St. Augustine Parish- Fidelity,Kansas
Last week we visited a country church about 20 miles from home. The parish of St. Augustine was founded in 1860 as a mission church from the Benedictine Abbey in Atchison, KS. The current church building was built in the early 1920s. There was once a parish school and rectory, but today those are both gone. It doesn’t appear that the town of Fidelity ever reached a great size as there are only a few houses there now.
I searched online for more information about the church and town, but this is all I could find. So I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Let’s take a little tour starting from the front door:
View from the vestibule looking through the door and into the church
View from just inside the front door
Looking toward the front of the church
View of the front of the church from a side aisle
Communion rail, high altar and side altars
The high altar
Statue of Jesus to the left of the high altar
crucifix to the right of the high altar
close-up of the crucifix
statue of angel near the high altar
statue of St. Joseph on right side altar
statue of Mary holding the Baby Jesus on left side altar
Statue atop the baptismal fount of St. John baptizing Jesus
candles in front of one of the side altars
the back of the church showing the balcony
view from up in the balcony
Coming down the stairs from the balcony
View looking through the front door and into the vestibule
I love older churches like this one. It’s very similar to the one I grew up in. There are many churches like this in the Midwest built by European immigrants who missed the churches they had known when they were growing up “in the old country“.
Have you visited churches like this one, and if so where?
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what a beautiful take on a gorgeous location! nice time of season, too! 🙂
Thanks Kathy!
Is Saint Joseph’s in Salisbury similar to this one Suzanne? It’s been a long time since I’ve been there but my memory being what it is I thought I would ask you.
Yep it is. This was a popular design apparantly because I’m been in more churches like this one than I can count. Most of them seem to have been built by German immigrants.
There is a Greek Orthodox Church in Birmingham, AL that is very similar to this church. There is always a Greek Food Festival in September and they have Greek dancing and music and tours of the church. I thought I had written a blog post about the church and was going to link up but I can’t find it! Maybe I just posted on facebook 🙂 Great pictures!
Beautiful church and the pictures sure capture the feeling I think. Thank you for taking us with you.
Carroll County, IA has a half dozen of these beautiful churches, including the one where I grew up, in Mt. Carmel (the early settlers decided on the location, then looked at the church calendar. It was July 16, the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, so they named the settlement Mt. Carmel, and the church was to be called Our Lady of Mt. Carmel). The church we attend now was built in 1972-73, and is not nearly so beautiful inside.
Aw!! Love it!
Love things like this!
Love visiting churches of any denomination, they give such a sense of peace. Thank you for the wonderful pictures.
I’m a southern Baptist…but I love Catholic Churches. My best friend was Catholic. Every time I am in her hometown of Lebanon, Ky…. I visit St Agustine Church and light a candle in her memory and stop to say some prayers of thanks for her friendship and her beautiful Christian witness. I love the quietness of an empty church.
You might get some visitors from my blog today . . .I put a link to this post!!
Oh Thank YOU!
One of our most memorable visits to a church while travelling was The Painted Church on the Big Island of Hawaii. It’s correct name is St. Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church and it sits on a beautiful hillside overlooking the Pacific in the tiny town of Captain Cook, HI. If anyone ever visits the Big Island, don’t skip this sight! It’s inspiring.
We often visit churches as you learn so much local history in them and occasionally meet local people as well. As an Episcopalian, I’m always on the lookout for those but really will visit whatever moves me.
This is a great topic by the way.
I grew up here and now live elsewhere – it’s as beautiful as it looks.
Amazing that a church like that is seven miles from the nearest town.
The local Catholics do a fantastic job keeping this Church in excellent
condition.
What great photos of a beautiful church. It is so well kept, a tribute to the parishioners and those who take care of it. I would like to see what surrounds the church as there does not seem to be a town of Fidelity anymore. Even Google couldn’t find the town. Is it in the middle of farm fields? Where exactly is it? My ancestors settled in Capioma but I have never been to this part of the country.
Fidelity is 7 mile south of Sabetha. There are only two homes close to the church. One directly across the road from the church and one north of the church approximately 2 blocks. Years ago in the 50’s when I was growing up in the area there were many homes .
It is mainly very large farms with few homes close to the church now . I live in another state now but visit family there. It’s amazing
How well the parishioners keep up the church – in excellent condition. I’ve always thought it’s one of the prettiest churches you will see.
the photos of Fidelity are beautiful! The most beautiful are the people who are this church!