We Capuchins trace our heritage back 800 years to the little poor man of Assisi, whom history knows as perhaps the most clear imitator of Christ.

St. Francis of Assisi followed Jesus' footsteps so closely and loved humanity and all creation so deeply that he is known as "the universal saint." He began the Order of Friars Minor, or "lesser brothers" as he called them, in 1209 and later gave them a Rule of Life. He also, with St. Clare of Assisi, cofounded the Poor Clares, and he established the Secular Franciscan Order.


The Capuchin Franciscans (O.F.M.Cap.) began in 1528 as a renewal of the Order of Friars Minor. The Capuchin Franciscan friars desired more contemplative prayer and stricter poverty, but they were also fervent preachers of the Gospel and compassionate servants of the sick and suffering of their day. Attracting followers through their preaching, prayer, austerity, and ministry among the poor, the new community grew rapidly and soon spread throughout all of Europe. Today there are about 11,000 Capuchins worldwide and over 1,000 in North America.


Capuchins first came to Mid-America in the late colonial period. The earliest European settlers in this area included FRENCH Capuchins who served as the first Catholic pastors of St. Louis. Fr. Valentin de Neufchateau, O.F.M.Cap., was there already in 1772, and that same year Fr. Hilaire de Genevaux, O.F.M.Cap.—the first prothonotary apostolic in what is now the U.S.—became pastor of nearby Ste. Genevieve.

When Valentine left in 1775, Hilaire cared for the St. Louisans until the 1776 arrival of Fr. Bernard de Limpach, O.F.M.Cap., from the BELGIAN Province. Bernard cared for not only St. Louis, but also Florissant, Carondelet, St. Charles, and Portage des Sioux. He was there until 1789.

IRISH Capuchin Thomas Flynn also had the care of St. Louis and its dependencies from 1806 till 1808.

It was 69 years then till the friars returned to Mid-America. RHINE-WESTPHALIAN Capuchins from Cumberland MD, were the first to come. Anton Schuermann and six other friars took over the care of St. Mary's Parish, Metamora, IL, on July 25, 1877; and in the spring of the following year, the Westphalian Capuchins also took charge of Sacred Heart Parish in Peoria.

That same spring, BAVARIAN Capuchin Hyacinth Epp, who had led a group of Capuchins to Pittsburgh, PA, in 1873, visited the Volga-German settlements in western Kansas; and in May, 1878, he sent Matthew Hau and Anastasius Joseph Mueller to Victoria KS to begin St. Fidelis Friary and care for all the Catholic stations between Russell and the Colorado border.

The Bavarian and Westphalian Capuchins in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA joined forces in 1881, and on July 16, 1882, Pope Leo XIII authorized the establishment of the Capuchin Province of Pennsylvania. Thus on August 7 of that year the Pennsylvania Province became one of the first two Capuchin provinces outside of Europe. The other was Capuchin Province of Calvary, WI, which was established the same day.


For the next 95 years, Mid-America was part of the Pennsylvania Province which extended from the East coast to the Kansas-Colorado border, a distance of over 1,500 miles. Already as early as 1915, there was talk of dividing the province into two more manageable-sized territories.

This began to take form in 1963 when Colorado was added to the province's territory, and in 1971 when a provincial chapter called for study of the pros and cons of division and appointed Fr. Anselm Martin as vice provincial ad experimentum to lead the Order in Mid-America.

The next chapter in 1974 decided to start working toward a division, and in 1975 provincial councilor Fr. Vincent Rohr moved from Pittsburgh to Hays KS to begin the Office of Planning, in which he was assisted by two elected advisors, Frs. Gilmary Tallman and Thomas More Janeck.

Thus it came to pass that on 12 April 1977, the Province of Pennsylvania was dissolved and two new provinces established: the one keeping the name Pennsylvania Province of St. Augustine and the other named Mid-America Province of St. Conrad.

Friaries in the Mid-America Province at the time were St. Fidelis, Victoria KS (founded in 1878), St. Joseph, Hays KS (1893), St. Mary's, Ellis KS (1918), St. Bonaventure, Hays KS (1938), St. Charles Borromeo, St. Louis (1943), Sacred Heart, Atwood (1952), Annunciation, Denver CO (1970), and Good Shepherd, Shawnee KS (1972)


Two days later (14 April 1977) the leadership of the new province was installed by the general minister, Fr. Paschal Rywalski, at St. Fidelis Church in Victoria ("The Cathedral of the Plains," which had been dedicated in 1911). Fr. Vincent Rohr was appointed first provincial minister, with councilors Frs. Charles Chaput, Daniel Conway, Gilmary Tallman, and Thomas More Janeck; and when Fr. Daniel Conway died in 1978, Fr. Ed Judy filled the vacancy.

