Wichita’s St. Margaret Mary Parish expanding

“When I first started the project, people thought I was a few beads short of a full rosary,” said Fr. Ned Blick, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Wichita. “But every week, there are people overflowing out into the hallway, into the gym, and probably into the bathrooms.”

Many Catholics are accustomed to arriving half an hour early for Mass on major holidays only to find the pews nearly full and most of the remaining spaces already saved, but what if that was typical for a normal weekend Mass?

For SMM parishioners, a usual Saturday evening or Sunday Mass can entail the less cherished aspects of the Christmas or Easter Mass experience, reports Fr. Blick.

“Our church has a capacity of 300 people, and on any given weekend, two or three of our five Masses will have more than 400 people,” he said.

That is a major reason why the parish broke ground on March 6: to add a transept to portions of the sanctuary’s east and west ends, giving the church a cruciform shape, along with an additional 225 seats.

Moreover, Fr. Blick says, SMM’s new addition also aims to make the building more identifiably “churchy.”

“Some people drive by and think it’s only a school; they don’t even know there is a church,” Fr. Blick said. “So, along with renovating the interior, we are also going to add a bell tower.”

Growing kingdom

SMM’s first Mass took place in a converted cabinet shop on Washington Street in 1954, Fr. Blick notes, and when then-Bishop Mark Carroll dedicated the present church in 1955, parishioners assumed the small space would suffice temporarily until they could build a larger one. However, Fr. Blick said, funds tend to be tight at the parish. Blessedly, he continues, significant early pledges toward the expansion have not been limited only to current SMM parishioners. 

“We want to do it well,” he said. “The bell tower is sort of the carrot hanging from the end of the stick that we’re all reaching for.”

Fr. Blick notes that SMM parishioners remain loyal even though they could still fulfill their Sunday obligation at other parishes in the city. “Every part of town has its little niches,” he said. “We have grown a lot, and some of that is evangelization. The school is full. We have a lot of diversity, such as both Spanish and Vietnamese choirs. 

“It’s exciting to see a vibrant, active parish,” he added. “It’s great to see the Kingdom of God growing, but we have to deal with that.”

At the March 6 groundbreaking, project architect Randy Cook noted that the tower would also help house the sprinkler system and other necessary mechanical apparatus. Meanwhile, he added, although extending the sanctuary addition to the east required some extra paperwork and approval, the project as a whole was pretty straightforward. “We had some setback issues where we had to get a variance,” he said. “It was nothing extraordinary.”

The groundbreaking ceremony also featured former pastor Fr. Dwight Birket and Fr. John Sherlock, who Fr. Blick says has been a regular presence around the parish, despite his retirement, as well as charter member Edith Boede. Fr. Blick also mentions regrets that Fr. Juan Garza was unable to attend.

Although he hasn’t been there since 1954, Parishioner Mark Bates has been at SMM since 1977, and expressed excitement that there would finally be more room in the pews. “Fr. Blick has done an amazing job putting this all together,” he said. “Everybody wants an expansion, but it takes time and effort to put that together.”

Shortly before the ceremony, Kylan Collins, SMM principal, acknowledged some initial skepticism, despite the manifest need. “I told Father probably 15 months ago he’d never make it happen, but he pushed and pushed,” he said. “That we’re here today shows that I shouldn’t doubt Fr. Ned Blick.”