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House of God
by dkcsj
St. Bernadette Parish, Kansas City
By Ashlie Hand
Places of worship come in all shapes, sizes, configurations and conditions. St. Bernadette Parish, situated just a little more than two miles from Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums, was established on May 2, 1958. About a month after the parish was established, its congregation met for Mass at a place called “The Chicken Coop,” a dance hall in nearby Raytown. This unique and humble beginning earned those first parishioners the nickname “Chicken Coopers.”
Ground was broken on the current church and school in 1960 at a total cost of $430,000. The architect was Shaughnessy Bower & Grimaldi and the general contractor was J.E. Dunn. St. Bernadette Parish is considered a contemporary design that prioritizes simplicity, function and minimalism.
With capacity for 550 people, St. Bernadette Parish is designed for a more intimate experience, with no seat more than 50 feet from the altar.
“Contemporary church architecture creates an environmental space for the community as it assembles around the altar. Directness, clarity and light are represented in these modern churches.” This Far by Faith, Vol. I
In March 1959, St. Bernadette’s “root” parish, Holy Family Parish in Leeds, closed. Many of its parishioners became members of St. Bernadette, bringing with them this statue of the Holy Family and the parish’s Franciscan mission cross.
A generous amount of natural light streams in from a cluster of skylights and a line of narrow windows along the ceiling, while dramatic uplighting highlights the church’s wood-carved stations of the Cross.
