Norman F. Rotert
Father Norman F. Rotert (22 June 1931-17 December 2014) was a Catholic priest from Missouri. Rotert dedicated his life to the work of caring for the spiritual, physical and community needs of the parishes that he served in Kansas City, Missouri. Throughout his career he focused on housing and housing policy issues, the physical development of neighborhoods and community revitalization. His early career in the 1960s and 1970s centered on social justice by establishing two new community organizations: one focused on faith-based organizing for racial justice and the other focused on stabilizing neighborhoods through community development.
He was born June 22, 1931, in Montrose, Mo., and completed his elementary schooling there before moving to St. John’s Seminary in Kansas City for high school. Rotert completed his theological studies at Kenrick, now known as Kenrick-Glennon, a seminary in St. Louis, Mo. He was ordained a priest in 1957 and began work as an assistant pastor in southern Missouri before transferring to Kansas City to serve inner city parishes. He died at age 83 on December 17, 2014.
Early Career[edit]
Rotert was deeply involved in the American Civil Rights Movement, taking part in the 1965 protest march between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama.[1] Drawing on his experience, he brought leaders from his parish together to help resolve racial issues within the Blue Hills neighborhood in Kansas City at a time of racial panic and blockbusting. Father Norm faced the social upheaval of the times with the goal of neighborhood stabilization through community organizing. [2] He also drew on leaders from government, community and the media. Issues of concern included blockbusting, white flight and racial discrimination in housing, which were rampant in Kansas City.[3]
Rotert worked to develop the Blue Hills Homes Corporation in 1974, serving as the president of the board. The founding board of directors included Dolis Durall, Paul Whitmer, and Michael D. Rice as well as Rotert. The group organized to provide housing for low-income families following Section 235 of the National Housing Act[4] with a geographic focus on Kansas City, Missouri, within Jackson County. Activities of the nonprofit corporation included those typical of community development organizations of the era focused on renewal, eliminating blight and stabilizing neighborhoods through housing improvements.[5]
In January 2003, the organization changed its name to the Blue Hills Community Services Corporation, which it was known as until its recent merger in 2018 with Swope Community Builders to form the Community Builders of Kansas City[6]. Both nonprofit housing organizations have functioned as part of Kansas City's community development system for the past few decades, offering housing assistance and other community development services for the Blue Hills Neighborhood, the Swope Parkway/Brush Creek Corridor and neighborhoods east of Troost Avenue.
Communities Creating Opportunity[edit]
While serving the St. Therese Little Flower Parish in the Blue Hills neighborhood, Father Rotert also helped to establish the Kansas City Organizing Project and Training Institute, incorporated in 1978. Members of the first board of directors included Dwayne Crompton, Father William Bauman, David Bergner, Rashey Moten of Catholic Charities and James Bluemeyer of Rockhurst College.[7]
The purpose of the nonprofit corporation was to raise the "economic welfare, educational and social levels of underprivileged persons and groups in disadvantaged and deprived communities in Missouri..."[8] Issues of concern for the faith-based, social justice organization included: racial prejudice and discrimination, poverty and crime - as well as organizing for change. The group also focused on expanding access to affordable housing for low-income families. In 2004, the organization changed its name to the Kansas City Church Community Organization (CCO) and three years later the organization amended its name to the current Communities Creating Opportunity. CCO was part of the PICO-affiliated organization, a national network of faith-based community organizations. Father Rotert continued to serve as a CCO board member even after he left the parish where CCO was founded.
Move to a new parish opens new doors[edit]
In 1995 Rotert became pastor of Visitation Catholic Parish, also in midtown Kansas City <https://www.visitation.org/>. At Visitation Parish, Father Rotert held personal interviews with parishioners to discover what the congregation, founded in 1909 <www.amazon.com/Visitation-Century-Faith-Bill-Tammeus/dp/193346691X>[7], required. Among the results before his retirement were a rebuilt sanctuary, parish school improvements and a refurbished chapel. Much like his work in Blue Hills, Father Rotert's work at Visitation Church included the physical development as well as the spiritual development of the community and parish that he served.
Legacy[edit]
Rotert dedicated his life to serving others in need by establishing new community organizations and economic opportunities. He was a bridge builder who was able to engage diverse members of the Kansas City community across lines of income, race, politics and religion to work toward building a stronger community focused on fostering economic and social justice. His colleague James White remarked that he was a "warrior for justice."[9] In addition to the organizations that he founded, Rotert also served on a variety of governing boards for community organizations in the Kansas City region, including the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education; ReStart, Inc.; Midwest Christian Counseling, and Catholic Charities of Kansas City – St. Joseph. [10]
In 2005, the City Council of Kansas City, Missouri, passed resolution #051191, recognizing "Father Norman Rotert’s contribution to equality and justice for all Kansas Citians and his leadership in the areas of housing, neighborhood revitalization, education, and employment."[11]
References[edit]
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/SelmaAlabamaFatherNormanRotert
- ↑ Tanner Colby, Some of my best friends are black. Penguin, 2013, p. 73.
- ↑ See Kevin Gotham, Race, Real Estate and Uneven Development, 2014
- ↑ https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-04-03/pdf/2015-07597.pdf
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State Office, Blue Hills Homes Corporation Filing, Articles of Incorporation, 1974.
- ↑ http://www.cb-kc.org/
- ↑ Secretary of State, Missouri, Articles of Incorporation, 1978
- ↑ Secretary of State, Missouri, Articles of Incorporation, 1978
- ↑ https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article4888617.html
- ↑ City of KCMO Resolution #051191
- ↑ KCMO City Clerks Office
External links[edit]
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