Fr. Vincent had served as a councilor of the undivided province, and Fr. Thomas More had earlier been its provincial minister. As the first president of the North American Conference (NACC), Thomas More had participated in the 1st Plenary Council of the Order in Quito, Equador, in 1971.

Soon after the province was established, the friary in Ellis was closed, and new friaries established in Thornton CO and Kansas City MO. The latter, St. Conrad's, became provincial headquarters.

Also during the triennium, Fr. Joseph Schreck was elected vice provincial minister in Puerto Rico (1978), Fr. Berard Tomassetti was a delegate to the 3rd Plenary Council of the Order at Mattli, Switzerland (1978), and friars in Hays began the New Year's custom of annually "wuensching" the parents of friars from Ellis County (1977).


Fr. Vincent Rohr was reelected as provincial in 1980, and Frs. David Gottschalk and Michael Scully replaced Frs. Gilmary and Thomas More as councilors (1980).

During the triennium, the friars in St. Louis moved from St. Charles Borromeo Friary to the new St. Patrick's Friary (2 Aug. 1981), and St. Crispin Friary was begun in St. Louis at 3739 Westminster Pl. (June 1982). Also Fr. Thomas More Janeck begins his ministry to migrant workers (1982).

Internationally, Fr. Charles Chaput represented NACC at the 4th Plenary Council of the Order at Rome (1981), and Frs. Vincent Rohr and Dominic Unger participated in the General Chapter there (1982).


Fr. Charles Chaput was elected provincial minister in 1983, and Frs. Gene Emrisek and Earl Meyer replaced him and Fr. Ed on the council.

That same year the provincialate was moved from Kansas City to St. Elizabeth Friary in Denver, a provincial advisory board was established, and Fr. Christopher Popravak began the postulancy program in Kansas City.

Fr. John Lager started the provincial development office in 1984, Fr. Harvey Dinkel became executive secretary in 1985, and the provincial assembly room in Victoria was completed that same year.

During the triennium, Fr. Simeon Gallagher began his ministry as an itinerant preacher (1983), Fr. Steve Reichert was elected regular superior of the Capuchins in Papua New Guinea (1984), Bro. Joseph McGlynn at Kansas City became the province's first lay guardian (1984).

Also the Catholic Campus Center at Ft. Hays State University was dedicated (17 June 1984), the province accepted the leadership of Samaritan Shelter (1 Sept. 1984), and the postulancy program moved to St. Louis (1985).



Fr. Charles Chaput was reelected in 1986, and Fr. Charles Polifka and Bro. Joseph McGlynn replaced Frs. Gene and Mike as councilors. When Fr. Charles Chaput was named Bishop of Rapid City in 1988, Fr. Charles Polifka became acting provincial. Fr. Harvey Dinkel becomes provincial treasurer in 1986.

During 1986, friaries in Thornton CO, Atwood KS, and Shawnee KS were closed, the postulancy program moved back to Kansas City, St. Crispin's Friary moved from 3739 to 3727 Westminster Pl., and St. John's Friary was begun in Lawrence KS (15 July). Also during the triennium, the Capuchin Poor Clares arrived from Irupuato, Mexico, and began Our Lady of Light Monastery (17 Nov. 1988).

Friars began ministering at Cure d'Ars parish in Denver (1886), St. John's Church, Lawrence (1986), and the Catholic campus center at Haskell Indian Nations University (1986), and the new Samaritan House was dedicated (20 Nov.).

Outside the province, most of the Mid-American friars attended Bishop Chaput's episcopal ordination in Rapid City (26 July 1988),

Fr. Vincent Rohr became the first executive director of NACC (1988), Bro. Mark Schenk was named English-speaking Secretary for the Order's General Curia at Rome (1988), and Fr. Charles Polifka attended the General Chapter at Rome (1988).


Fr. Charles Polifka was elected third provincial minister in 1989, and Frs. Bill Kraus and Gene Emrisek replaced Earl Meyer on the council. Later that year, the Poor Clares were encloistered (May 21).

During the triennium, the friars at Lawrence moved into St. Conrad Friary (15 July 1990), Fr. Berard received the 1st Conrad Key of Recognition for his development work in Papua New Guinea (1991), Immaculate Conception Friary was begun at Arnold MO (21 June 1991), the Alverne Chapel (a Capuchin ministry since 1961) closed in St. Louis, and Fr. Canice Froehlich and Fr. Simon Conrad move their confession ministry to St. John the Evangelist Church (1991).

