IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION recognizing the 130 Year Celebration for Sacred Heart Guadalupe Catholic Church.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 22301, June 8, 2026
INTRODUCED BY Manuel Abarca IV, County Legislator
WHEREAS, Sacred Heart Church, now known as Sacred Heart Guadalupe, is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Kansas City’s West Side neighborhood with roots dating back to the late 19th Century; and,
Body
WHEREAS, the congregation was established in 1887 by Irish Catholic immigrants who worked in railroads, meatpacking, and farming; and,
WHEREAS, services began were held in homes until a brick school was built in 1888, which also hosted Mass; and,
WHEREAS, a temporary wood-frame church was erected in the early 1890s, but the present limestone church was constructed in 1896 and completed in 1897 and the church was designed in the English Romanesque style, featuring a 90-foot bell tower, arched doorways, and an ashlar limestone exterior; and,
WHEREAS, the original church and its parish hall remain today, while the rectory and school were demolished in 2010 and it has served as an architectural landmark for the neighborhood, especially for its Irish Catholic parishioners, until the mid-20th century; and,
WHEREAS, the Sacred Heart congregation peaked at around 500 families but declined by the 1970s; and,
WHEREAS, in 1990, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph announced the consolidation of Our Lady of Guadalupe with Sacred Heart Church, which met in the Sacred Heart building and was renamed Sacred Heart Guadalupe Parish: two churches but one parish; and,
WHEREAS, the merger preserved the church’s role as a cultural and spiritual hub for Kansas City’s Latin X population, especially Mexican families; and,
WHEREAS, today, the church stands at 2544 Madison Avenue, sharing a parking lot with Boulevard Brewing, and remains a focal point of the West Side’s history and identity; and,
WHEREAS, the church’s leadership is currently under the supervision of its current
pastor, Father Luis Felipe Suarez, who has been at the parish for the past 7 years; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Jackson County Legislature celebrates along with Sacred Heart Guadalupe Catholic Church as they commemorate celebrate 130 years.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________
County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 22301 of June 8, 2026, was duly passed on ___________________________, 2026 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _________________ Nays ____________
Abstaining ___________ Absent ____________
______________________ ________________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature