September 2011.............

St Ann Church: While in the Russell we toured three wonderful old churches. This church is in Walker Kansas. The church remains active and services are still held there but they worry every year that the Diocese will decide to dissolve the parish.

September 2011.............

St Fidelis Catholic Church "The Cathedral of the Plains": The church, in Victoria, Kansas, was started in 1908 and finished in 1911, the exterior constructed of native limestone. Large layers of rock, about eight inches thick, were cleared of top soil and then perforated by hand augers with holes eight to ten inches apart. Into these holes edges were inserted and tapped with a hammer until the rock sprang apart along the line of perforation. The stone was then loaded on wagons and hauled to the building site. This was a gigantic task and an amazing feat considering that it was accomplished without automatic lifts and power tools. Each stone weighed 50 to 100 pounds with the engineers estimating that the people hauled and dressed more than 125,000 cubic feet of rock. Native stone from Indiana was imported for the doorways and the bases and capitals of the pillars. The 18 granite pillars were bought from Vermont. The massive structure stands in the form of a cross, facing west with its majestic towers dominating the prairie landscape. The church is 220' long, 110' wide at the transepts and 75' at the nave. Its ceiling is 44' above the ground and the towers rise 141 feet. It has a seating capacity of 1100 and is the largest church west of the Mississippi. The church has been named one of the "8 Wonders of Kansas" Services are still held at the church. When going across Kansas on I-70 take the time to stop and see these wonderful churches.

September 2011.............

Holy Cross Church: This beautiful church in Pfeifer, Kansas is, in Laurel's opinion, the best of the three. It's 10 miles south of Victoria, on the south bank of the Smoky Hill River. It was dedicated in 1918 and is sometimes referred to as the "Two Cent" church because each family was assessed two cents on every bushel of wheat sold. The church is also know as "The Cross in the Valley" and is a an artistic example of the gothic style of architecture. In 1993 the Diocese of Salina made the decision to dissolve the parish. The church still remains open to the public on a daily basis. To maintain the church and cemetery the remaining few parishioners formed Holy Cross Charities, Inc. a non-profit corporation that depends solely upon donations.

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