Instagram story viewer> @theleavenkc> Posts

The Leaven

@theleavenkc

5.4K

followers

266

following

Official Instagram for The Leaven, news source of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. 🌾

POSTS STORIES REELS

Holy Trinity Early Education Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary. 🎉

“We wanted the child-care center to be a place where parents felt confident that their children would be welcomed and nurtured,” said Barbara Sanders, the center’s first director.

Read the article at the link in our story. 🙌

📸: Jay Soldner
.
#EarlyEducation #CatholicSchool #Preschool #Lenexa #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

Yesterday, the African Catholic Community of Kansas (ACCK) gathered for its fifth anniversary Mass celebrated by Archbishop Shawn McKnight at Prince of Peace Church in Olathe. 🙏

The ACCK, formed as a monthly ministry in 2019, was inaugurated into @archkck on Nov. 7, 2021. 🤝

The Mass was held in the gym while the church is undergoing a renovation. Check out some of the highlights here! ⬆️
.
#African #Catholic #CatholicChurch #Kansas #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

Lola Kernell, a parishioner at @cureofarscatholicchurch, shares with families that amid an autism, Down syndrome or similar diagnosis, there is hope — and a great deal of it. 🙏

During the 2025 legislative season, Kernell testified on behalf of House Bill 2307. Signed into law on April 7, 2025, the bill transferred the authority for overseeing prenatal and postnatal diagnosed conditions awareness programs from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD). 🤝

Now more than a year after the bill’s passage, Kernell, in her role as advocacy coordinator at KCDD, is excited to have led the creation of the “New & Expectant Parent Guide: A Resource Guide for Kansas families in the I/DD Community.” 📄

Read more about her work at the link in our story!
.
#DownSyndrome #Autism #IDD #Leawood #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

For 150 years, Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, has been a powerful presence on Southwest Boulevard. 🙏

On a crisp October weekend, parishioners and community leaders came together to celebrate the momentous anniversary. 🍂

The Oct. 17 and 18 celebrations held at the church honored the history, mission and legacy of Holy Name, which was established in 1876 as a mission church. In 1899, it was converted into a parish, and Holy Name Catholic School opened in 1901. 🙌

Read more about it at the link in our story!

📸: Jay Soldner by @theleavenkc

This week in The Principal’s Office, meet Heather Stessman, principal at Corpus Christi Catholic School in Lawrence. 👋

“I’m really proud that we walk the talk of being a family centered environment,” she said. “We truly work to collaborate with families on what’s best for kids academically, emotionally, but most of all in their faith journey.”

Get to know her at the link in our story!
.
#ThePrincipalsOffice #CatholicSchool #Principal #Lawrence #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

This semester, seniors at @stasaints are collaborating with third graders at @st.michaels_cs on a drawing of a saint. ✍️ The drawings will be transformed into sculptures by the seniors, which will be displayed at Aquinas in early December.

📸: Jill Ragar Esfeld
.
#Art #Drawing #CatholicSchool #Saint #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

The Little Brothers and Little Sisters of the Community of the Lamb were joined by 45 young adults from the Kansas City metro, Wichita and other states for their 11th annual walking pilgrimage from Pleasanton Lake to the St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Memorial Park in Mound City on Oct. 17. 🚶‍♂️

They walked down rural highways and roads, through fields and up and down hills and participated in an outdoor Mass. 🙏

📸: Jay Soldner
.
#Pilgrimage #Walk #Catholic #Kansas #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

The St. James Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas cross country teams came together in prayer led by St. James chaplain Father Dan Mauro after the Cross Country 5A Regionals meet this past Saturday. 🙏

📸: Amy Wilken
.
#CrossCountry #HighSchool #CatholicSchool #Prayer #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

Many retired priests in @archkck continue to stay active in ministry, serving the people of northeast Kansas wherever they’re needed. 🙏 Read about the retirement adventures of Father Bill Porter, Father Jim Shaughnessy and Father Mike Stubbs at the link in our story!

📸: Kathryn White and Jay Soldner
.
#Retirement #Priest #Catholic #KansasCity #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

Gather your friends and your cozy fall sweaters for our inaugural pumpkin carving contest: Catholic edition 🎃⬇️

Artists and amateurs alike are invited to partake in our pumpkin carving contest this month! 🍁 Your mission is to carve a pumpkin with a Catholic-themed image, take a photo of it and submit it to us by Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. by emailing: moira.cullings@theleaven.org. Please include the carver’s name, parish name and town, and school name and town (if the carver is a student).

The album of pumpkins will be posted to our Facebook page on Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. A “like” for each photo is worth one point, and a comment is worth two. The photo that receives the most points by Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. will be our winner and will be featured in The Leaven’s Oct. 28 e-newsletter, Oct. 30 print issue and across social media.

Happy carving! 🍂
.
#Pumpkin #Fall #Halloween #Crafts #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

Across @archkck, parishes and individuals are finding ways to help moms and babies in need of extra support. 🤝 From offering rides to classes to babysitting to putting together “Love Boxes” and offering programs with educational and social opportunities, Catholics in northeast Kansas are walking with moms. 🫂

Read our Respect Life Month feature at the link in our story!

📸: Jay Soldner and Kathryn White
.
#ProLife #RespectLifeMonth #Mom #Baby #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc

TEAM OF THE WEEK: We’re excited to introduce a new series every other week featuring a sports team from our archdiocesan high schools. 🙌 This week, meet the @stasaints girls tennis team. 🎾

Read about the team at the link in our story!

📸: Amy Wilken
.
#TeamOfTheWeek #Tennis #HighSchool #Sports #TheLeavenKC by @theleavenkc