The Capuchin Franciscans spent nearly a half a century serving the Catholics in Greeley, Wichita, Scott, Lane and Ness counties. A conversation between Bishop John J. Hennessy and the Capuchin Provincial at the dedication of St. Joseph Church in Liebenthal on May 28, 1905, was the impetus for the Order increasing its mission activity in the state. (Advanced Register 4-03-53, p. 1) The Capuchins began working in the state as early as 1878, when Bishop Louis Mary Fink, O.S.B., asked them to locate at Victoria and care for the growing Volga-German settlements and the Catholic stations between Russell and the Colorado border.

More than a quarter of a century later, it was Bishop Hennessy who appealed to the Capuchins for help. The Catholics in the northern tier of counties in the Wichita diocese were scattered, and Bishop Hennessy was concerned for their religious care and their "poverty in building parishes." (AR 4-03-53, p. 1)

The Capuchin Provincial, Father Charles Speckart, sent Father Emmeran Kausler from Victoria to Marienthal in Wichita County to investigate the situation. Father Emmeran was empowered to accept the mission district provided that one county would be entrusted to their care.

Father Emmeran’s report to Bishop Hennessy was favorable and included the provision that an entire county be placed in charge of the Capuchins. In the spirit of true mission prodigality, Bishop Hennessy gave them five. Marienthal was suggested as a residence for the Capuchin Fathers because it was centrally located and because there was a house there -- a slightly bare, shaky, and small house, but the only "priest house" in the five-county district.

Bishop Hennessy’s response to the Capuchin Provincial is dated July 19, 1905:

"Very Rev. Dear Father: I received a letter from your good Father Emmeran saying that your Fathers are willing to locate in our diocese and to this purpose would like to have a hospice and canonical establishment. I called a meeting of our diocesan consultors today, and it was unanimously decided to grant your wishes, hence Marienthal was suggested as a residence with the missions in Greeley, Wichita, Scott, Lane and Ness counties. It was also decided to give the Fathers temporary charge of the church in McCracken, Rush County, the pastor of which is on the sick list. I shall write the Propaganda (the Vatican’s mission office) for the necessary endorsement, but I hope you will arrange to take charge as I believe there will be no obstacle."

On the strength of this document, the Provincial accepted the mission on August 8, 1905. He appointed Father Leo Egger, Father Bernardine Kuhlmann, and Brother Vitalis Schmeer to Marienthal. They arrived within two weeks of their appointment.

The priests who cared for the missions attached to Marienthal had to walk three miles to catch the midnight train at Halcyon. This changed, however, in February of 1906 when Marienthal became a "flag stop" on the Missouri Pacific railway. The tracks were just a few hundred yards from the monastery doorstep and the friars would merely flag down the engineer when they needed transportation.

It was evident from the beginning that the little frame house would not serve as a monastery, especially if more priests should come to take up the work of the scattered parishes in western Kansas. The Capuchin Province of St. Augustine agreed to finance the building of a monastery.

Father Emmeran, who was an architect, drew up the plans and supervised the building of the structure. The square two-story building, constructed of cement block, contained seven rooms, a parlor, refectory, kitchen and a cellar. It was completed and solemnly blessed on September 25, 1907. The Capuchins served eight mission stations from Marienthal until an independent friary was established in Ness City in 1934. The Marienthal missions then included St. Theresa, Scott City, Dighton and Healy. The Ness City missions included Ransom, Bazine and Nonchalanta. On August 1, 1929, another friary was opened in the southeastern part of the Wichita diocese at Frontenac.

During the 1950s, the Capuchins relinquished all of their parishes in the Wichita and Dodge City dioceses and began a new missionary venture in far-off Papua, New Guinea, north of Australia at the request of Pope Pius XII.

From 1905 to 1953, there were 42 different friars stationed at the monastery in Marienthal. Thirty-four were priests and eight were lay brothers. From 1929 to 1958, twenty-six different priests (twelve of them one-time members of the Marienthal foundation) were stationed at the friary in Ness City. All the parishes in the five counties were returned to the care of diocesan clergy.