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Featuring the Orleans Deanery

St. Joseph Church - Alma, Holy Family Church - Heartwell, All Saints Church - Holdrege, St. John Church - Minden, St. Mary Church - Orleans, St. Michael Church - Oxford, St. John Church - Smithfield

Featured Parishes: Crete Deanery, David City Deanery, Fairbury Deanery, Falls City Deanery, Grant Deanery, Hastings Deanery, Indianola Deanery, Lawrence Deanery, Lincoln Deanery, Orleans Deanery, Plattsmouth Deanery, Wahoo Deanery, York Deanery

Holy Family, Heartwell

PCCW Activities

  • Sponsor a brunch or potluck to celebrate Christmas and World Marriage Day
  • Sponsor a brunch in May to honor our graduates, first communicants, and mothers
  • Put Hygiene Kits together for World Medical Relief or donate them to local organizations
  • Make evening meals for Christ the King Sisters who stay at our rectory while teaching summer school at St. John’s Church in Minden
  • Serve cookies and coffee after funeral rosaries and lunches after funerals
  • Participate in the Diocesan Diaper Drive and a “Baby Shower” during Advent to donate items to Catholic Social Services in Hastings
  • Sell rolls, soup, and pie and wrap Christmas gifts for “Black Friday” to raise money for donations to Madonna Plan, our local Caring Tree, and Catholic Spirit Radio.
  • Support our parish’s seminarian, Andrew Schwenka, both spiritually and financially
  • Clean the church monthly
  • Officers: President: Mary Jo Schwenka; Secretary: Sarah Joyce; Treasurer: Darcie Reed

Historical Highlights

  • 1883: Holy Family Church becomes a Mission of St. John’s Church, Minden, with Father J.J. Loughran as pastor.
  • 1884: The first Catholic Church is erected in the new town of Heartwell and dedicated to the Holy Family.
  • 1903-1904: The first rectory is built next to Holy Family Church, and Father John Carey moves in to become the first resident pastor on April 1, 1904.
  • 1910: The cornerstone for a new brick Holy Family Church (our present church) is laid by Bishop Thomas Bonacum on July 20.
  • 1916: A canvas painting of the Holy Family was placed above the main altar
  • 1917: A new brick rectory is built to the north of Holy Family Church.
  • 1972-73: Under the direction of Father Myran Pleskac, the interior of the church was completely renovated and redecorated.
  • 1981: Holy Family again becomes a Mission of St. John’s Church, Minden, and the rectory is used for Altar Society meetings, a place for nuns to stay who teach Summer School, etc.
  • 1984: Bishop Glennon P. Flavin celebrates Mass for the Centennial celebration of Holy Family on September 9.
  • 2010: Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz celebrates Mass on October 17 for the 125th Anniversary of Holy Family Catholic Church and the 100th Anniversary of our present church building.

All Saints, Holdrege

PCCW Activities

  • Clean the church twice a year, at Christmas & Easter.
  • Provide food and serve funeral dinners.
  • Host an annual Christmas party for the Mosaic residents.
  • Host a birthday party once a year for the residents of both Holdrege nursing homes.
  • Provide pies as a fund raiser for the annual Knights of Columbus fish fries.
  • Support Water for Life projects.
  • Donate diapers for the diaper drive and fill a van with used items for CSS.
  • Host an annual pot luck dinner for All Saints Day in honor of our parish name.
  • Pro-life candle light rosary to support all life.

Historical Highlights

  • In 1902 the construction of All Saints Church began at 602 Logan Street. The lumber to build the church was purchased from the church in Elsie, NE.  The church in Elsie was in financial difficulty and sold their church for $500.00.
  • All Saints was dedicated October 15, 1903 by Bishop Bonacum.  The membership numbered between 10-15 families.
  • In 1952 the church was in bad need of repair so the board decided to build a new church at its present location at 1204 Logan Street. The new church was dedicated September 7, 1955 by Bishop Kucera. Membership had grown to between 35-40 families.
  • As membership grew a parish hall was added on in 1958.
  • For fifteen years several nuns from the Marian Sisters Motherhouse in Waverly were headquartered in Holdrege and served seventeen parishes.
  • In 2000 Little Saints preschool and kindergarten were established. In 2002 first grade was added,  Our parish school now consists of preschool through fourth grade.
  • Current plans for remodeling, scheduled to take five years, include changes to the exterior, making bathrooms more accessible, and changes to the sanctuary. It is our hope to be able to build a gymnasium in the future to accommodate the students and provide more room for activities.

St. John the Baptist, Minden

PCCW Activities

  • Pray the St. Monica Prayer at every Mass during February for our fallen away family members.
  • Provide prayer cards and bookmarks to the First Communicants, and give Bibles to the graduates each May.
  • Support the Walk for Life at the State Capitol in January and the Life Chain in October.
  • On World Marriage Day host a supper and celebrate those with special Anniversaries, especially those who've been married 50 years.
  • A baby recognition wall in the back of the church for newly baptized infants.
  • Annual Diaper Drive & Advent baby shower
  • June Juntique Sale, a huge amount of work and a good fundraiser; we donate the funds to needy causes.
  • May Baskets to the Shut-ins.
  • Prepare and serve Funeral Dinners.
  • Lunch for an Ecumenical Lenten Service to promote unity among us Christians.
  • Entertainment and snacks for Bethany Home residents..

