Rev. Andrew H. Kuykendall

Rev. Andrew H. Kuykendall a priest of the Diocese of Wichita for 42 years, died Tuesday, Aug. 18, in Wichita. He was 67. A vigil will take place at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, at the Cathedral. The funeral will be live-streamed at YouTube.com/DioceseOfWichita. Burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery in Wichita. Andrew Herman Kuykendall was born on Oct. 4, 1952, in Wichita to Andy and Irene (Posch) Kuykendall. He attended Christ the King Grade School and graduated from Bishop Carroll Catholic High School. As a seminarian, he studied at St. Thomas Seminary College in Denver, St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia, and St. Mark Priory in South Union, Kentucky. Father Kuykendall was ordained a priest on May 20, 1978, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita by Bishop David M. Maloney. His first assignment was as an assistant at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Wichita. He began teaching religion at Bishop Carroll High School in 1981, the same year he was named director of the Catholic Youth Office. In 1985 he also began serving as a chaplain at Mt. St. Mary’s Convent in Wichita. Father Kuykendall was named the chaplain at Trinity High School in Hutchinson and pastor of St. Agnes in Castleton in August of 1986. Two years later, he was named pastor of St. Teresa Parish in Hutchinson. He was granted a sabbatical in 1993 to study at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. In 1994 Father was assigned as an assistant at Church of the Blessed Sacrament and a few months later as an assistant at Sacred Heart in Colwich. Father Kuykendall was named pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Haysville in January of 1995. In 2007, after serving on several diocesan boards, he was named pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Schulte. In 2015 he was assigned as a chaplain at the Catholic Care Center in Wichita. He was named to the Priest Retirement and Education Fund Board in 2017 and served on several other diocesan presbyteral councils during his priesthood. Preceded in death by his parents, Andy and Irene Kuykendall; brother, Ivan Kuykendall. Survived by his brother, Michael Kuykendall of Meriden, CT; sisters, Mary Ann Margosian, Judy Ann Kuykendall, both of California; nieces, Patricia, Linda, Suzie; nephew, Joseph; great-nephews, Nathaniel. A memorial has been established with: Priests Retirement & Education Fund c/o Catholic Diocese of Wichita 424 N. Broadway, Wichita, KS 67202. Services in care of Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.