St. Fidelis Church - Victoria, Kansas

 (CNS photo/ Doug Weller, The Register)

Destination: Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Salina, Kan., received the news from the Vatican in early March that it had granted the diocese’s application to have St. Fidelis designated a minor basilica. It’s dedication as a basilica will be June 7. 
Masses are 5 p.m., Saturdays; 10 a.m., Sunday; 6:45 a.m., Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 7 p.m., Monday and Wednesday.
Why to go: Visiting a basilica can provide Catholics with a plenary indulgence — remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for sins that have been forgiven.
The historic church’s 141-foot twin towers are easily seen from nearby Interstate 70, and about 16,000 people visit it each year. The Romanesque structure is 220 feet long, 110 feet wide at the transepts, 75 feet tall and seats 1,100. At the time of its dedication in 1911, it was considered the largest church in the state. Colored-glass windows made in Munich were installed in 1916, and stations of the cross were imported from Austria in 1917. The cost to build the church and furnish it totaled more than $95,000.Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan dubbed it the “Cathedral of the Plains” when he visited in 1912.
The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Since 1994, the parish has spent nearly $1 million on restoration, repairs and mechanical and physical updates.
It is also among the “8 Wonders of Kansas,” so named during a ceremony at the Capitol in Topeka in January 2008.
Amenities: Guided tours are available for people who call the parish office several days ahead of time.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Absolutely.
Info: Address: St. Fidelis Church, 601 10th St., Victoria, KS 67671. Phone: 785/735-2777 Web: http://www.stfidelischurch.com/

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne - Mound City, Kansas

(Photos courtesy Father Shawn Tunink)

Destination: Kansas Catholics are rightly proud of their shrine to the only canonized saint to live in their state. St. Rose Philippine Duchesne’s shrine is at Sacred Heart Church, built in 1942 with stones from St. Mary’s Indian Mission, now a memorial park.
Masses at the church are at 6:30 p.m. Saturday  and 8:15 a.m. Wednesday. The small parish shares its priest with two others in the Archdiocese of Kansas City.
Why to go:  The shrine honors “St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (who) loved the people of Kansas enough to travel in a wagon at the age of 71 to live in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere to tell Indians who didn’t speak her language how much Jesus loved them,” writes Father Shawn Tunink, parochial vicar of Cure of Ars Church in Leawood, Kan., in a blog entry.
The park is also worth finding. “Unfortunately,” Father Tunink continues, “when the mission closed in 1849 they felt they had to burn all the buildings to prevent desecration. So, only some stone foundations are left.” The park, which is part of the Potawatomi Trail of Death, is a well maintained and curated site. There are plenty of signs to explain the ruins on the grounds and the history of the Church’s role at the mission.
Access: The church grounds are not a problem, but finding the park may be a challenge. Father Tunink says, “It’s well off the beaten path about 10 miles from Mound City and even today is in the middle of nowhere.” There are likely to be some directional signs, but you may have to ask for directions at the church. The Potawatomi locate the park three miles south of Centerville, Kan., at GPS N-3814398 W-9456539.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Kids will especially like the life-sized statues of St. Rose and the Indians she served at the shrine. They are more likely to enjoy time outside at the mission park.
Info: Address: Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne, Sacred Heart Church, Mound City, KS 66056. Phone: 913/755-2652. Web: Sacred Heart Church — http://stphilipnerioz.org/Sacred_Heart.php; St. Philippine Duchesne Memorial Park — http://www.potawatomi-tda.org/kansas/stphilip.htm or http://home.catholicweb.com/diocspfdcape/index.cfm/NewsItem?ID=317092

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org