At 39th and Troost, the historic dividing line of Kansas City, St. James Catholic Church has stood for more than a century as a deliberately multicultural parish built from the native limestone of an unbuilt Missouri River bridge. The church describes itself as a dynamic, Synodal, Vatican II Catholic community, small enough to greet visitors by name and large enough to staff food pantries, immigrant aid networks, school sponsorships in West Africa, a thrift store partnership, and a new collaborative called Cathedral of the Streets. Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at 3909 Harrison Street, one block west of Troost, and is livestreamed on Facebook for those who cannot attend in person.
From a Dance Hall Above a Storefront to a Stone Bridge
St. James was established in 1906, when twenty Catholic families in the neighborhood gathered for Sunday worship in a rented room above a dance hall on 38th and Woodland, paying five dollars for the morning's use. Within a year the parish was large enough to build a small frame church at 40th and Tracy, which was enlarged the following year. In 1908 the parish purchased land at the corner of 39th and Harrison for a permanent home. Monseigneur John W. Keyes, pastor from 1906 until 1950, famously arranged to acquire the native limestone that had been quarried for a bridge intended to span the Missouri River; the bridge was never built, and the stones were instead used to construct the present church. Work began in 1911 and was completed in 1912, giving the parish its defining piece of architecture and its enduring nickname.
The early twentieth century brought explosive growth. By 1919 St. James had four thousand parishioners and was holding five Sunday Masses, becoming the second largest parish in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. A parish school staffed by the Sisters of Mercy opened in 1907 to anchor Midtown with housing, education, and food assistance. Through two world wars, the Great Depression, and the racial divisions that reshaped Kansas City in the 1960s, a succession of clergy, religious brothers and sisters, and laypeople kept the parish's ministries alive. At the turn of the millennium St. James nearly closed, but a determined group of parishioners launched a revival that grew the membership, renewed the ministries, and refocused the church on its urban-core mission. In 2006 the parish marked its centennial with a refurbishing of the building and a celebration that brought back former parishioners, graduates of the school, and couples who had been married at St. James. Twenty years later, in August 2026, Bishop Johnston presided at the 120th anniversary Mass on the south lawn.
The Bridge Church of Midtown
The story of the unbuilt bridge has become the parish's central image. Members of St. James call themselves the Bridge Church of Midtown and describe their vocation as bridging the racial, economic, and cultural divisions that have long marked the Troost corridor. The parish's membership mirrors the global church, with current families from every continent; flags of home countries hang from the choir loft above the nave. Longtime parishioner Presly Silbanuz has written in Pohnpeian and English of being welcomed into St. James from Micronesia, and of choosing to drive past several closer Northland parishes in order to worship here. Other parishioners, including members of the Togo community whose children's education is supported through the African Self-Determination Foundation, make similar pilgrimages across the city.
The bridge metaphor is acted out in concrete partnerships. St. James is a founding member of the Troost Alliance, a monthly gathering of social service groups and churches along the corridor. Volunteers regularly work at the Bishop Sullivan Center, located three doors south of the parish parking lot, and at the Troost39 Thrift Store next door to that. The parish partners with Journey to New Life for women and men returning from incarceration, with the Center for Conflict Resolution on restorative justice, with Communities Creating Opportunity on neighborhood concerns, with Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, and with PeaceWorks on nuclear disarmament. Across the border, the parish maintains a long relationship with Manos Amigas in Anapra, a sister community on the U.S.-Mexico line, where parishioners have helped establish school sponsorships and, each Christmas, raise money for heating fuel for elderly neighbors. The Anapra partnership was founded by Deacon Ross Beaudoin and continues with parish coordination.
Cathedral of the Streets
In early 2026 Father Don Farnan introduced Cathedral of the Streets, a collaborative movement among the three urban-core Catholic parishes he leads: St. James, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Therese Little Flower. The collaboration focuses on accompanying the poor, serving migrants, advocating for justice, forming young people in faith, and sustaining hope in neighborhoods where resources are scarce. The name reflects the conviction that the church's mission is not contained within any single building. By pooling formation programs, social-justice outreach, and pastoral staff across the three parishes, Cathedral of the Streets aims to amplify what each community already does well and to present a more unified Catholic witness in the urban core. The first joint letter to parishioners, dated March 1, 2026, introduced new staff members who will serve all three parishes.
Sunday Mass and the Liturgical Year
The single Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. gathers the whole parish. The liturgical style is traditional Catholic and Vatican II, with full participation by the assembly. Lectors proclaim the scriptures, Eucharistic Ministers distribute communion under both kinds (with a separate minister for low-gluten hosts), and a Cantor leads the congregation in song, supported by the Adult Choir. On Pentecost the responsorial psalm is sung in several languages, including American Sign Language, so that the assembly hears the day's readings in the tongues of the gathered church. Servers carry the bread, wine, and collection from the back of the church at the Presentation of the Gifts, and after the homily a lay minister carries forward the Intention Book, a parish tradition in which anyone may write a personal intention before Mass that is then included in the Prayer of the Faithful.
