1908. Request for a New Parish. The idea to ask the bishop to establish a German-speaking national church for the 40-50 families of German origin living west of the original Westport near the Sante Fe Trail was first discussed at a card game. At this time, Catholic families had to journey to Sts. Peter and Paul Church at 9th and McGee to attend a German-speaking church.
1909. Request Granted. Pastor Appointed Permission to establish a church was given by Bishop John J. Hogan in response to a request from Father Ernest Zechenter, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul. Father Karl J. Haeckler, an associate at Sts. Peter and Paul, was appointed pastor of the new parish, called Schutz Ange Kirche, in the spring of that year.
1909, May. Temporary Quarters. First services were celebrated in a vacant grocery store at 43rd and Belleview. Parishioners met on the lawn of the Martin Froeschl home at 4221 Wyoming, where they decided to build a two-story brick building at the southeast corner of 43rd Street (Old Santa Fe Trail) and Mercier on property that Father Zechenter had purchased earlier that year.
1909, October 2. Feast of the Guardian Angels Mass in Schutz Angel Kirche. The first Mass was celebrated in the partially finished parish building. The first floor housed two school classrooms and the sisters’ residence. The second floor was reserved for Mass and other gatherings.
1910, September 11. School opens. The new school welcomed approximately 40 students taught by two Benedictine sisters from Atchison, Kan.: Sister Mary Zitta, O.S.B. and Sister Mary Florina, O.S.B. Their housekeeper and cook was Sister Mary Milburga, O.S.B.
1912. Pastor’s resident completed. Father Haeckler moved into a pastor’s house built by the parish on a lot north of the church-school at a cost of $4,500. Prior to this, the pastor had lived in the homes of various parishioners.
1915. New Pastor. Because Father Haeckler had become ill, Bishop Thomas Lillis assigned him to be chaplain at St. Francis Convent in Nevada, Mo., and appointed Father Peter Rosch as pastor.
1915, Fall. Classroom added. School enrollment had increased to 120 students, prompting the creation of another classroom on the first floor. This crowded the sisters’ living space, creating less room at the same time it necessitated another teaching nun.
1916. More property purchased. The parish bought the lot west of the church-school for $2,800.
1917. Rectory built. With school enrollment at 162, the need for classrooms forced the parish to find a new residence for the sisters. The current parish office was built as a rectory on property west of the church-school building for $10,000. The sisters moved into the former pastor’s residence.
1918. Boundaries established. Bishop Thomas Lillis designated the area that Guardian Angel Church would serve. Up to this point, the parish was for all German-speaking Catholics in the south part of the city. Father Rosch had previously begun delivering the sermon for one of the Sunday Masses in English to accommodate the non-German speaking families, mainly of Irish descent, who were attending GA. The new boundaries ran along 33rd Street on the north, State Line Road on the West, 48th Street on the south, and, on the east, Mercier between Valentine Road and 41st Street, Holly between 41st and 43rd Streets, and Belleview between 43rd and 48th Streets.
1919. Patriotism demonstrated. During WWI, many Americans distrusted citizens of German descent, questioning their loyalty to the U.S. To dispel any question of their patriotism, parishioners erected a flagpole to fly the U.S. flag at the southeast corner of the church-school lot. An elaborate dedication ceremony evidently convinced the community of the parishioners’ loyalty.
1921, August. Work on new church basement begins. Realizing that the congregation had outgrown the upstairs chapel in the school building, the parish decided to begin planning for a new church by building the basement for services until a church could be built. The basement was finished in time to celebrate the first Mass there Christmas day. Building the basement cost $19,000.
1922, March. Construction of church begins. After planning and meeting with architects and contractors throughout the winter months, the parish decided to build a Gothic church in the late northern French style of Carthage stone, at a projected cost of $150,000.
1922, May 14. Cornerstone laid. With approximately 200 white-clad school children and numerous parishioners, Fr. Rosch, Bishop Lillis, and other officials processed to the area where the new church was being built to formally place the cornerstone. A history of the parish, the names of the bishop, the Kansas City mayor, the Missouri governor and the U.S. president were placed in the cornerstone before it was sealed.