Historical Highlights

  • In 1874 a few Catholic families homesteaded in Kearney County and Father Lynch of North Platte came to hold services at their houses, and later when the village of Minden was established, services were held at the Minden School House.
  • In 1881, a Church was built and the first service was held October 15, 1882.
  • In the fall of 1888, Father J. J. Laughran was located in Minden. His mission was Kearney County and all the towns on the "high line" of the Burlington Railroad as far as Venango, near the Colorado State line.
  • In the fall of 1890, Father began the construction of a new frame church with a seating capacity of 120. In the fall of 1892 a new bell was raised. Several Catholic families lived 15 to 20 miles northwest of Minden, so the priest rode the #5 train to Axtell on a weekday once a month and to say Mass and stay overnight in someone's home.
  • St. John's church was remodeled in 1915 and rededicated by Bishop Tihen.
  • During the years of the Depression, the congregation became quite small, and in 1941, Minden became a Mission of Blue Hill.
  • In 1945 the Minden Hospital had been closed because of a shortage of nurses. The pastor proposed Catholic Nuns as nurses so that the Hospital could re-open.
  • With an increase in members a resident pastor became necessary. A rectory was built and the congregation recognizing that the present church had served them for over 60 years began a building fund.
  • Through the efforts of the faithful priests and bequests and pledges of parishioners, and with the coming of Rev. Clarence P. Reisdorff as pastor on June 18, 1963, plans for the church construction accelerated. The cornerstone was laid on May 31, 1964. Construction proceeded rapidly, and the new marble altar was consecrated with the relics of St. Christina and Saint Lawrence.
  • The first Mass in the church was said on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1964 by Father Reisdorff. Open house was held for the new St. John the Baptist Catholic Church on January 17, 1965, and it was dedicated on June 2, 1965 by the Most Reverend James V. Casey. By May of 1968 the parish was free of debt.

St. Mary, Orleans

PCCW Activities

  • Items collected for Saint Gianna's home
  • Diaper drive for Birthright
  • Serves coffee and rolls monthly after Sunday Mass
  • Country Store at the Fall Dinner and Fish Fry
  • Epiphany party
  • Assists Knights of Columbus with fund raisers

Historical Highlights

  • St. Mary's Catholic Church, Orleans, is called "The Mother Church of Catholicity in Southwest Nebraska" because it was given a resident pastor in October, 1882, the first of the vicinity.  Reverend J.A. Fanning arrived October 3, 1882, directed by Bishop James O'Connor.  That same year a frame church was built by the people of the parish.
  • Father Fanning was sole priest in South Platte, Nebraska, west of Hastings and Superior and at that time had but three churches: a frame church in Orleans, a frame church in Campbell, and a sod church in Arapahoe.  He also celebrated masses in Red Cloud.
  • In 1895, the present stone church building was built under the direction of Reverend Louis J. Harrington. A $2,500 tubular pneumatic pipe organ was installed in December, 1914, which still exists.  Also, in the rear of the church there was placed a life-size "Pieta", shipped from Germany and donated by the Huefnagel family.  All the work was executed by ecclesiastical artist, Edmund Fatjo, of Oak Park, Illinois, who worked on churches and cathedrals in every state.  He also completed two of the larger churches in Omaha and the clergy came various times to St. Mary's to view the architectural details, to use the ideas for their churches.  They stated that the Orleans church was one of, if not, the most artistically decorated churches in all of Nebraska.
  • The new rectory in Orleans was built in 1917 and in 1920 the new $42,000 Catholic school was opened.  The Catholic School was placed in the charge of the Ursuline Sisters of York, Nebraska.  The Catholic school closed sometime in the 1940's, but is still used for Parish functions, CCD and CYO.  The Nun's dormitory is still in tact, but is not used.
  • St. Mary's has CYO and CCD every Wednesday.  They have an active Altar Society and Knights of Columbus.
  • In 2017 they completed remodeling of parish interior.

St. Michael, Oxford

PCCW Activities

  • Annual reception following Holy Saturday services. This was started as a new member welcome.

Historical Highlights

  • In 1906 the people of Oxford decided to build a church, they received an $800 loan and $200 grant from the Catholic Exchange. They rest of the needed $2200 came from the parishioners.
  • Since that time Oxford has been a mission of several parishes including Cambridge, Minden, Arapahoe and Orleans.
  • In 1952 the church was lifted and a new foundation with basement was added at a cost of $4000.
  • On February 14, 1953 the church suffered severe damage by a fire which burned the interior of the sanctuary. The interior was completely redecorated including two stained glass windows donated by Mr. and Mrs. JP Wilkinson.
  • St. Michael has two women from the parish who have become religious sisters.
  • Contact

    Contact

    Rev. Thomas Lux
    Spiritual Advisor

    Phone: 402-489-1946

    Rev. Thomas McGuire
    Spiritual Advisor

    Phone: 402-335-3742

    Valerie Able
    2026-2028 President

    Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Treasurer: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Leadership Commission: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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