The services of Mr. McAfee were once again enlisted to rebuild the church. When it was nearly completed,
a cyclone struck the building and reduced it to rubble. The parishioners of Wea would not be defeated. They once
again rebuilt and the church we now worship in was dedicated on May 29, 1906.
In the ensuing years, several pastors served their terms with the Wea Catholic Community. The physical plant of
the parish continued to grow and to be modernized. Sisters from the Ursuline community in Paola came to educate
the children of Wea. Fr. Henry Freisberg was appointed pastor in 1915. He was determined that the children of
Wea would receive not only a Catholic elementary education, but also a Catholic high school education.
The plans were drawn and the building housing the elementary school, the high school and a parish gathering
facility were erected and opened for the school year in September of 1921. Queen of the Holy Rosary School continued to
educate children until financial conditions forced the closing of the school in 1970.
The parish family has always been very dedicated and blessed with the ability to enjoy life and the company
of neighbors. The annual parish bazaar has a history that goes back more than 68 years and continues today. Ladies of the parish began quilting in the early days of the parish and the group
of the Queen's Quilters continues today. Today we see second and third generation ladies carrying on this
dying art.
It is also a parish that is rich in vocations to the priesthood-Fr. George Seuferling, brother
of Teresa Kiesling; Fr. John Rooney and Fr. Don Rooney, sons of Don and Marie Rooney; Fr. Brian Schieber, son of
Andy and Rita Schieber; and most recently Fr. Rick Storey who celebrated his first Mass at Wea on May 30, 2004.
Our parish now serves over 600 families and with growth comes new activities and new needs. The increasing number
of families showed us that the current gathering facilities in the old school building were rapidly becoming too small. The increasing numbers of young children made it evident that a
return of a parochial school was once again paramount in the minds of the parishioners.
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