Among the parish's distinctive traditions is the November procession with the Book of Memory. During the month commemorating the dead, a large book is displayed at the front of the church where parishioners and visitors can list the names of loved ones. At the beginning of each Sunday Mass in November, the celebrant blesses the book and carries it in procession up the center and cross aisles, while people on either side lean out to make the sign of the cross on its pages or touch it tenderly. The book is then enthroned on a stand at the front of the church for the rest of the liturgy. Throughout the year other moments are blessed, including Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduations, Labor Day, Veterans Day, and the departure of the youth group for the National Catholic Youth Conference, and the handiwork of the Knitting and Crocheting Group is blessed at the start of winter.
Anyone walking in is welcomed as a sacred stranger. A Guest Book rests on the cross aisle on the north side of the church, and visitors are invited to write their names, the places they have come from, and a brief note. Their names are remembered in the parish's prayers, and they join a community of the spirit that the parish calls its expanded congregation. Past entries, preserved in two volumes between 2011 and 2019, recorded visitors from more than sixty cities and towns, twenty-five states, and eight countries, including students from Avila, Marquette, and St. Teresa's Academy, Jesuit and Christian Brother volunteers, chaplains, retreat groups, and former parishioners who had been baptized or married at St. James decades earlier.
The Sacraments
The seven sacraments are celebrated as signs of Christ's presence and means of grace. Baptisms are scheduled through the parish office. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is arranged by emailing Father Don or Father Garry, and a communal Reconciliation Service is offered at key seasons of the liturgical year. First Communion and Confirmation are prepared through the Faith Formation program and celebrated according to the diocesan schedule. The Anointing of the Sick is offered in a communal setting at Mass for anyone facing illness, surgery, or the decline of old age. The Sacrament of Marriage is celebrated with engaged couples after a period of marriage preparation; the parish has been blessed to unite many loving couples over the years, with ceremonies as unique as each couple's love. Visitors who would like follow-up after Sunday Mass are invited to write a Prayer Request on the parish site.
Music, Faith Formation, and the Family of the Parish
Music is central to the Sunday liturgy. Robert Basolo, Director of Music Ministry, has been making music at St. James since 1989, when he started as an accompanist. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from UMKC's Conservatory of Music and supports the Music on Troost series that connects Midtown parishes through shared concerts. The Adult Choir, open to confirmed high school students and adults, sings at the 10:00 a.m. Mass and at special liturgies, with rehearsals on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. and a half-hour warm-up before Sunday Mass. The Children's Choir prepares for the Christmas Eve Mass at 4:00 p.m., with several Sunday rehearsals beforehand. Cantors intone the responsorial psalm and lead the assembly in song.
Faith Formation, under Bonnie Haghirian, offers ongoing formation for adults and sacramental preparation for children and youth. The Children's Liturgy of the Word, held from September through May, invites children to come forward right after the Opening Prayer to study the Sunday readings at their own level; all children present for Mass, including visitors, are welcome. Once a month on the third Sunday, Bonnie plans a parish-wide Faith Formation event listed on the parish calendar. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is offered for those exploring the Catholic faith. Youth ministry is coordinated by Christine Dewberry and involves service projects such as Trunk or Treat at the Ronald McDonald House and the Souper Bowl of Caring for Harvesters. Eucharistic Ministers also take communion to parishioners who are unable to attend Mass through the Ministry to the Homebound.
Parishioners find additional ways to grow together. The Parish Growth Committee organizes Dinner for 8 evenings at volunteer hosts' homes throughout the year, and Circle of 8 small groups that meet on their own schedule to stay connected between Sundays. Name tags are provided each Sunday so members and visitors can greet one another by name, and the parish-wide meetings that follow Mass on the third Sunday of each month are open to all. The St. James Communal Garden gathers volunteers on Saturday mornings to grow summer vegetables for the food pantry, with new tomato cages acquired through Cultivate KC. Pantry Sunday, on the first Sunday of each month, invites parishioners to bring donations of food and personal care items to Mass; children of St. James carry these gifts to the altar at the offertory procession, and after Mass they are delivered to the Bishop Sullivan Center pantry. The Knitting and Crocheting Group produces scarves and hats for the Bus Stop Ministry at 39th and Troost during the colder months.
Serving the Neighborhood and the World
The parish's social-justice outreach is organized by the Social Justice Committee, which works to identify local needs and develop action plans. Three long-running partnerships anchor this work. The Bus Stop Ministry sends volunteers to the bus stops at 39th and Troost each week to offer drinks, snacks, social-service referrals, and warm hats, gloves, and scarves from October through March. The African Self-Determination Foundation, which began as a St. James committee in 2018 and received federal 501(c)(3) status in 2024, coordinates educational sponsorships for more than one hundred students in Togo, West Africa, where the government supplies only a fraction of the cost of schooling. The Support Immigrants and Refugees ministry helps undocumented immigrants and refugees in the greater Kansas City area obtain green cards and citizenship; those currently served come from Jamaica, Nigeria, Guatemala, Mexico, Ethiopia, Zambia, El Salvador, Haiti, the Philippines, Ecuador, and Belize, with help from lawyers, social workers, medical personnel, and partner organizations. The committee has also raised funds through grants and individual donations to cover program expenses.
