they had an influence on the founding of the church, Father Schacht founded and built the church.

Why did they decide to start a church?
The missionaries’ influence played a role. As churches began forming in northeast Kansas, people felt a growing need for one in Baldwin City so that there would be a parish newly converted people in Baldwin.

Has the church existed in other buildings than the present one? What were they?
The church has existed in three different buildings. Father Schacht led the construction of the first one in 1859. By 1893, this church was too small, and Father R.B. Groener led the buiding of a new church. Finally, in 1990, the third church, which is the one used today, came into being through the efforts of Father Fisher and others.

How have major historical events affected the church? Examples: "Bleeding Kansas," the Civil War-World War I-World War II-Korean conflict-Vietnam War, economic crises (like the Great Depression), changes in agriculture, the civil rights movement.
What people have been influential in the life of the church over time? (other than the founders).

Fourteen years after the second church was built, the Reverend O.E. Degan had an additional two rooms built as a residence for priests staying in Baldwin. In 1918, on Easter Sunday, the Reverend Thaddeus Barttio was appointed pastor of Ottawa and Baldwin. He initiated redecoration of the church, inside and outside, at a cost of $1000. In 1937, further remodeling occurred during the pastorate of Father Lorenz Rieth, including new light fixtures and a furnace, at a cost of $3000. In 1956, the church added a Hammond Electric Organ thanks to a donation by Mrs. Lola Dyer in memory of her parents. Then in 1962, the church purchased property across the street to make a parking lot.

Father Porter made an educational contribution. In the 1960s, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes for grade school children began at the Edgerton parish with mostly lay teachers teaching. Father Porter conducted the high school classes. Education has been, and will remain, an important mission of Annunciation. This emphasis is due, in part, to the Annunciation Parish Council formed originally by Father Thomas A. Kearnes, which includes seven committees.

Creating new opportunities for women was another significant achievement at Annunciation. In 1973, Father Burger took over the Lapeer Mission and appointed four lay ministers in Baldwin, two of whom were women – Becky Falkenstein and Pat Shay. He also invited the first women to serve on the altar, Tracy Barnhart and Lauren Brown. This step led to the first woman to serve as lector, Joann Rockers.

What controversies has the church experienced?
What gives the church its particular identity or flavor? What makes it different from other Baldwin City churches or from other churches in its denomination?
Annunciation Catholic Church is inherently different from the other churches in Baldwin, because it is the only one for Catholic residents.

What makes it different from other Catholic churches is its strong connection to its history. Descendents of many of the first families involved in the church are present in the congregation, having continued to attend Annunciation Church over many generations.

What Is The Mission / Purpose Of The Church?
The mission of the Annunciation Catholic Church is to provide a Catholic presence for Baldwin residents.

How Has The Church Ministered To The Baldwin City Community?
What contact or involvement has this church had with other churches in Baldwin City?
Is the church connected to a judicatory body? (annual conference, archdiocese, etc.) If so, what kind of relations has the church had with its judicatory body?
Annunciation Catholic Church is part of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. This governing body was formed in 1952 from the Diocese of Leavenworth that had begun in 1877. In addition, in 1973, Father Burger became a member of the Ottawa Team Ministry, which included priests in Ottawa, Osage City, Burlington, and Garnett. When Father Burger took a leave of absence in 1975, Annunciation Church decided to stay in the Team Ministry.

What is the church's polity (how does it govern itself, how do decisions get made)? Are decisions up to the congregation only? Are others involved?
What was the toughest thing the church ever went through?
The toughest thing for the congregation of Annunciation has also affected the entire Catholic faith, and that is the charges of molestation by Catholic priests in various parts of the country, beginning around the year 2000. Though no one from Annunciation was directly involved, the scandal has had a profound effect on its members. Some observers have blamed the Catholic faith in general, and this view has demoralized many members of the church. Fortunately, Annunciation has remained strong.
What Are Some Of The Church's Successes?

Student Researchers’ Comments.

Works Cited

Fisher, Bill. Personal Interview. 2004.

Jardon, Mary. Personal Interview. 2004.

Mensch, Ann. Local Catholic Church History and Catholic Ancestors of Kansas. Feb. 2004. Local Catholic Church and Family History Genealogical Research Guide. 24 April 2004. <http://home.att.net/~Local_Catholic/CatholicUS-KansascityKS.htm>