Plattsmouth Deanery

St. Martin Church - Douglas, St. Mary Church - Elmwood, St. Bernard Church - Julian, St. Patrick Church - Manley, St. Benedict Church - Nebraska City, St. Mary Church - Nebraska City, Holy Trinity Church - Avoca, St. Leo Church - Palmyra, St. Joseph Church - Paul, Church of the Holy Spirit - Plattsmouth, St. Paulinus Church - Syracuse

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

St. Benedict, Nebraska City

Funeral Dinners
Care of the Altar
Parish Events: World Marriage Day and Consecrated Life, Seder Meal, devotionals, fundraising, etc.
Community Building parish outings bringing our Spanish and English speaking members together.
Advent Angel Tree Project: where parishioners request assistance with Christmas gifts and parishioners who are able purchase these items.

Our story begins in 1856 when the first recorded visit from a priest was made.
In the coming years, Father John Cavanaugh would make several trips to St. Benedict’s to celebrate Mass and welcome six new people from Nebraska City to the church through Baptism.
With this distinction, St. Benedict’s became the first parish in the Diocese of Lincoln and the oldest continuously active Catholic church in Nebraska.
The church as it stands today, was built in 1861 and was served by the Benedictine Priests of Atchison, KS.
In 1910 the Fathers of the Precious Blood took charge of the parish and served for the next 71 years.
In 1981 the Fathers of the Precious Blood withdrew and Diocesan priests began to staff the parish.

Farther Hartig celebrated the first Mass in the area in 1861 northeast of Palmyra.
The first church named for St. Athanasius was built in 1874 and destroyed by a tornado two years later.
The second church named for St Leo was built in 1876 and lasted 13 years.
The third (present) church continuing the name of St. Leo was dedicated August 15, 1889.

Church of the Holy Spirit in Plattsmouth is the Northeastern most parish in the Lincoln Diocese, located 5 miles from the Iowa state line and 8 miles from the Platte River (Omaha Archdiocese).
The original parish, St. John the Baptist, began July 7, when the first Holy Mass was celebrated in this early Nebraska settlement on the banks of the Missouri River. The first church was built in 1862.
The school, still named St. John the Baptist, was opened in 1884 when the parishioners took the initiative to establish a parochial school. Until 1891, all the Catholics in Plattsmouth were members of St. John the Baptist Parish.
Czechs who had settled in the region desired their own parish and Holy Rosary Church was dedicated in 1891.
As the years passed, it became evident that a national church for the Czech people was no longer needed. Plattsmouth's decline in population, coupled with a shortage of priests, influenced the decision to merge the two parishes.
Church of the Holy Spirit was formed in 1971 when the two Plattsmouth churches were merged into one. The two original parishes exist now only in memory, but their traditions of generosity of time, talent and treasure go on in a new setting.

Beginning in 1880, Syracuse was a station visited occasionally by priests from Nebraska City. Mass was celebrated in the old community center, private homes, or on the second floor of a local store.
In 1905, seven to eight families initiated plans to build their own church. The building was erected at a cost of approximately $2,500.00 with donated time and labor. Bishop Bonacum dedicated the church in 1906, the seating capacity was about 85.
In 1935, Father McFadden was given charge of Syracuse and Avoca and was the first resident priest assigned to St. Paulinus. The parish acquired a rectory adjacent to the church in 1944.
Because of increased families in the parish, the first church was razed and a new church built on the same location. The cornerstone of the new church was blessed on May 25, 1957 by Bishop James V. Casey. The 85’ x 50’ church cost $57,869 to build, with $10,000 donated by the Catholic Church Extension Society.
After serving the parish for 27 years, Father McFadden passed away on November 26, 1962. In 1981, the Knights of Columbus Council #7614 was chartered and named after the pastor who had been a faithful shepherd for so many years.
In 1988, the present rectory was purchased and the old rectory was converted to a CCD Center. In the 1990’s two properties on the south side were purchased and sold to make room for a new parking lot; with the hope that it would become the site for a future parish hall and CCD Center.

Contact

Phone: 402-489-1946

Phone: 402-335-3742

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