In 1954 Raymond E. Wicher came to Hays in response to an advertisement placed in "Our Sunday Visitor" by Fr. Alfred Carney. He served St. Joseph's Parish faithfully under seven pastors. Ray faced the challenges of helping the parish adapt to the changes in the liturgy brought about by Vatican Council II, always blending what was musically artistic, from the German hymns that the Volga Germans brought with them from Russia to the polyphonic chat of Rome with what was liturgically proper. Ray retired in 1988 for health reasons and died in 1994. His death marked an end to an era in the parish of St. Joseph.
St Joseph Organist, Rich Dreiling, at the
new 1952 Wicks Organ.
During the summer months of 1958, St. Joseph's Church received a new concrete floor, heating system, bathroom facilities, and a complete new set of pews at a cost of around $25,000.
Fr. Thomas Haywood became pastor in July of 1969. Before long, he became aware of the un-functional parish office situation. At first, plans were considered for remodeling the lower area of the old monastery, but eventually it was decided to dismantle the old building and replace it with a modern building which would serve the needs of the present large parish; it was completed in January, 1972. 1976 would also bring many repairs and improvements. The main altar was moved and the church underwent extensive renovations including: the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, cry room, new confessionals, exterior repairs and sandblasting, refurbished stations, replacement of lights, painting and redecorating.
The inside of St. Joseph Church as it looked in the early 1960's.
For over 16 years, the parish did not have any special projects outside of ongoing maintenance and repairs. By 1992, it was necessary to repair and clean the limestone and weatherproof the exterior of the building. Cracks and other defects on the interior of the church were also repaired and cleaned. New flooring and paint put the finishing touches on the interior.
The most dramatic evidence of this project was the repair and enhancement of the Wicks pipe organ in the choir loft. The organ was refurbished at the factory in Highlands, Illinois. When it was returned to the church, its location in the loft was moved. The pipes, which had been concealed at the back of the loft, were brought into the open, resulting in an impressive sound and appearance for the remodeled church. When the pipes were relocated, a stained glass window, which had been concealed since 1952, was uncovered.
The specifications of the 1991 organ include:
- 14 ranks of wind-blown pipes
- 38 ranks of digitally sampled pipe voices
- A total of 57 ranks not including the three percussion voices - the Harp, Carillon (Chimes) and Harpsichord.
- The organ has 4 divisions: Great, Swell, Positive and Pedal.
- 856 Pipes
A small organ from the same company was also added in the sanctuary at the same time. This organ is electronic and may also be used to play the pipes from the organ in the loft. This organ is mainly used for devotional services and small liturgical gatherings.
The canopy or "baldacchino" as it stood in the sanctuary of
St Joseph Church from 1944 - until the early 1970's.
Organists for St. Joseph parish have been:
- Richard A. Dreiling 1938-1953
- Valentin Herzog cir. 1953
- Raymond E. Wicher 1954-1988
- Robert Maxwell III 1988-1994
- Kevin D. Rupp 1994 - present
Raymond E. Wicher, St. Joseph Parish Organist, 1954-1988
The acoustics of the church were improved with the addition of carpeting and a new sound system. The cost of the improvements came to $350,000, almost nine times the cost of building the church in 1901-1904.
 Back of Church, late 1960's |
 Back of Church, 2016 |
With the turn of a new century, the current structure celebrated 100 years of providing a place for the people of St. Joseph’s to worship. It was time to think about preserving it for the next 100 years. In the Spring of 2002, new bronze doors replaced the old original wooden doors that were installed in the mid 1940s. In 2003, Marble tile was installed on the sanctuary floor; the flooring in the main section of the church was replaced with ceramic tile and the refurbishing of the statues was begun in 2005. In 2006, repairing the stained glass windows began; this was completed in 2007. Repainting of the church, replacing the sound system and restoration of the crucifix was completed in the summer of 2009.
After 135 years of spiritual leadership to the parish, the Capuchin Province of Mid-America decided that it was time to turn the parish back over to the Diocese of Salina Kansas for spiritual leadership. Increased age of the men that have been serving the parish and low numbers in vocations at the time were the reason for the change. The Capuchins were also following a new chapter in their province, turning a page to the "New Evangelization". They would keep an active presence in the parish that they first started in the late 1870's, St. Fidelis in Victoria, Ks. So, on August 1, 2013 Fr. Fred Gatschet and Fr. Charles Awotwi, became the first diocesan priests since Fr. Sommereisen to attend to the spiritual needs of St. Joseph's parish. A new chapter in the parish had begun.
The bronze statue of St. Francis of Assisi was installed as a tribute to the
Capuchin Friars who had been in the parish for 135 years.
The statue was cast and shipped from Verona, Italy.
It is six feet tall made of fiberglass with a bronze exterior.
The gift of the statue was made possible to the parish and friary from an anonymous donor.
