This dream of the new Church of the Holy Cross began many years before the Bishop proclaimed a third parish for Hutchinson. The love of Christ and Catholicism is evident as early as 1541 when Father Juan Padilla was murdered on Kansas soil by hostile Indians. The pictured monument to him stands near Herrington, Kansas.

• It was Father Charles de la Croix who is recognized as one of the first priests to enter Kansas as a missionary. He came on horseback from Missouri to work in the mission fields.

• A Jesuit, Father Van Quickenborne established the first mission in Kansas to serve the Kickapoo Mission in 1836. The first Bishop was sent to Kansas in 1851. The Reverend John Miege, S.J. arrived in SI. Mary's, Kansas, to establish his Pro-Cathedral.

• It was Father Paul Ponziglioni who established twelve stations in south central Kansas. The first Mass on record in the city of Wichita was celebrated in 1869.

• In the fall of 1872, the Reverend Felix P. Swenbergh organized the first Catholic congregation in Hutchinson. Father Swenbergh resided in neighboring Newton and came to Hutchinson on weekdays to say Mass. The first church services in Hutchinson were reported to have been held in a granary. When the old courthouse was built in Hutchinson, Father Swenbergh held Mass there every fourth Sunday.

• In 1878 Father Swenbergh began to build the first Catholic church. Reverend Joseph Hartman was appointed the first resident pastor in 1882. During his three years in the ministry, the parish rectory was erected, the church finished and the debt paid.

• In 1898, the Reverend M. Heitz purchased the lots for St. Teresa's Church. The wood structure was moved to the site of the present rectory. I! was on May 18, 1911, that the distinctive, brick SI. Teresa's at 5th and Poplar was formally dedicated by Reverend M.G. O'Farrell.

The importance of a Catholic education was not lost on early Kansas settlers. Reverend J.F. Kelly, the fifth priest to serve St. Teresa's, began a Catholic School in a two-story house at 210 East Fourth.

Reverend J.A. Pompeney, the pastor from 1899 to 1904 built the first school for the early Catholic settlers in Hutchinson. The school was completed on the site at 213 East 5th. In 1919, the freshmen were added on to the school of the age. In 1920, the sophomores were added until finally in 1923, six students graduated from St. Teresa's High School.

In the early years, the dreams of Catholics in Hutchinson assumed various forms. One of these dreams resulted in the establishment of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish.  On July 21. 1927, Father Patrick Nagle, pastor of SI. Teresa's, sought permission from the diocese to build a chapel for the Spanish people. At the time of his request, a total of $3,000 had already been collected to build the chapel.

A year later on July 23, 1928, Father Gabriel Perez, an Augustinian Recollect, took possession of the church. The first baptismal record is dated August 11, 1928. The parish grew and in 1938, the Precious Blood order took over the parish.

A new parish church was built in South Hutchinson in 1964. Presently the parish of 300 to 400 families is shepherded by Father Colin Boor. He was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe on June 23, 1973.

This is the love of the Catholic faith that continues to inspire the present Holy Cross parishioners who, like their forefathers, have followed a dream.

By the mid-1950's the Catholic community of northern Reno County and the city of Hutchinson north of 14th Street, had grown to more than 300 families. To meet the spiritual needs of this growing population, the Most Reverend Mark K. Carroll, Diocese of Wichita, created a new parish, the Church of the Holy Cross - June 14, 1957.

Appointed first pastor for Holy Cross was Father Vincent Brown who celebrated his first Mass in the 4-H building on the Kansas State fairgrounds on June 23, 1957. This sIte for Sunday Mass was used until a new church and school building could be constructed. It was decided at the outset to construct an interim church with an elementary school and defer construction of the permanent church.

After a general meeting of parishioners, church commit­tee members were selected and parish buildings were planned. It was in early July that members of the parish chose the name of the new church. Father Brown de­scribed the voting as .. . . . “practically a unanimous choice in balloting by members of the parish."

Under the direction of the pastor, Father Brown, the committee members, Joseph B. Hesse and Joseph P. O'Sullivan, Sr., mapped out strategies for the raising of funds for a temporary church and an eight-grade elemen­tary school.

Construction began in July, 1958. The construction cost of the church was $152,307 while the school cost was approximately $62,000.

The building committee sought pledges totaling what then was a staggering $215,000. The planners recognized the church only as a temporary structure. They planned that it would someday house additional classrooms and a gymnasium-auditorium. The vision of the permanent structure off 26th Street had already begun.

The original structure was begun with ground breaking on July 13, 1958. The building that now serves as Holy Cross Grade School was completed and Mass was held in what now is the gymnasium of the school on April 19, 1959. Dedication and blessing of the new church and rectory was on Sunday, June 14, 1959 by Bishop Mark K. Carroll. Holy Cross Elementry School opened in the fall of 1962.

