Kansas MAGA town: men rule, women raise children in St. Marys

In St. Marys, a town of about three thousand people in northeastern Kansas, supporters of Donald Trump have effectively realized their dream of a “great America” of the 1950s. The town is run by the Society of St. Pius X, a church that broke away from the Vatican, and many people call it “MAGA in miniature.”

Latin Mass and lace veils

About 500 people attend the Sunday service. All the women cover their heads with lace veils, called mantillas, as a sign of piety and modesty. The service follows the rules that applied before the Second Vatican Council of 1965: it is held in Latin, without any help from women, and the priest stands with his back to the congregation throughout. The church is named after Pope Pius X, a strict conservative who led Catholics from 1903 to 1914.

Among the parishioners is Lars Grattens, a father of seven. Thirteen years ago he was a single tractor driver in rural Minnesota when an acquaintance invited him to St. Marys. One of the community’s influential members promised him a business, a house, a wife and a place in the community. Today Lars has his own print shop on Main Street, a large family and his faith.

Politics and discontent over the war

Along with his faith, Lars found a political home: most people around him back Trump and see him as a defender of their values. Many consider him sent by providence, even while admitting he has plenty of flaws. Lars himself became part of the MAGA movement, although he had hardly been interested in politics before.

At the same time, like many in town, he can’t stand the war in Iran, which has raised the cost of fuel, food and basic goods. In his words, Trump should either bomb Iran or leave.

A small world of its own

In the surrounding area, especially among liberal-minded people, the society is regarded as a sect that has also moved further to the right in recent years. According to Matthew Schmidt, a Kansas native who teaches at the University of New Haven, “only men rule” there. Women are expected to obey, run the household and have many children; contraception is banned in town, and all of life revolves around the church.

Church representatives bought up the old university along with its land, and many of the shops on the main road. The college has reopened and regained the right to grant academic degrees. Professor Schmidt notes that where the population should have been shrinking and the economy withering, the society created a world of its own. Main Street has a sushi restaurant, a bookstore with religious literature, a café, a media consulting firm and a Mexican restaurant. Its owner says the people in town are devout, but they love Mexican food too and cause no trouble.

“The president’s supporters say they want to return to the times when the U.S. ruled the world and prospered, and we already live that way here,” Lars says with pride and a touch of irony. After the service he drove home for lunch, which his wife prepares every day.

U.S. congressional elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. All 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 senators are up for election. Democrats are considered slight favorites in the fight for the House.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz