(SNR) – The “Nebraska Church Guys” are preparing for their first research trip of 2021, visiting Johnson and Pawnee counties in southeastern Nebraska.
The Nebraska Church Guys consists of Chase Becker and Ron Sack, who are writing a book which will eventually chronicle the history of every Catholic parish that ever existed in Nebraska.
When they visit the area Feb. 26-28, they hope to connect with people who can share old photos, history, artifacts, and stories from St. Margaret Church in Crab Orchard; St. Mary in St. Mary (Smartville); St. Andrew in Tecumseh; Sacred Heart in Burchard; St. Anthony in Steinauer and St. John in Table Rock.
Ron Sack will be the lead researcher for this trip. He can be contacted through the Facebook page “The Nebraska Church Guys” or directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 402-440-0823. Sack has family ties in Johnson County. His great-grandmother, Teckla Goracke Sack, was from St. Mary and the Goracke and Pella families in Johnson County are his relatives.
In 2020, the Church Guys visited and researched 42 parishes in all three of Nebraska’s dioceses. Most recently, they visited Fillmore County Nov. 13-15, researcher Chase Becker’s home county. He complimented the outstanding quality of the parish archives in Fillmore County.
“Each parish contained a wealth of historic images and history that will help tell the story of these special places,” he said.
Fillmore County is also home to the second-oldest extant church building in the Diocese of Lincoln. Located near Milligan, the small chapel was erected in 1874 on the farm of Josef Kotas and served as the place of worship for Czech Catholics in the area until a new church was built in the town of Milligan in 1890. In 1901, the chapel was moved across the road to the Českí Bratří Cemetery, where it still stands today.
A winter travel hiatus allowed the Church Guys time to organize their research and to spend time writing and designing their planned book. They spent a weekend particularly dedicated to these tasks Jan. 22-24 at the Michael House in Tarnov.
