St. Teresa of Avila - Westphalia
*Check the bulletin for any Mass time changes*
| Mass Times | Saturday | 6:00pm |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 8:30am | |
| Adoration | Thursday | 9:00am - 7:00pm |
| Confession | Saturday | 5:30pm - 5:50pm |
St. Teresa Religious Education / CCD
Religious Education Classes for the 2025-26 school year have concluded. See you in September!
If you would like more information about the religious education program or would like to volunteer to help in the fall, please contact Holly Ellington or Reva Pracht.
NOTE: Volunteer teachers and substitutes will need to be Virtus Trained. Contact the office for more information about training or transferring your bulletin updates to the parish. Thank you.
Mailed Contributions
If you wish to contribute to our parish upkeep during this time, please send to the church office as follows:
4 Parish Church Office
c/o St. Teresa
214 Juniatta
Burlington, KS 66839
Thank you for the continued support of our parish.
Flocknote Information
Are you signed up to receive Flocknote information? Communications about Mass and other notifications are sent out via email or text. Call the 4 Parish Church office (620 364-5671) to sign up.
Contacts for St. Teresa Church
News for Bulletin: Contact 4 Parish Office (620 364-5671)
Basement Rental/Usage: Contact the 4 Parish Office (620-364-5671)
St. Teresa of Avila
Our patron saint is St. Teresa of Avila
Patron of: Headache sufferers and Catholic writers
Birth: March 28, 1515 and Death: October 4, 1582
Beatified: April 24, 1614 and Canonized: March 12, 1622
St. Teresa was the reformer of Carmel, mother of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns and Friars. She is the “spiritual mother” (as is engraved under her statue in the Vatican Basilica). St. Teresa is the patron of Catholic writers and was one of the first women, with Saint Catherine of Siena, to ever receive the title of Doctor of the Church (given this title in 1970).
Let nothing disturb you,
nothing affright you;
All things are passing,
God never changes!
Patient endurance attains to all things;
The one who possesses God
wants for no thing;
God alone suffices.
- St. Teresa of Avila
History of St. Teresa of Avila Parish
St. Teresa Church has been the center of spiritual life in Westphalia and surrounding community for 138 years.
In the spring of 1880, three brothers from Westphalia, Iowa (Emil, Anton and Carl Flushe) came to this area looking for a suitable location to establish a good home for German Catholics. Later that spring they returned with their families to settle in the new town of Westphalia. The first Mass was celebrated at their home by a Carmelite priest from Scipio on April 13, 1880.Fourteen adults and several children attended the Mass. More families from Iowa arrived in June of that year.
In May of 1881, the parishioners built the first church, a 22x40 building . It was placed under the patronage of the great Spanish saint, St. Teresa of Avila and was dedicated on July 1881. The building was used for both church services and parochial school which was taught by lay people. The first resident priest was appointed in 1883 and a rectory was built for him.
By 1888, the parish had outgrown the small church and it was decided to build a new Gothic style church. The parishioners excavated the basement, quarried and hauled lime stone and sand and made their own bricks. When it was dedicated in April 1891, this magnificent church was rated as one of the most beautiful in the state of Kansas.
In 1965 the 75 year old church became structurally unsound and it was decided to replace it. A new church was built on the same site. The statues from the old church were refurbished in bronze to match the style of the 60's. The 3 big bells that had been in the steeple of the old church were hung in a free standing tower. This allowed continuity between the old and the new. The church was dedicated on August 28, 1966.
Today approximately 75 families worship at St. Teresa Church. May God continue to shower His blessings on them as He has the past 138 years.