1923, Christmas Day. First Mass in new church. Anxious to use the new building, Fr. Rosch said the first Mass in the structure before it was entirely finished. The interior was not yet decorated and the stained glass windows had not been installed. The bell and side alters were salvaged from Sts. Peter and Paul church, which was being demolished to make room for commercial development. The bell strill rings in the bell tower today.
1924, May 4. Dedication. The new church building was officially dedicated in an elaborate and solemn ceremony.
1926. Territorial parish designation. Bishop Lillis changed the status of the church from a German national church to a “territorial” parish serving all the Catholics within its assigned borders. German remained a second language of parish life for many years.
1931, April. Third pastor. After several temporary leaves of absence due to his failing health, Father Rosch was assigned to a smaller parish in a rural area. Bishop Lillis appointed Father C.J. Strasburger as pastor. Father Strasburger had been pastor at St. John’s Church on Independence Avenue since 1915.
1931, May 16. The Friendly Club. To provide inexpensive family entertainment during the Depression, Father Strasburger began The Friendly Club. His idea may have been based on a social club established by a former pastor at St. John’s parish. Some say the club evolved into the Catholic Youth Council of the 1940s and ’50s.
1933, June 12. Strasburger’s Jubilee. Bishop Edwin V. O’Hara, many members of the clergy and parishioners gathered to celebrate Fr. Strasburger’s Silver Jubilee. In addition to the Mass, the parish provided a formal dinner for attending clergy.
1934, December 5. State Charter for Friendly Club. The state granted papers of incorporation for the club. The first president was James D. McLeese. By this time, the club offered a wide range of activities. It produced plays and musicals, sponsored mixed bowling leagues, organized Christmas parties, sponsored sports leagues and planned picnics in such places as Swope Park.
1935. Recreation space added. To create a pleasant, useable space for the club, the basement of the church was renovated to include a new kitchen, a stage, dressing rooms, and billiard and ping pong tables.
1935-1940. Church upkeep and renovation. During this period, Fr. Strasburger saw to it that new, brighter chandeliers replaced the small globes in the original design. These are the same chandeliers that grade the center of the church today. He also replaced the side altars (originally from Sts. Peter and Paul Church), painted over some of the decorative stenciling and images on the ceiling of the sanctuary and added a wing to the rectory.
1940. Purchasing more property. The church purchased the lot behind the convent for future development. Today, it is part of the parking lot.
1942, December 5. Strasburger becomes Monsignor. Bishop O’Hara bestowed the rank of Right Reverend Monsignor on Fr. Strasburger. The parish sponsored a program to celebrate the event.
1952-1953. Name changes. Mysteriously, the name of the parish changed from Guardian Angel (Schutz Angel Kirche) to Guardian Angels. No record exists of who changed the name or why.
1953, May 9. Pastor dies. At the age of 70, Monsignor Strasburger suffered a fatal heart attack as he was preparing for Mass.
1953, May 12. Requiem Mass. Bishop Edwin O’Hara officiated at a Solemn Pontifical Requiem High Mass for Monsignor Strasburger.
1953, June. Fourth pastor. Bishop O’Hara appointed Fr. Robert E. Walton pastor of the parish. Walton had served as an associate pastor from 1933 to 1936.
1953-54. Property purchased for new school. During Monsignor Strasburger’s tenure, he managed to save $170,000 to build a new school. The parish purchased five residences and a 50-foot lot on Mercier next to the convent for $71,113. Rather than tear down the houses, Fr. Walton offered to sell them to anyone who would move them. After much delay, the parish bought property in the vicinity of 46th and State Line Road, moved the houses there and sold them at a profit.
1954, July 11. Building school begins. The ground upon which the new school would be built was blessed in a special ceremony. Then the participating clergy each turned a spade of dirt to mark the official ground breaking.
1955, March 6. Cornerstone laid. Archbishop Edwin V. O’Hara officiated at the formal laying of the new school cornerstone.
