St Mary's Episcopal Church

My wife Brenda and I had visited various Episcopal churches in the metro area and eventually was drawn to remain at St. Mary,s by the warmth, love and acceptance we experienced from the people. The people there have a heart for ministering to the needy from all walks of life.Many wonderful and life changing small groups meet there throughout the week and a few in local places to discuss many important topics. I am always glad to invite my friends to attend at St. Mary's Episcopal Church! Peace + Jeff HurstTo

No matter what your need, St Mary's can help. From the moment you enter the sanctuary, you will feel the living presence of God. The historic building and ministry format strongly connect to the traditions of the past; while the community exists firmly in the present. Liturgical services will be at once familiar to you and at the same time, offer a fresh perspective.Combining the best of Kansas City with up-to-date Episcopal values, St. Mary's is a Church of the People. You will be warmly welcomed, fed (spiritually and gastronomically), and generally looked-after. No matter your background. And if your thing is to sit quietly and just take it all in, that is quite alright. No one will pester you.Easter Sunday beckoned me first to St Mary's and I've been regularly attending services ever since. At first I was timid but after an amazingly short time, I felt at home. Less than a week ago, I officially joined The Episcopal Church. St Mary's has given me new life!

A historic location meeting the needs of modern worshippers. An active,vibrant, welcoming parish, just off of I 70. All are truly welcome. The service is reverent and very well done. I highly recommend. The buffet after church is fantastic!! Everyone needs to treat yourself to this church!!

St. Mary's is an amazing blend of beauty, history, diversity, and warmth that I've rarely found in one church. The historic building and stained glass is gorgeous, the music and choir is lovely, and the sermons are kept brief and to the point. They warmly welcome all people from all walks of life without judgment or exclusion. They are actively involved in social outreach to the needy in the downtown area. The service is traditional and formal, but full of warmth, vitality, and love. There isn't the stuffiness and snootiness that one sometimes finds in churches with traditional services.

I've lived and worshiped in many places, and none is like St. Mary's. Time after time again, my story and the stories of others reflects the love which is found here. The liturgy, the diverse community, and the missional nature of this church combine to create a vibrant place of prayer and service.

St. Mary's is an incredible church! My husband and I spent months looking for a church where we could get married that combined a few very important things: namely a theology and social acceptence that we could agree upon, unique aesthetic beauty, and a traditional marriage ceremony that would satisfy the Presbyterians on my side of the family and the Catholics on his. We went to A LOT of churches on Sundays to get a feel for their services and what they believe in but none spoke to us like St. Mary's. Admittedly, it was initially the church's rich history and unique, old-world feel that drew us, but it was the total acceptence and wide variety of congregants that we encountered at service that made us sure that this was the church for us. What we found in the congregation was a mix of wealthy nuclear families, the homeless looking for salvation on a Sunday, gay couples, singles old and young; you name it and it was present. This is what I have always looked for in a church since it really shows how welcoming the congregation must be that you would see people from such diverse backgrounds comfortable and in attendence. The church itself is incredible and was perfect for our evening wedding in December. The dark burgundy and red colors, wrought iron gates, stained glass, and dark wood accents were a perfect backdrop for our vows.We opted for a full mass and a very traditional ceremony. The thing to know about the Episcopal church is that marriage is a rite and thus follows a set service with no alterations allowed (save your choices of biblical and Gospel passages). It is beautiful and traditional and I thought it was the perfect way to start our marriage. I would recommend this church to anyone looking for a welcoming, diverse congregation in an urban setting with a traditional service but socially aware and accepting goals. This is a beautiful place to be married and any cost you incur goes toward keeping up the beautiful building and supporting the growth of the community outreach of the church. Think of it as a charitable donation going to a truly great cause. Love it!

St. Mary's is a beautiful church just celebrating their 151st anniversary. Spanning three centuries, there's A LOT of history in this place, including a ghost. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the ghost of Rev'd Henry David Jardine (whom the building was built in honor for) still roams the halls of this historic building--dragging his chains and being seen near the marble altar. Spooky.Though who wouldn't want to spend eternity in this beautiful church with it's intricate stain glass windows. enormous and powerful organ, and a gorgeous marble alter. No expense was spared when constructing this church and it's quite noticeable. My only complaint is, they must be using the same heating unit from the beginning, because we were freezing the entire night. Definitely go on a sunny day when the light filters through the stain glass, illuminating every artistic detail (I can't convey how amazing these are). There are also minute details to notice, such as the small cross in the wooden beams on the left side of the arc (from the original church) and the circular stain glass on the top left (the first one) that's also from the original church.

So I have to have a moment of honesty here and let the world know that this is more of a review of the space, rather than the Jesus worshipping aspect of the building. I have not attended any services here, but I did recently attend one of the most beautiful weddings here and was very impressed. Of course with that said, they did celebrate a full mass during the ceremony, so I guess maybe I have taken part in the worship aspect...well either way, here are my thoughts and impressions.First of all, a downtown location with plenty of parking! There is one star right there. Second of all, beautiful space! When you enter this building you are first in a nice and spacious breezeway that is all wood. You then carry on into the chapel, which is all wood (you should be seeing the trend here). Gorgeous beam work and what I'm sure would be stunning stain glass during the day (I was at an evening wedding) towered above me. I'll be completely honest, I don't know the age of the actual building, but it gave off this sense of history and age that made me feel like I was in something quite special. I also liked the fact that we were sat in wood chairs rather than pews. I am not a fan of pews unless they have been repurposed as great booth seats or something. The chairs allowed us to sit in our own space and leave that sense of "I can't get out of here until everyone else leaves" feeling behind. I have to admit, I loved during the ceremony when we all stood and then sat, listening to all of the old chairs creak and crack as they welcomed our derrieres back into their seats. The entire space was open and very clean. With all of that wood I'm sure they spend hours every week dusting to make certain their space stays as beautiful as I saw it. Even with the wonderful sense of age that is presented here, all of the modern amenities have been put into place. I know this because I spotted the thermostat on a pillar next to the end of the row I was seated in. The service also utilized microphones; while this may seem obvious to us today, I have to say that I could not find a speaker out in the open. Kudos for that as I hate walking into spaces and then being sad when I'm greeted by giant black boxes hanging off of walls, which ruin the aesthetics. And finally the acoustics are superb, or at least to this untrained ear. Our lovely bride had selected to use live stings and a french horn for the music, which filled the space wonderfully well. Of course the wedding was perfect for the perfect couple and absolutely gorgeous, I cried a bit. I know though that environment is oh so very important, and what a great environment it was.

I started going to St. Mary's on Easter Sunday. My son found this church and they were so welcoming to him in his time of need. I moved to Kansas 20 years ago and haven't been able to find a "home" church. I've found it in St. Mary's.Last weekend I officially joined the church and my son was confirmed.The church is very diverse in every aspect and are the church is truly accepting of all.Come Visit !!!!!!!

I found St. Mary's after I had drifted away from the church for a couple of years and four years later I'm still hooked. St. Mary's is a place where you can truly encounter God and where everyone is welcome regardless of who they are. It is a place steeped in the traditions of the Church that strives to make the faith relevant to the modern world. Jesus and His love is at the heart of everything they do and the worship is like a glimpse of heaven.