St. Mary Parish marks two centuries of devotion and mission A 12-MONTH CELEBRATION KICKS OFF AUG. 15

By Marty Denzer

The year 2023 marks 200 years since the founding of the mission that became St. Mary Parish in Independence. A year-long bicentennial celebration kicks off on the feast of the Assumption of Mary, Aug. 15, 2023. Each of the next 12 months will honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, the patron saint of the parish.

Every event has been carefully planned and has an important place in the celebration, but Father Kendall Ketterlin, the parish’s parochial administrator, identified four activities that are especially significant.

The kickoff event, Mass and Opening Celebration with Bishop Johnston is no.

1. The feast of the Assumption of Mary was established by Venerable Pope Pius XII in 1950 and is celebrated each year on Aug. 15.

“Of the feasts to Mary, the feast of the Assumption has long been an important celebration for the parish, including major anniversary celebrations. It’s in this way, our celebration on Aug. 15, 2023, connects to all of the celebrations and parishioners of the past. At the same time, it brings us together to offer the next 12 months, in a special way of thanksgiving and love for Mary, who has shown such great care for us and used St. Mary’s for God’s work in Independence [Missouri],” Father Ketterlin explained.

October, the month of the Most Holy Rosary, will be a month-long honoring of Mary through home and self-consecrations, and Marian statue and image enthronement. Parish families will be involved, and it will be another way of honoring Mary, who watches over the homes of all baptized Christians within the parish boundaries, Father Ketterlin said.

“The Day of Reflection: Theotokos and the East,” Dec. 9, 2023, with Father Michael Lee of St. Luke’s Byzantine Catholic Church, of the Ruthenian Eparchy of Parma in nearby Sugar Creek, will highlight the universal Church and introduce a new way of coming to Mary. Father Lee will share iconography and different ways of honoring Mary. He will conclude by singing the “Akathist to the Theotokos” prayer, honoring Mary as the new Ark of the Covenant.

In June 2024, Father Ketterlin will lead a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, on a date to be determined. There will also be a day-pilgrimage to a local Marian shrine, on a date also to be determined.

Also, as an “honorable mention,” during the year-long celebration, “Reminiscences by Rev. B. Donnelly” will be exhibited. “It was transcribed from tattered sheets by Mary Hunter in 1877,” Father Ketterlin said.

“It will be an exciting year honoring Mary, our patroness for the past two centuries, and bringing present and past parishioners together,” he said.

Our Lady Of Sorrows Celebrates 100 Years

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the dedication of its current church, Bishop Johnston will celebrate Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish (2552 Gillham Rd., KCMO) on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at 4 p.m., followed by a reception. Visit catholickey.org for more details.