1955, June 6. Old school farewell. Former attendees were invited back for a last look at the old building. Mementos such as desks and other items that would not be used in the new school were sold. 950 former students and parishioners attended.
1955, September 12. New school opens. A two-story brick building, designed by Shaughnessy, Bower & Grimaldi, welcomed 290 students to the first day of the school year.
1955, October 2. School dedication. The school was formally blessed and dedicated by Archbishop O’Hara in a special program.
1957, December 8. Rev. Walton becomes monsignor. The parish sponsored a special celebration for Monsignor Walton, who had been formally elevated in rank by Bishop John P. Cody.
1959, April. Fifth pastor. Bishop Cody transferred Monsignor Walton to St. James Parish and appointed Monsignor Lawrence P. Creviston pastor here.
1959, September 27. Golden Jubilee. The parish celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Solemn Mass Coram Pontifice presided over by Bishop Cody. At that time, 950 families were registered members.
1960. More property acquired. The parish purchased three more lots on Terrace Street behind the school to increase the size of the playground. In addition, property at Westport Road and Terrace was purchased with a lease to Phillips Petroleum for a gas station on the premises.
1962. New convent. A new home for the sisters assigned here was built at a cost of $144,000. The convent, which stands to the north of the school, is still used by Benedictine sisters.
1963, August 6. Former Convent torn down. The house between the church and the school, built in 1912 and occupied by the sisters after the new rectory was built in 1917, was torn down. The space is now the drive and parking area between the church and the school.
1964. Sixth pastor. Bishop Charles H. Helmsing appointed Fr. James J. Schlafly the new pastor.
1966, October. Renovation completed. To modernize the church in accord with Vatican II standards, the parish contracted with John Lawrence Daw and Associates to remove 26 statues from the sanctuary and replace the main altar with three wooden panels at the rear of the sanctuary and a marble table as an altar facing the congregation. The renovation included replacing the side altar, removing all the statues except one of St. Joseph on the right and the Blessed Virgin Mary on the left, rewiring the church, installing a new boiler, and adding air conditioning. Fifteen charter members of the parish attended the first liturgy in the renovated church: Ferdinand Bauer, Robert Bender, Lena Decker, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Enderle, Mary Engel, Gertrude Healy, Marie Kern, John J. Kneib, Agnes McCarthy, Rose McElvain, Carl Riehle, Anna Schloegel, John Suttle, Margaret Tumberger.
1966. Peak congregation reached. The parish had 1,000 registered families at this time.
1969. More students. Good Council Parish at 40th and Washington closed its school and 50 students transferred to Guardian Angels School.
1971. Seventh pastor. Bishop Helmsing appointed Monsignor Martin Froeschl pastor. Monsignor Froeschl was the grandson of one of the founding families of the parish.
1974, April. No more debt. The parish debt was retired with all loans paid.
1980 to 1989
1980. Eighth pastor. Bishop John J. Sullivan appointed Fr. Richard Saale pastor.
1984. 75th anniversary. The parish celebrated with a Mass and dinner. Approximately 500 parishioners and former parishioners attended. Church enrollment at that time was 715 registered families with 171 students enrolled in the school. Charter members in attendance were Agnes McCarthy, Alvina Enderle, Frank McLaughlin and Margaret Tumberger.
1988, June 15. First Pastoral Administrator. Bishop Sullivan appointed Brother Terrance McGlennon, FSC, to be the first Pastoral Administrator in the diocese. He appointed Fr. Kevin Cullen, S.J., sacramental minister.
1988, Summer. Sisters move out. With a dwindling number of sisters teaching in the school and a trend among convents to create smaller living communities, the Benedictine sisters moved out of the convent.
1988, Fall. Priests move in. Four Jesuit priests moved into the former convent to experience small group living. They called themselves Arrupe Jesuit Community.
1990, September. Brother Terry resigns. Because of ill health, Brother Terrance McGlennon, FSC, resigned as Pastoral Administrator.
1990, December. Second Pastoral Administrator. Margaret Lima, the parish director of religious education, was appointed the new Pastoral Administrator by Bishop John Sullivan.
