Posted on April 23, 2026 View all News
We welcome the news this morning that the Kansas City Royals will be moving into a new stadium at Crown Center, drawing new residents, employers and visitors to the heart of downtown Kansas City. We are working closely with Royals leadership to manage access to Our Lady of Sorrows Parish during the construction, as well as planning for game days and special events once the stadium is open. We have been assured that care will be taken to maintain the character of the neighborhood, including the iconic features of Our Lady of Sorrows’ building and its historic presence in the heart of downtown Kansas City.
The immediate impact will be over the next several years during the construction. Our Lady of Sorrows is already near a lot of important landmarks – WWI Memorial, Union Station, Children’s Mercy Hospital, and the KC Streetcar. A new major league ballpark adds another interesting dimension to the location of the church. We will be discussing parking and security as the project gets underway, but we view this as primarily an enhancement that could attract new people to worship and experience the beauty of our Catholic faith.
Our churches are in neighborhoods to serve the people who live, work and visit there. Our Lady of Sorrows has been in its current location for 100 years – as the city has evolved, the role of the parish has evolved. It will continue to be a parish church for parishioners and visitors, in addition to bringing the presence of Christ into the community as a vital part of the life the larger downtown area.
The diocese and parish have not been involved in the planning prior to today’s announcement. We were made aware of the announcement earlier this week and learned most of the details along with the rest of the community. We have been assured by Mr. Sherman and Mr. Hall that we will continue to be involved as the project proceeds and look forward to those discussions.
