by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — As Kansas City prepares to welcome an estimated 650,000 visitors for the World Cup this summer, the local Catholic church is working to ensure they’ll feel at home during their time in the heart of America.
“Whether you have traveled from Amsterdam or Algiers, Detroit or Des Moines, we hope you will feel at home in our Catholic parishes and in our city,” said Bishop James V. Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
“We are committed to being a joyful presence reflecting Kansas City’s welcoming spirit and deep faith,” added Archbishop Shawn McKnight of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
The bishops teamed up to share their words of welcome in a special video message filmed in a suite overlooking Sporting KC’s home field at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on April 17.
It will be available to watch on the OneKC Catholic website in the near future.
The bishops had previously filmed a general welcome video offering a snapshot of the local church, which can also be viewed on the campaign’s website and on Facebook and Instagram.
The videos are just one offering of OneKC Catholic, which was created by both dioceses as a guide for visitors to Kansas City who are interested in learning more about local Catholic offerings and pilgrimage sites.
Its home page can be translated into Dutch, French and Spanish.
“The original idea was to seize this opportunity we have for hospitality and to showcase specifically Catholic hospitality for this unprecedented moment for our community,” said Ashlie Hand, director of communications for the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese.
“Hosting a World Cup is sort of like hosting nine Super Bowls over six weeks,” she continued. “This is something our city hasn’t had an opportunity to do before, so we wanted to be sure that we took advantage of that.”
Organizers expect Kansas City to draw soccer fans from around the Midwest since the next closest host city is Dallas.
And because four teams — Argentina, England, the Netherlands and Algeria — will be staying in the Kansas City region, their fans are expected to follow.
Marissa Easter, chief communications officer for the archdiocese, hopes they’ll find a welcoming Catholic community during their stay.
“No matter where you go, if you’re Catholic you can find your home here — whether that’s a parish to go to Mass or adoration or confession,” she said.
Easter expects the summer to be an exciting time for visitors to connect the secular sport of soccer with their Catholic faith.
“If, while they’re here, they’re able to take some time to attend a Mass and grow a tiny bit closer in their faith or connect with other Catholics, I think it’s a really cool, natural merging of two worlds coming together,” she said.
Stay up-to-date
• OneKC Catholic will be an ongoing resource for visitors and those new to Kansas City during the World Cup and beyond. Visit the website at: onekccatholic.org or follow @onekccatholic on Facebook and Instagram.
• To learn more about the World Cup in Kansas City, visit: kansascityfwc26.com.
• For stories related to the World Cup and the local church, visit: theleaven.org and follow @theleavenkc on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