1991-93. Stained glass windows. After 82 years with only minor repairs, the stained glass windows urgently needed refurbishing. Not wanting to incur debt, the parish initiated a Stained Glass Window Campaign, which raised enough money to repair and re-lead all the church windows and repaint the exterior of the church at a cost of $132,000.
1992, September 6. Merging of schools. Because of declining enrollment, Guardian Angels, Redemptorist and the upper grades of Our Lady of the Americas schools merged into a new school called Our Lady of the Angels and moved to the Redemptorist school building. Many parishioners were upset and angry that Guardian Angels School, which had served the parish for 82 years, was merged and moved.
1993, July. New sacramental minister. Bishop Raymond Boland assigned Fr. Tom Jost, S.J., to be the new sacramental minister.
1994-97. Volunteers step forward. With fewer registered families and a tighter budget, the parish relied more and more on volunteers to assist with routine maintenance and repairs to church property. Dozens of parishioners helped seal the parking lot and touch-up the paint on the buildings inside and out, replace windows and weatherize the buildings. This spirit of volunteerism continues today with more stepping up to help.
1997. Sacramental minister replaced. Bishop Boland appointed Fr. Glenn Mueller, S.J., associate pastor.
1997-98. Angel campaign. Like the stained glass windows at the beginning of the decade, the guardian angel statue atop the church badly needed attention. Once the statue was taken down, restorers decided that it was not in good enough shape to withstand the elements. The parish chose to repair the original, use it as a cast for a new bronze statue, and place the original inside an alcove at the back of the church. Again, a campaign raised enough money to complete the project without going into debt.
2000, January 1. Millenium celebration. Parishioners gathered in the church to welcome the New Year and new Millenium, happy that they had lived through the Y2K scare. The group stood on the entry stairs of the church for a picture, then attended a New Year’s brunch celebration in the Parish Hall.
2001-07, Summer. Renewal, Restoration, Renovation. Though volunteers had done all they could to maintain the church building, it became evident that major repairs were needed to protect the structure, make the church accessible to the disabled and improve the looks and function of the worship space. Again the goal was to accomplish all this without going into debt. Yet another campaign was successful and Phase 1A of the plan was completed with $1 million from pledges and savings.
2006, March. School returns. Our Lady of the Angels School moved from Redemptorist to the Guardian Angels School building to make way for the new Cristo Rey High School. Donated funds and labor allowed the Guardian Angels building to be updated to 2006 standards without cost to the parish.
2008, Christmas. Centennial Year begins. Looking back at the history of the church, the Centennial Committee thought it fitting that the formal celebration of the parish’s 100th year begin on this day, the anniversary of the first Mass in the church basement in 1921 and the first Mass in the church proper in 1923.
2009. Centennial Celebration. The year-long commemoration reached its zenith with special Masses on October 3 and 4 to acknowledge the feast of the Guardian Angel. A Gala Dinner-Dance provided the social atmosphere that has always characterized the parish. Bishop Robert Finn officiated at the 11:00 a.m. Mass, October 4, to honor the parish for its achievement.
2012, New Associate Pastor. Bishop Robert Finn, in consultation with the Missouri Jesuit Provincial, appointed Fr. Bob Hagan associate pastor.
1909-1915. Father Karl Haeckler
1915-1931. Father Peter Rosch
1931-1953. Father C.J. Strasburger
1953-1959. Father Robert Walton
1959-1964. Monsignor Lawrence Creviston
1964-1971. Father James Schlafly
1971-1980. Monsignor Martin Froeschl
1980-1988. Father Richard Saale
1988-1990. Brother Terrance McGlennon, FSC (Pastoral Administrator)
Father Kevin Cullen, S.J. (Sacramental Minister). 1988-1993.
1990-Present. Margaret Lima (Pastoral Administrator)
Father Kevin Cullen, S.J. (Sacramental Minister). 1988-1993.
Father Tom Jost, S.J. (Sacramental Minister). 1993-1997.
Father Glenn Mueller, S.J. (Associate Pastor). 1997-2012.
Father Robert Hagan, S.J. (Associate Pastor). 2012-