Our Lady of Lourdes - Harrisonville

History of Our Lady of Lourdes

Harrisonville acquired the status of a mission church in 1884. From 1884 – 1910, Mass was said once a month in the home of John McGuire by the priest who was visiting Pleasant Hill.

In the fall of 1939, a Civilian Conservation Corps established a camp southwest of Harrisonville. Due to the number of Catholics, Sunday Mass began two years later and was moved to a parlor in the Hotel Harrisonville.

The parish was officially named on February 12, 1941 and established in August 1941. Property was purchased at 608 W. Wall Street for the use of a church / rectory on September 12, 1942. The parish consisted of twelve families. In 1945, a church was built east of the rectory. It was dedicated on January 11, 1946 and could seat 120. A parish hall was added to the rear of the church in 1952. With the continued growth of the parish, the hall was remodeled and used for additional seating, bringing the seating capacity to 180.

In December 1970, plans began to construct a new church on our current property off of Highway 7. The property was donated by Bartles and Teresa Henderson. Construction began on December 5, 1972 and the church was dedicated on August 5, 1973. The church cost $182,000 and the seating capacity was 450.

In 2000, “Answering God’s Call” campaign began as a larger church was needed. Bishop Boland dedicated the new building on August 1, 2004. The total cost was $2,535,085 and has the capacity of 647.