On the home front, volunteers stock shelves and pack grocery sacks at the Bishop Sullivan Center food pantry, and prepare and serve evening meals at One City Café, both just steps from the parish parking lot. The Christmas Giving Tree program collects and organizes gifts for the children of families registered with Bishop Sullivan, and a Christmas fundraiser pays for heating fuel for the elderly of Anapra and Juarez. Journey to New Life collects blankets, sheets, pillows, towels, kitchen supplies, and cleaning supplies for women in its residential reentry program. Volunteers also support the Troost39 Thrift Store, located next door to the parish lot at 3922 Troost, which provides low-cost, high-quality essentials to the surrounding community and is partially staffed by St. James volunteers. The parish is a founding member of the Troost Alliance and an active participant in the Missouri Catholic Conference's work in Jefferson City, the Missouri Catholic Conference's voter-voice network on death-penalty abolition and immigration, and the diocese's Office of Life and Justice. A Social Justice Resource Center, accessible from the parish site, compiles news, legislation, and educational material.
Parish Leadership and Pastoral Team
Father Don Farnan serves as Parochial Administrator. A native of rural Missouri and a 1981 graduate of Rockhurst College with degrees from Mundelein Seminary and Creighton University, Father Don was ordained in 1987 for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. His past assignments include Visitation Parish, Saint Therese Little Flower and Saint Louis, Saint John Lalande, Saint Thomas More, and Saint Charles Borromeo; he is also part of the Rockhurst University Mission and Ministry team. He founded The Upper Room, a nondenominational inner-city literacy program for youth and their families, and has served in diocesan roles including Director of Vocations, Director of Priest Personnel, and the College of Consultors. He is the author of three books on parish life and spirituality.
Father Garry Richmeier, C.PP.S., has served as Sacramental Minister at St. James for more than twenty years. A member of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood since 1982 and ordained in 1983, Father Garry served as an Associate Pastor in Midwest parishes, as Director of Formation for the order's college seminarians, and was elected Provincial of his religious community in May 2019. He is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor with twenty-five years of practice.
Diane Etzel-Wise serves as Synodal Parish Director and is the primary staff contact at parishstaff@stjkc.org. Robert Basolo is Music Minister; Bonnie Haghirian coordinates Faith Formation with a focus on the sacraments; and Christine Dewberry directs Youth Ministry and serves as the parish's Child Safety Protection contact. The Leadership Team, made up of parishioners who chair the parish's committees, meets regularly to plan and review ministry across the parish, with subcommittees on Finance, Parish Growth, Fundraising, Building and Grounds, Liturgy, and Social Justice. A separate group of Volunteer Leadership chairs, including representatives for Music, Stewardship, Liturgy, and Outreach, work with the staff to keep the parish running. Severe-weather cancellations of Sunday services are announced by email and on the parish's Facebook page, with decisions made by 8:00 a.m. Sunday or earlier.
Joining the Community
Visitors who would like to register with the parish can download a registration form from the parish site, fill it out, save it, and either email it to the parish office or print and bring it to Sunday Mass. New members and visitors are remembered in the Prayers of the Faithful at each Mass. Confessions are by appointment; email Father Don at frdon@stjkc.org or Father Garry at garrycpps@gmail.com to arrange one. Online giving is available through OSV Hub, and donations may also be mailed or given through parish envelopes or bank online bill pay; contributions support the ministries described above and the parish's share of the Cathedral of the Streets collaboration. A weekly email newsletter and the Sunday bulletin keep parishioners informed of upcoming events, scripture reflections, and pastoral notes.
For those who want to be involved, the parish lists its ministries in detail online. Liturgical ministries include Adult Choir, Children's Choir, Cantors, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, Gift Bearers, Intention Book Bearers, Greeters, and Ushers. Outreach ministries include the Bus Stop Ministry, the Knitting and Crocheting Group, the Immigrants and Refugees committee, the Community Garden, the African Self-Determination Foundation, and support of partner agencies. The Building and Grounds Committee, Fundraising Committee, Parish Growth Committee, Finance Committee, Liturgy Committee, and Social Justice Committee all welcome new members. The parish's blog, Upon This Rock, written by Father Don, reflects on the Sunday readings, current events, and pastoral life, and is available along with Sunday homilies and bulletin archives on the parish site.
Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at 3909 Harrison Street, Kansas City, MO 64110. Parking is available in the parish lot next to the Troost39 Thrift Store, which also serves as overflow parking for the Bishop Sullivan Center. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and can be reached at 816-561-8512 or parishstaff@stjkc.org.