Lamar Missouri Tour

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In the 19th century, the Diocese of Kansas City sent priests into many Missouri southern towns, to establish new parishes.
The parish that was founded in Lamar became known as St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Its congregation finally had an official home in 1869, when a small building was constructed. The Church continued to meet and hold Mass for the next 35 years.

In 1904, big changes occurred for St. Mary’s, in terms of its home. Monsignor William A. Keuenhof took over as the Church’s first resident priest, and a feeling of permanence settled upon the congregation. To take this permanence a step farther, the Church was finally given a larger and stronger building, made out of wood and stone. As the congregation grew, two more buildings were added — a priest’s rectory, or residence hall, in 1946, and a parish hall in 1978.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church enjoyed worshiping together under this same roof, until a disastrous fire unfortunately destroyed the building in 2009. The Church was rebuilt and still serves its community today. In 2019, the congregation celebrated St. Mary’s 150th anniversary as a parish.