History
THE FOUNDING AND HISTORY OF SANCTUARY OF HOPE
The vision of Father Dennis Wait for Sanctuary of Hope is to create a place where all could come and find God in their own way. Through a diversity of faiths, backgrounds, and experiences, people can all know the presence of a holy God. To come and worship in a place that offers stillness and peace makes the above possible.
Father Dennis has always had in his heart a special love for the things of God. He knew as a child that he had a calling to be a priest. His first cousin, Mary Cornelius, said: “He used to have an altar as a child and asked his family to be the servers.” Father believes that through a vision he received from the Blessed Mother in grade school, confirmed his calling to be priesthood.
He remembers coming to the Mt St. Joseph Nursing Home, when it was operated by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas and Sister Mary Adolph Schuele, SCL, who was the Mother Superior at the time. Father Donald Goens, who also lived at the Home with Sr. Mary Adolph, began the charismatic renewal of Mt. St. Joseph’s. Fr. Dennis, as a newly ordained priest, was baptized in the Holy Spirit here too. Sr. Mary Adolph shared this early history with Fr. Dennis. SOH is now operating in a building some 115 years old and following the same mission statement from its inception in 1893: “to be a place of healing for the people of the community.”
In 1893, the building was constructed as a mental health asylum, working with those who had TB or nervous conditions. It was called Home for the Insane. In 1899, it became the Grand View Sanitarium to house people with communicable diseases.
In the early 1900s, the East Wing was built and the structure had the shape of the Tau Cross of St. Francis. This shape reminded Fr. Dennis of a Franciscan spirituality that honors Christ, the environment and the people. This is the spirituality that underlies Sanctuary of Hope (SOH) today. SOH, from 1996 to present, is still bringing healing to the people of the community and beyond thru bringing people closer to God and more able to bring that holy presence of God to others in their own environments.
In 1946 the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas, with the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, took over the site, operating it as a nursing home named Mount St. Joseph Home, caring for the elderly and those in need of care. In 1946, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas had an addition built on which included what is now the chapel, dining area and the dayroom. The Archdiocese, from 1977-1996, worked at SOH as a refuge for the Vietnamese to help them get established in our country and live their Faith. The building eventually closed and sat vacant for many years.
Father Dennis felt that God was calling him to establish a place of contemplative prayer. Father said: “When he was attending the people as pastor of two local Catholic churches, Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of St. Rose, he felt their woundedness, their pain, and their suffering.” He felt that he could do only so much and what they needed, and someone much higher than himself. He decided to take a sabbatical to think this through, and how to even begin. He was told by God to start a place where people would come to God and God would take care of them.
When Fr. Dennis visited the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, he recalled it was an overcast day. He said “He prayed for many intentions at the grotto and when they put him under the cold water, he came out totally dry and feeling like a million dollars.” He said he knew something had occurred and Our Lady was with him.” On one of his first visits to the then Mt. St. Joseph Home, with some of this friends, they prayed at the grotto of Mary on the main driveway. It was another overcast day and it was the feast of “Our Lady of Lourdes.” Fr. Dennis knew then that Our Lady was showing him that his dream would come true and this would be the future place for Sanctuary of Hope.
After this visit, Fr. Dennis shared his thoughts with Lou Medellin, Willie Etta Jennings, Bernadine Asher, Donna Cermak, Jim Randall, Sr. Mary Eugenia Floersch, SCL, and many others. They believed in Fr. Dennis’ vision and they began to take practical steps to begin the work. Father received two checks from some close friends as well, and they started the first bank account for SOH. Serge Guislain came on later and did blueprints of the building since no one seemed to have any idea where the original blueprints were.
Former Archbishop James Keleher, the 20 years of prayers of Sr. Mary Adolph Schuele, SCL, the goodness of the Lord, the efforts of people with professional backgrounds, the staff and associate members, and the “labors of love” of an “army” of volunteers over the years have made this vision a reality. Fr. Dennis said: “We have never borrowed any monies against Sanctuary of Hope.” Thanks be to God!
Everyone who comes to SOH experiences the peace of God. The people leave here with a greater sense of God. They leave refreshed in their spirits and a deep sense of being able to handle their lives.
Churches, youth groups, renewal movements, world religions, spiritual paths of diverse people and cultures, even the departments of corporate offices, agencies, non-profits are bringing their staffs to SOH for their retreats. What helps this all to happen are the settings (33 acres of land), gardens and the great food prepared by our staff.
Our hope is that the vision will enlarge. We hope to have the capability of adding on to Sanctuary of Hope to provide for larger groups in the future and provide more spiritual programs to our larger community. A favorite Scripture passage that has touched Fr. Dennis’ heart is from Psalm 46, verse 11: “Be still and know that I am God.”
We are always in need of people committed to this mission of prayer and retreat. If you are interested, just let us know.