In Papua New Guinea, Fr. Pete Meis was elected regular superior of the Custody (1990).

Fr. Charles Polifka was reelected provincial minister in 1992, and Frs. Felix Petrovsky and Duane Reinert replaced Fr. Gene and Bro. Joseph on the council. At the chapter, Bro. Benignus Scarry received the 2nd Conrad Key of Recognition for his work with Habitat for Humanity. At the assembly in 1994, Fr. Thomas More Janeck was given the 3rd Conrad Key for his work with migrant field workers.

During the triennium, St. Elizabeth Friary was closed, the friars and provincialate moved to the new St. Francis of Assisi Friary (1 June 1993), and the first Capuchin Friars' Gala was held (29 Apr. 1994).

Elsewhere, Fr. Peter Meis was named first vice-provincial minister of the Capuchins in Papua New Guinea (11 Feb. 1993), Fr. Charles Polifka and Bro. Joseph McGlynn represented NACC at the firstever Assembly of the Order at Lublin, Poland (1982), Fr. Charles attended the General Chapter in Rome (1994), and Bro. Mark Schenk was elected vicar of the fraternity of the General Curia in Rome (23 Jan. 1993) and later Acting Secretary General of the Order (1994). Both of these were firsts for a lay friar.


Fr. David Gottschalk was elected the fourth provincial minister in 1995, and Frs. Gene Emrisek, Mike Scully and Jim Moster replace him and Frs. Bill and Felix on the council.

Fr. Michael Scully received the 4th Key of Recognition for his service of the poor and evangelization of youth (1995), and Bishop Firmin Schmidt the 5th one for his evangelization and development work in Papua New Guinea (1996).

During the triennium, Fr. David Songy began the Capuchin Center for Spiritual Life at Victoria (1995), Fr. David Gottschalk (as NACC president) and Bro. Mark Schenk participated in the International Congress on Lay Expression of the Capuchin Vocation (Sept. 1996), the renovated friary at Victoria was rededicated (1997), and St. Bonaventure Friary (started in 1938) was dissolved (21 June 1997).

Fr. Stephen Reichert was consecrated second Bishop of Mendi (7 May 1996), Fr. Blaine Burkey began Capuchins-on-Line (1996), Bishop Charles Chaput was installed as Archbishop of Denver (7 Apr. 1997), and Fr.Berard Tomassetti published "Papua New Guinea Encore" (1997).



Fr. David was reelected as provincial minister in 1998, and Frs. Frank Grinko and Blaine Burkey replaced Frs. Duane Reinert and Jim Moster on the council. At the chapter, Fr. Paulinus Karlin was given the 6th Conrad Key of Recognition for his saving & recycling efforts, his services of the poor, and his peacemaking, and Fr. Bill Kraus was commissioned for missionary service in northern Mexico.

That same year, Fr. David represented NACC at the 6th Plenary Council of the Order at Assisi.

In 1999, Bro. Gerald Wintz was commissioned for missionary service in Papua New Guinea, the Province began this webFriary (April) and dedicated a new friary (Fraternidad San Antonio) to replace Annunciation Friary, Denver (3 May 1999), and Frs. Felix Petrovsky and Maris Goetz began a year's ministry of Reconciliation Missions throughout northern Colorado.

In 2000, this ministry had been so well received, that it was extended for another year; and the friars left the care of Cure d'Ars parish in Denver (after 14 years) and the Catholic Campus Center at Ft. Hays State University, Hays (after 83 or more years).


MICHAEL SCULLY became Mid-America's fifth provincial minister at the 2001 chapter, and CHARLES POLIFKA and MARK SCHENK replaced Mike Scully and BLAINE BURKEY as councilors. The chapter also gave VALENTINE YOUNG the Conrad Key for his sevice of the poor in downtown St. Louis.

Soon afterwards a decision made by the previous administration to return Immaculate Conception Church in the Arnold to the diocesan clergy was implemented, and plans began to enfold for a new ministry at the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs CO. The northern Colorado Capuchin Reconciliation Ministry was continued during Advent and Lent

The Capuchins friars and sisters have close to 60 members who have been recognized by the Church as saints and blesseds...


That the Apostolic Preacher, who preaches to the Pope and the Papal Household during Lent and Advent, is a Capuchin, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M.Cap. This position has been reserved to the Capuchin Order since 1743...


That both the Capuchin Monkey and the Cappuccino were named after the Capuchin Franciscans and not vice versa?...


The habit worn by the Capuchins was adopted by Matteo Da Bascio, one of the founders of the Capuchin Order, after learning that it was the same style habit worn by St. Francis and his original followers....