Severin, Kansas
Est. 1916

St. Severin Catholic Church - Severin, Ks.

About five miles north and west of Catharine, Ks. (on the southwest corner of 280th Ave. and Severin Rd.), once stood St. Catherine's daughter parish.  St. Severin's made up exclusively of former members of the Catharine Parish.

By 1915 the Catharine parish had grown to over 600 members, while its church accommodated only 230.  Many of the parishioners lived great distances from Catharine, at a time when 10 to 15 miles was a considerable distance to drive, considering that parishioners attended Mass in the morning and returned for Christian doctrine fro the children in the afternoon.

Having studied the matter at length and with the blessing of the pastor, Capuchin Fr. Severin Scharl, a committee of St. Catherine parishioners approached the area dean, Fr. Charles Speckert, who in turn approached his Capuchin provincial, Fr. Ignatius Weisbruch, and finally Bishop John J. Cunningham, who gave his approval on March 5, 1916.

Families of the following men made up the original membership:

Peter J. Walter
Frank Schmeidler, Jr.
Peter J. Miller
Joseph G. Dinkel
Alois E. Karlin
Raymond A. Schmidt
Emil Schmeidler
Philip Meis
Peter H. Staab
Frank Walter
Alois J. Koerner
Jacob Koerner
Henry Meis
F.A. Meier
Paul Karlin
Michael Krannewitter
Adam Walter

By 1941 the families had grown to 42, but its heyday had passed.  When the last pastor, Fr. Timothy Gottschalk took over in 1957, it had shrunk to 33 families; by the time of the golden jubilee in 1966 it was down to 22 families; and by 1982 only 27 people were still there, and only two of them under 20.

Present at the last Mass on May 30, 1982were Celestine Karlin, who had served for the first Mass in 1916, and Jake Giebler, who had been the parish organist for 60 years.

The church was then torn down, but numerous vestments and other religious articles were entrusted to the Ellis County Historical Society, some were given to the new Catholic Campus Center in Hays, and the rest auctioned off to provide funds for the upkeep of the church cemetery a half mile north of the church site.

The Grotto

A monument, in the form of a grotto, was built by Fr. Christopher, in which were enshrined the bronze tablets that bore the names of the native sons serving in World War II.  This grotto served as a beautiful setting for an outdoor altar fro the Corpus Christi processions.  These names appear on the bronze plates in the grotto:

Fr. Valerian Brungardt
Edward Dinkel
James E. Giebler
Joseph Giebler
Ludwig Herman
Ralph Herman
Alvin Leikam
Edgar Leikam
Francis Leikam
Robert Leikam
Edward Parker
Charles Parker
Thomas Parker
Alfred Schmidt
Marcellus Schmidt
Albert Schmidt
Alfred Schmeidler
Isidore Schmeidler
Martin Schmeidler
Pancratius Schmeidler
Robert Schmeidler
Marcellus F. Schmeidler
James Staab
Robert Staab
Victor Staab
Edwin Walter
Ernest Walter
Fidelis Walter
Francis Walter
Irwin Walter
Vincent Walter
William Walter
William J. Walter

After the church was closed and dismantled, the grotto was also dismantled and the bronze plate was taken to the St. Severin Cemetery and placed on a stone. 

Research Materials
Available

Register die Gemeinde von St. Severin Catholic Church - Severin, Ks. 1916-1982
A History & Genealogy of the Parish
Compiled by:
Kevin Rupp

St. Severin Cemetery

Priests

Fr. Severin
1916-1916

Fr. Victor
1916-1917

College Professors
1917-1917

Fr. Gaudence
1917-1918

Fr. Pancratius
1918-1920

Fr. Vincent
1920-1921

Fr. Maurice
1921-1923

Fr. Casimir
1923-1925

Fr. Maurice
1925-1928

Fr. Placide
1928-1929

Fr. Mathias
1929-1931

Fr. Norman
1931-1934

Fr. Alexius
1934-1935

Fr. Adrian
1935-1939

Fr. Valerian
1939-1944

Fr. Aidan
1944-1945

Fr. Christopher
1945-1948

Fr. Valerian
1948-1957

Fr. Timothy
1957-1982