The St. Casimir's Bell
Help Us Save This Important Piece of
Kansas City Lithuanian History
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The Bell of St. Casimir's Church is
now a centerpiece at the Wyandotte
County Museum.
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
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The Story of the St. Casimir's Bell
Our story begins in the 1880’s when a small group of Lithuanian citizens settled in the Kansas City Kansas area and built a community. In spite of a lack of support from the Archdiocese at the time, our very small (only 150 families) community purchased an old baptist church and converted it to serve the area Lithuanian families. St. Casimir’s Catholic Church, with it’s hand made wooden altar and bell as a centerpiece, was named for the patron saint of Lithuania. St. Casimir’s served the Lithuanian Community until 1947 when the Archdiocese closed it. All of the church’s artifacts and holy objects were either disposed of or relocated to other churches. Without a central meeting place for the community, the Lithuanian people dispersed and began to lose touch of their roots and heritage.
Surprisingly, our community did not die. The descendants of those original immigrants got back together in the early 1980’s and decided to re-build our community. We now have an active group of 3rd and 4th generation Lithuanian Americans who proudly spread the beautiful culture to others in our area.
The only known part of St. Casimir’s church to survive today is the bell. The names of the families who scrimped and saved to pay for it were inscribed on the bell. It currently resides at Christ the King church in Kansas City, Kansas. Much to our surprise and delight, the Archdiocese has now gracefully agreed to let our community have our bell back. We must now relocate it at our own expense. We look for a permanent home for the bell, a place where the ancestors of the community who toiled to purchase and build the parish of St. Casimir’s can see and appreciate it.
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Bell Text:
ET VERBUM CARC FACTUM EST
KLEE. KUN. K. SKAYPKA
KOM: J SKUCUI BA. STRUMILLAI
J JOCIUI IR V. ZEMAICIUI SI VARPA
SV KAZYMIERO BAZNYCIAI SAVO AUKOMIS
I TAISO: KAZYMIERO DR J ALEKSAITIS
J RODZIEJAUSKAS J SKUCAS J JANULAITIS
J IR J CODELIAI A GRANAUSKAS A VALADKA A CAIDYS
J OUTAUSKA V ZEMAITIS B LUKOSEVICIUS L JANKAUSKAS
IR KITI CERI PARAPIONAI 1920 M BAL 11 D
JU MALONYBE UKSKUPAS J WARD
SI VARPA PASV: VARDU KAZYMIERAS
Does your name or something similar appear in the bell text? If so, please consider donating to our efforts to move the bell!
Video of bell ringing
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