In July 2026, Fr. Nathan Haverland was installed as pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Shawnee, becoming spiritual shepherd and chief administrator of the 158-year-old parish, one of the oldest and largest in Johnson County, KS.
Fr. Nathan succeeds Fr. Scott Wallisch, who led St. Joseph as pastor for eight years.
The Generations Growing Together capital campaign to renovate the St. Joseph Early Education Center and Mirocke Stadium was launched in August 2025 and has reached 92% of its goal ($11.5 million) at the time of the pastors' leadership transition.
Renovation work on the new St. Joseph Athletic Center (Mirocke Stadium) will be completed in July 2026. Initial construction work is underway at the St. Joseph Early Education Center, starting with the transition of current infant and toddler rooms to a temporary space while that section of the building is renovated.
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About Fr. Nathan Haverland Fr. Nathan comes to St. Joseph Church from Most Pure Heart of Mary Church in Topeka, KS, where he was pastor. Prior to that, he was pastor of St. Gregory the Great Church in Marysville, KS. Fr. Nathan completed capital building projects at both parishes. Fr. Nathan also ministered at Church of the Ascension in Overland Park after he was ordained in 2013. He attended Benedictine College, where he studied physics and astronomy. He converted to the Catholic faith while in college. He went on to study nuclear engineering before changing paths to enter the seminary to become a priest. |
Fr. Nathan Haverland, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church
About the Generations Capital Campaign
The St. Joseph campaign is renovating two 1950s buildings that formerly served St. Joseph High School, an Archdiocesan high school that operated for more than 50 years on the large, 22-acre campus of St. Joseph Parish. In the 1980s, the high school enrollment outgrew the buildings here, and the high school was renamed Aquinas High School and moved to Overland Park, KS. Following that, the 3-story high school building was converted to an Early Education Center, which served the St. Joseph and Shawnee communities for decades as the largest EEC in the Archdiocese. The EEC building has had significant mechanical systems failures, and will undergo a hybrid renovation and new addition to make the building modern and accessible for children (infant through pre-K) and families for generations to come. See the renovation plans.
Since the departure of St. Joseph/Aquinas High School in the 1980s, Mirocke Stadium has primarily served Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) football teams in Catholic elementary schools, and maintained by St. Joseph Parish. The $4.2 million renovation will create a multi-purpose athletic facility and become the regional primary hub for CYO youth tackle and flag boys' and girls' football teams from 25+ Catholic schools, as well as nonprofit community-based youth and adult sports organizations, including Special Olympics Kansas and Sporting KC Youth Soccer. See the renovation plans.
The St. Joseph Athletic Facility and EEC are supported by private, tax-deductible donations. Please contribute to the completion and maintenance of these important community facilities.
