OrthodoxUSA

The Church that Excelsior Springs Built--Twice!

The citizens of Excelsior Springs once considered it their community responsibility to make a Roman Catholic parish available to residents and guests. Today, that same courtesy is being extended to Excelsior Springs’ citizens, neighbors, and visitors embracing Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

The old St. Ann’s Church before 1917

In The Beginning. St. Ann Catholic Church was founded in 1889 by a small group of local citizens that had been meeting at The Elms Hotel as a Roman Catholic congregation. Catholic and non-Catholic alike felt a need for a Roman Catholic parish in Excelsior Springs to serve not only local residents but visitors, as well. Between 1905 and 1908, with support from community and friends, a frame building and tower was built at the Kansas City Avenue site. In 1917 the original structure was remodeled and expanded. A masonry addition was added complete with a large bell tower and steeple. Brick veneer placed on the original frame building unified the appearance of the entire structure.

At the height of parish development, St. Ann’s occupied a number of buildings along Kansas City Avenue. These included a rectory, a house converted for use as a community center, a school, and a convent to house the nuns who taught at the school. Today, the parish uses a church and rectory constructed during the 1970’s at the corner of Lynn and Tracy, north of Excelsior Springs High School.

Excelsior Springs Citizens Rally Again. After St. Ann’s parish relocated to their new location, the old building changed ownership a couple of times and often sat empty. Time and the elements had so damaged the building that it was considered for demolition. It was at this time that the members of St. Innocent Orthodox Mission began looking for a home. After meeting in the small chapel at the Monastery of St. Anthony on Lake Maurer Road, the new Orthodox Christian community saw the old St. Ann’s building as an answer to their prayers. They wanted a traditional church structure with a more visible location, and they hated to see the old building fall to the wrecking ball. With encouragement from others anxious to save the building, the challenge was under way.

Following a series of ownership complications, the church property ended up in the hands of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and was bound with miles of red tape. After months of correspondence, telephone calls, and personal visits, the congregation of St. Innocent Orthodox Mission concluded that prayer could best be augmented with an act of Congress. Enlisting the aid of Missouri Representative Pat Danner and other government officials on State and national levels, the red tape was finally broken, and the congregation was free to purchase the old St. Ann’s building.

St. Innocent Orthodox Mission was relatively new to the Excelsior Springs-area and definitely a minority among the local church community. Once again, and not at all unlike the effort that built the original structure, Excelsior Springs citizens pulled together to restore the house of worship for the new mission in town. In fact, the first check deposited into the building fund came from Fr. Larry Speichinger, then the pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church. Additional financial support and many hundreds of hours of labor have come from the Excelsior Springs community to lovingly restore the glory of this twice-blessed building. To see the structure today is to see more than 90 years of community support to provide a place to worship God.

The interior of St. Innocent Orthodox Church is nearly complete in October 1999

Recent restoration of the new St. Innocent Orthodox Church has been able to preserve most of the elements of the 1917 work while providing modifications necessary to modern convenience, accommodating those with mobility difficulties, and incorporating the necessary architecture to support the Orthodox liturgical expression. Restoration has taken five years to complete, and upgrade of the exterior is expected to continue for some time. Where some windows were removed to allow for modern necessities, mosaic icons will be installed. The present steeple is in disrepair and will be replaced with an onion-style dome. Originating in Russia, this unique dome has become almost a universally recognized symbol equated with the Orthodox Church.

During the first weekend of October 1999, St. Innocent Orthodox Church held a festival and open house to honor those from the local community and across the country who contributed according to their ability and resources, making this structure a house of worship once more.

Historical information adapted from the historic district survey completed in May, 1993 by Deon Wolfenbarger of Three Gables Preservation.

UAO Chancery: 1000 Lake Maurer Road, Excelsior Springs MO 64024-9321, USA

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