KANSAS CITY, Kan. — During Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann’s two-decade leadership of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, construction and renovation projects have reshaped the Catholic landscape across northeast Kansas. From parish halls and churches to chapels and care facilities, Naumann has continued the legacy of his predecessors by guiding the archdiocese’s physical and spiritual development.

Symbols on Archbishop Naumann’s coat of arms include loaves of bread, a carpenter’s square, and a rose—each deeply meaningful—but if you asked those familiar with his tenure, they might say a construction worker’s hard hat would be just as fitting.

The archbishop assumed his role on Jan. 15, 2005, succeeding Archbishop Emeritus James Patrick Keleher, who had already initiated significant building efforts. Naumann not only embraced those projects but expanded upon them.

“He’s been very supportive; he’s not been a roadblock at all,” said Dan Himmelberg, former archdiocesan director of real estate and construction. “For the most part, he’s been pro-construction so long as there was a need and a way to pay for it. In the time I’ve known him . . . he’s had the same attitude for our rural communities as our urban ones.”

Himmelberg estimated that construction and renovation projects under Naumann total more than $265 million in insured value, excluding major developments like Santa Marta senior living facility and Donnelly College’s campus overhaul. These efforts span more than 653,000 square feet across churches, schools, retreat centers, and support facilities.

The long list of completed projects includes eucharistic adoration chapels, campus ministry centers, grottos, rectories, retirement homes, and more. Among the largest: Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, which completed a $34 million, three-phase, 10-year campus transformation in April 2022. Naumann blessed the new building during its dedication ceremony.

“This includes not only new construction, but renovations and ongoing maintenance and improvements,” said Himmelberg, noting upgrades to the Savior Pastoral and Retreat Center. “In the last five years alone, we’ve renovated the parking structure and we did a complete rebuild of all the parking lots and sidewalks with handicapped accessibility. We put a new roof on the chancery and reroofs on the main chapel, and the recreation building.”

Across the archdiocese, 15 new churches have been built under Naumann’s tenure. Most served existing parishes relocating or rebuilding. Two entirely new parishes—St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in Westwood (2013) and St. John Paul II in Olathe (2016)—also took shape, serving growing Catholic populations in the region.

The strategy for parish development often followed a time-tested model: build schools and multipurpose facilities first, worship in temporary spaces, and complete a church later. A case in point: St. Paul Parish in Olathe, which broke ground on a new church in 2024 after moving to its current campus in 2018.

The One Faith capital campaign helped support parish consolidation projects, allocating $5 million to a revitalization fund. “We’re just taking applications for the last round . . . so in three years, we’re going to implement all those — from demolition to badly needed repairs at 14 parishes,” said Himmelberg.

Among the many projects:

• Eucharistic adoration chapels built: 4
• Churches built: 15; renovated: 9
• Parish halls built: 13; renovated: 2
• Rectories built: 10; renovated: 1
• Schools built: 1; renovated: 10
• Priests’ retirement homes built: 1
• Offices renovated: 2

Archbishop Naumann has even been seen blessing the ground for new structures, such as a new grotto at Our Lady of Lourdes and the Curé of Ars parish activities center, reflecting his ongoing presence and support for parish-level improvements.

Ultimately, his construction legacy reinforces a central message: spiritual growth in the archdiocese is intertwined with physical renewal. And the many buildings bearing his blessings will serve Kansas Catholics for generations to come.

Originally reported by Joe Bollig in The Leaven.