From the beginning the parish retained a vision of a permanent church. This dream of a new parish church began to take shape in the spring of 1980 as the parish appeal, known as OPUS DEI - the work of God, began. The announcement of this monumental project was made to the parish family on April 20 in a special homily.  Father Sean O'Shea, pastor of Holy Cross at that time, formed committees to raise funds and draw up plans for the permanent church. Thirty committee members, directed by Father O'Shea, met weekly for seven weeks. In addition, approxi­mately 70 parish volunteers made personal visits to each family in order to insure total participation. A final eighth meeting, called Impact Day, concluded the mass canvass­ing made of parish families. Funds of $1.8 million were raised, and the parish dream began to materialize as the ground breaking for the new Church building took place on No­vember 1, 1981. This ceremony officially began the con­struction phase of the new structure.

Construction of the new building at the 27th and Plum site actually began in November. Jost & Weins Construc­tion Co. was selected as general contractor. The architec­tural firm for the building project was Miller-Dronberger-­Arbuckle-Walker and McLain.

Parishioners witnessed the progress of the construction weekly as they attended Mass. The placement of the stee­ple on the 100-foot bell tower and the completion of the Rose Window over the choir loft were chronicled in the local newspaper.

It was in the spring of 1983 that the parish dream finally seemed a reality. On April 24, parishioners shared in the ceremony in which the cornerstone of the church was laid. Twenty-five items were included in the copper box which was set in place behind the cornerstone.

In an editorial in the October 16 issue of "The Hutchinson News," the church was lauded as "a magnificent addition to the community. .. " The writer saw the scope of the project and its "sterling results" as a source of great pride for Holy Cross parishioners and citizens of Hutchinson.

Indeed, parishioners had reason for pride in the new facility. They had pledged $1.75 million for the church and, in October, it became the fourth church in the Wichita diocese to become both dedicated and consecrated.

The exterior of the church was built of cottonwood li­mestone, which is native to Southeast Kansas. The layout and exterior design of the church formed a cross symbolic of the parish name and representative of Christ crucified.

A bell tower and steeple rises from the body of the church. The tower, measuring 100 feet from the floor of the church, is crowned by a steeple covered with durano­dic finished aluminum. A gaelic cross sits atop the roof to the right of the steeple. It measures 8 feet high, 51/2  feet wide, and weighs approximately 4,000 pounds. The steeple and cross were assembled in Campbell. Kentucky.

The striking impact of the church exterior is comple­mented by the subtle beauty of the interior. A total of 39 stained glass windows adorn the church. The largest is the Rose Window above the choir loft in the rear of the church; it measures 8 1/2 feet in diameter. The windows, produced by Willet Stained Glass Studios of Philadelphia, were be­gun in November of 1981 and were finally completed in July, 1983. The other windows commemorate Biblical characters and events of the Old and the New Testa­ments as well as the seven sacraments and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The main altar, made of white Georgian marble, is graced by the simple lines of a wooden Crucified Christ. The crucifix is flanked by statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. These fixtures and the Stations of the Cross were hand carved and made of lindenwood, a tree native to Italy.

The interior arches of the church are constructed of laminated wood. The ceiling rises to a height of 40 feet at the base of the altar.

One of the features of the church provides for ample seating for the parish size. As many as 1,000 can be seated in the church. The interior of the church follows the design of a gaelic cross with part of the seating housed .in the north and the south transepts. The entire seating area is carpeted and the pews are padded. Special seating consideration was given to young children and their par­ents. The cry room is situated above the main floor level in the north transept. The room with its own sound system, allows children to become involved in the Mass.

Opposite this is the south transept, known as Our Lady's Chapel, stands a portable altar. It is used for pri­vate services and daily Mass.

Other features of the interior include a library area, a bride's room, a special confessional known as a Reconcili­ation Room, and an automatic music system.

The unique music system provides chimes daily as well as Sundays. The angelus sounds three times a day to remind listeners of God's presence. The bell and music system was provided by I. T. Verdin Company of Cincin­nati, Ohio, a firm that has been in the field since 1842.

Music for the Mass and liturgy is provided by the new pipe organ produced for Holy Cross by the M.P. Moller Company of Hagerstown, Maryland, a hundred year old firm. The organ, composed of four components including the great organ, the swell organ, the choir organ, and the pedal organ, has a total of 1,445 pipes.

The lower level of the church houses a fully-equipped kitchen as well as offices and meeting rooms. The archi­tect's designs allow for an elevator to be added to the church at a later date.

This magnificent structure embodied the dream of a parish family - a family which had its beginning over 25 years before.

• Fr. Vincent Brown - 1957-1964
• Msgr. Irvin Lampe - 1964-1967
• Fr. William Wheeler - 1967-1973
• Fr. Sean O'Shea -1973-1985
• Fr. David Cushing - 1985-1987
• Fr. Robert Hemberger (pastor pro-tern) ­Oct. 1986-March 1987
• Fr. Victor Bieberle - 1987-1995
• Fr. Brian Egan - 1995-2001
• Fr. Colin Boor (interim pastor) ­April 2001-July 2001
• Fr. Brian Bebak - 2001-2002
• Fr. Joseph Eckberg - 2002-2015
• Fr. Roger Lumbre - 2015-2017
• Fr. Aaron Spexarth - 2017-2023
• Fr. Jerome Spexarth - 2023-present