The vision of Father Dennis Wait for Sanctuary of Hope is to create a place where all could come and find God in their own way. Through a diversity of faiths, backgrounds, and experiences, people can all know the presence of a holy God. To come and worship in a place that offers stillness and peace makes the above possible.
Father Dennis has always had in his heart a special love for the things of God. He knew as a child that he had a calling to be a priest. His first cousin, Mary Cornelius, said: “He used to have an altar as a child and asked his family to be the servers.” Father believes that through a vision he received from the Blessed Mother in grade school, confirmed his calling to be priesthood.
He remembers coming to the Mt St. Joseph Nursing Home, when it was operated by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas and Sister Mary Adolph Schuele, SCL, who was the Mother Superior at the time. Father Donald Goens, who also lived at the Home with Sr. Mary Adolph, began the charismatic renewal of Mt. St. Joseph’s. Fr. Dennis, as a newly ordained priest, was baptized in the Holy Spirit here too. Sr. Mary Adolph shared this early history with Fr. Dennis. SOH is now operating in a building some 115 years old and following the same mission statement from its inception in 1893: “to be a place of healing for the people of the community.”
In 1893, the building was constructed as a mental health asylum, working with those who had TB or nervous conditions. It was called Home for the Insane. In 1899, it became the Grand View Sanitarium to house people with communicable diseases.
In the early 1900s, the East Wing was built and the structure had the shape of the Tau Cross of St. Francis. This shape reminded Fr. Dennis of a Franciscan spirituality that honors Christ, the environment and the people. This is the spirituality that underlies Sanctuary of Hope (SOH) today. SOH, from 1996 to present, is still bringing healing to the people of the community and beyond thru bringing people closer to God and more able to bring that holy presence of God to others in their own environments.
In 1946 the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas, with the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, took over the site, operating it as a nursing home named Mount St. Joseph Home, caring for the elderly and those in need of care. In 1946, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas had an addition built on which included what is now the chapel, dining area and the dayroom. The Archdiocese, from 1977-1996, worked at SOH as a refuge for the Vietnamese to help them get established in our country and live their Faith. The building eventually closed and sat vacant for many years.
Father Dennis felt that God was calling him to establish a place of contemplative prayer. Father said: “When he was attending the people as pastor of two local Catholic churches, Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of St. Rose, he felt their woundedness, their pain, and their suffering.” He felt that he could do only so much and what they needed, and someone much higher than himself. He decided to take a sabbatical to think this through, and how to even begin. He was told by God to start a place where people would come to God and God would take care of them.
When Fr. Dennis visited the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, he recalled it was an overcast day. He said “He prayed for many intentions at the grotto and when they put him under the cold water, he came out totally dry and feeling like a million dollars.” He said he knew something had occurred and Our Lady was with him.” On one of his first visits to the then Mt. St. Joseph Home, with some of this friends, they prayed at the grotto of Mary on the main driveway. It was another overcast day and it was the feast of “Our Lady of Lourdes.” Fr. Dennis knew then that Our Lady was showing him that his dream would come true and this would be the future place for Sanctuary of Hope.
After this visit, Fr. Dennis shared his thoughts with Lou Medellin, Willie Etta Jennings, Bernadine Asher, Donna Cermak, Jim Randall, Sr. Mary Eugenia Floersch, SCL, and many others. They believed in Fr. Dennis’ vision and they began to take practical steps to begin the work. Father received two checks from some close friends as well, and they started the first bank account for SOH. Serge Guislain came on later and did blueprints of the building since no one seemed to have any idea where the original blueprints were.
Former Archbishop James Keleher, the 20 years of prayers of Sr. Mary Adolph Schuele, SCL, the goodness of the Lord, the efforts of people with professional backgrounds, the staff and associate members, and the “labors of love” of an “army” of volunteers over the years have made this vision a reality. Fr. Dennis said: “We have never borrowed any monies against Sanctuary of Hope.” Thanks be to God!
Everyone who comes to SOH experiences the peace of God. The people leave here with a greater sense of God. They leave refreshed in their spirits and a deep sense of being able to handle their lives.
Churches, youth groups, renewal movements, world religions, spiritual paths of diverse people and cultures, even the departments of corporate offices, agencies, non-profits are bringing their staffs to SOH for their retreats. What helps this all to happen are the settings (33 acres of land), gardens and the great food prepared by our staff.
Our hope is that the vision will enlarge. We hope to have the capability of adding on to Sanctuary of Hope to provide for larger groups in the future and provide more spiritual programs to our larger community. A favorite Scripture passage that has touched Fr. Dennis’ heart is from Psalm 46, verse 11: “Be still and know that I am God.”
We are always in need of people committed to this mission of prayer and retreat. If you are interested, just let us know.
The Burning Bush
Sanctuary of Hope's logo is inspired by the story of the burning bush.
In Exodus 3:5 God said to Moses, "Where you stand is holy ground."
We want all who come to Sanctuary of Hope to discover that they are the holy ground of God's dwelling.