Situated on the bluffs overlooking a dramatic bend in the Missouri River, Atchison, Kan., has always been a gateway for folks seeking a brighter future. In the year 1858 alone, the small town saw nearly 1,000 wagons pass through its streets on the way to the Pacific coast.

Today the same number of college students cross the river each year on a four-year journey toward an undergraduate degree: Atchison is the home of Benedictine College.

But travelers to Atchison have shared more than just a search for success. Over the decades, the twin peaks of St. Benedict’s Church — seen towering above the tree-line for several miles — have provided a common refuge to welcome the weary of body and soul along the way.

The century-old church is the spiritual home for many faculty and staff of Benedictine College and a growing number of families who have relocated to Atchison for its vibrant community.

Students often frequent the morning Masses as well.

My husband and I were two of those students. While we were dating, we often met for Mass at the church on the edge of campus and then hit the cafeteria for breakfast before class. It is fitting that we were married at “St. Ben’s” in 2001.

Although the parish is not now officially affiliated with the college, its early history is almost inseparable from it and its founding order.

In fact, until 1879, St. Benedict’s (then called Sts. Peter and Paul, oddly enough) was owned by the Benedictines and served as their monastic church. As soon as a priest was named prior of the monastery, he automatically became the director of the college and pastor of the church.

The church’s rich history will be worth recalling come July 11, feast of St. Benedict.

The first Benedictine priest set foot in “a beautiful country towards Nebraska” in 1855, outfitted with plans to develop a monastery and boys’ school. Despite his staunch determination to build a church amidst the “bloody riots” between anti- and pro-slavery parties, Father Henry Lemke’s age required him to return to St. Vincent’s Abbey in Pennsylvania within several years.

When his successor arrived in the small town of Doniphan, he immediately assumed responsibility for the Catholics in nearby Atchison. On May 25, 1857, with a Mass kit strapped to his back, Benedictine Father Augustine Wirth walked seven miles to offer the holy sacrifice here for the first time.

By early 1858, Father Wirth visited Atchison twice a month and, later that year, he began construction on the frame of a tiny church at the top of

Second Street

— then just a cow path but possibly the tallest hill in town. It saw its first Mass on Christmas Day of that year.

Father Wirth noted the spiritual stability of the few Catholics here, so, as the town of Doniphan began to decline, he moved his fledgling community permanently to Atchison.

Courageous Campaign

In the post-Civil War years of the mid-1860s, Father Wirth began a courageous campaign to attract more families to Atchison. The college was struggling — boys preferred labor to learning — but Father believed that, if only he could build a large, beautiful church, families would move to town and provide an ample number of students.

In order to finance such a large endeavor, the church was to be a monastic church; the monastery would pay for its construction and provide its use for the parish. Father Wirth also offered a Mass to be said daily for 100 years to all who would contribute $100 to the new structure. Donations arrived from as distant as England and Bavaria.

Although the church wasn’t dedicated until 1869 and consecrated until 1908 (once all debt had been liquidated), records show the church to be in use as early as 1868.

Because the walls weren’t plastered yet and the boards used to close the windows and doors contained gaps, it was difficult to keep the water and wine from freezing during Mass. Two stoves were kept burning to keep parishioners warm, and heated bricks were placed on the altar to keep the priest’s fingers from becoming stiff.

In addition, the townspeople endured a drought followed by famine as well as the grasshopper plagues of 1866 and 1874. Nevertheless, records show the congregation did all it could to lighten the Benedictines’ financial burden.

Many improvements later, in 1876, the Benedictine community was elevated from a conventual priory to an abbey. Benedictine Father Innocent Wolf was elected its first abbot. Almost immediately Abbot Wolf decided that the parish should own its church and transferred the property for $6,000.

In the years following, parishioners worked hard to eliminate the debt and to complete the church both by decorating the interior and erecting twin bell towers. On Thanksgiving Day, 1908 — in celebration of the parish’s 50th anniversary — the church was consecrated.

St. Benedict and Co.

Nearly 100 years later, St. Benedict’s remains a testament to the sacrifices of its parishioners. In fact, within the last six years the entire interior has been repainted. The warm neutral tones provide a welcome change from the cracking mustard yellow paint of the past and accentuate the structure’s cathedral-style architecture.

As soon as you enter through the large wooden doors, the tall mahogany-colored columns with gold leafing immediately draw your gaze ahead to a 1922 painting of the Crucifixion above the high altar. All the Scriptural figures are present — St. John the Apostle, the Blessed Mother, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, the Roman Centurion and Nicodemus.

Mary Magdalene (feast: July 22) is my favorite in this piece. Depicted with long, flowing, strawberry-blonde hair, she has thrown her entire body upon the crucified feet of Jesus. Also above the high altar, flanking the Crucifixion, are two life-size murals presenting scenes from the life of St. Benedict.

From this location, you will likely see the stained-glass windows of Sts. Patrick, Benedict and Boniface. As you walk around the high altar for a closer look, be prepared to drop to your knees. Most likely the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed immediately behind the high altar. Since 2000, the parish of 565 families has sustained a 24-hour adoration program.

On your way back to the main body of the church, you’ll want to stop once more at the high altar, with its impressive baldachino as well as altars dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. At the church’s consecration a century ago, relics of Sts. Irenaeus, Gregory and Boniface — to name a few — were placed inside.

Continuing on toward the front doors you will pass beautifully carved plaster Stations of the Cross. Each Station is about 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Also notice the statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Pieta and the twin saints, Benedict and his sister Scholastica.

These last two statues remind visitors of the loyal ties the parish holds to its founding fathers. It is a great blessing that a Benedictine priest still serves as its pastor.

Please pray for vocations to St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, that this fond connection may remain for generations to come.

Kimberly Jansen writes from

Lincoln, Nebraska.

Planning Your Visit

Mass is celebrated daily at 8:20 a.m. Sunday Mass is celebrated Saturday at 5:15 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Confessions are heard Saturdays from 4 to 5 p.m. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for perpetual adoration.

Getting There

From Kansas City, take I-29 North to Exit 20. For specifics from there, call (913) 367-0671.