The consecration ceremony of one of the largest churches in Sunflower State will be hosted by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) in May. The new Immaculata Church in St. Mary’s allegedly costs $40 million.

Consecration Ceremony

Philomena Peters, a spokeswoman for Immaculata, stated that the original Immaculata building was torn down by fire in 1978. According to KSN, 2020 saw the beginning of construction on the new church, made possible by donations totaling millions of dollars. The Immaculata will observe the traditional Latin mass as well as other sacraments under the rituals that the Catholic Church has practiced throughout its history.

The official dedication for what is expected to be among the largest churches in Kansas is scheduled for Wednesday, May 3. This church will have the potential to accommodate more than 1,500 people, making it the largest SSPX church worldwide. 

An auxiliary bishop of the SSPX, Bishop Bernard Fellay, will be present for the event. Peters explained that a typical building might be transformed into a church that is devoted to the worship of God through the performance of a dedication. The ceremony begins with the customary consecration rite, followed by the inaugural mass held at the Immaculata. After the conclusion of the four-and-a-half-hour-long ceremony, there will be an open house.

As per The Mercury, the church features a choir loft, various side chapels, a cry room that overlooks the main sanctuary, and a parish hall in the basement. Five bells made in France are housed within its two bell towers. Marble from Turkey was brought in to be used in constructing the church’s sanctuary, located at the front of the building.

David Heit, the senior architect at Civium Architects, mentioned that the handcrafted limestone column capitals are one of his favorite architectural characteristics. A design was developed through the combined efforts of New York City’s EverGreene Architectural Arts and artisans from the parish.

Before carving each capital into stone in Turkey, the local artisans first sculpted the plan in clay to determine how it would look. “All of the people contributed to something that is totally unique to the church here,” he added.

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About Immaculata Church in St. Mary’s

According to New Immaculata.org, St. Mary’s has represented the Catholic faith since the first Jesuit Fathers settled there in 1848. The church is said to have been placed under the protection of Our Lady. Many people, including priests, brothers, nuns, and laypeople, have answered the call of Our Lord and traveled to St. Mary’s to work there while benefiting from His unending grace. They do what their ancestors did before them and follow in their footsteps. By heeding the holy command of the Virgin Mary to construct the Immaculata, they are showing respect for the Catholic legacy.   

As per Civicum Architects, some proposals for the renovation of the Immaculata were developed over several decades. But only some of these endeavors were successful. Due to its rapid expansion, the parish counted more than 2,000 active members by 2000. 

The then-current plans for rebuilding would have included a chapel with seating for 500 people; however, this would barely start to meet the requirements of the expanding parish and school. A committee was formed to look into the feasibility of building an entirely fresh chapel to satisfy the demands of St. Mary’s. In 2017, it was decided that the New Immaculata should be constructed to the north of the academic campus, near the cemetery. 

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