Catholics and the Catholic Church have been present in the Midwest since before Missouri was officially recognized as a state. History records that the Church in Europe sent priests and religious to the New World as missionaries to bring the faith to native peoples and to establish schools and parishes for Catholic settlers. Monsignor Robert Kurwicki of the Diocese of Jefferson City, who currently serves as Chaplain to the Missouri House of Representatives in Jefferson City, joins the podcast to discuss the rich and interesting history of the Catholic Church in Missouri.