Southern Nebraska Register
The Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving May 6 raised more than $1 million for Catholic schools, parishes and ministries across the state.
The annual fundraiser, in its third year in 2026, featured organizations from the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, the Archdiocese of Omaha and the Catholic Diocese of Grand Island.
The total raised across all three (arch)dioceses this year was $1,038,662, following donations of $1,042,386 in 2025. If funds raised just before the advanced giving window opened in April and funds that came in after the post-giving period were included, this year’s total would have exceeded previous giving totals.
“The Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving is a great opportunity for everyone to support the Catholic Church across Nebraska,” said Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln. “I am so grateful to everyone who made a donation that will help fund the good work being done by our Catholic organizations in the state.”
The 42 participating organizations in the Diocese of Lincoln received a total of $469,767 in donations. Of that total, schools brought in nearly $204,000, ministries more than $184,000 and parishes more than $82,000.
Pius X High School in Lincoln once again topped the leaderboard of all organizations participating across the state with $131,028 raised. Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska finished in fifth place in the overall standings with $70,825. St. John the Apostle Church and School in Lincoln was in seventh place, raising $58,502. Rounding out the top 10 fundraisers statewide were the Cathedral of the Risen Christ School in Lincoln in eighth place with $55,603; St. Thomas Aquinas Church – Newman Center in Lincoln in ninth place with $42,133; and Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House in Waverly in 10th place with $39,705.
The total number of organizations participating in the 2026 Nebraska Catholic Day of Giving was 146, down from 195 last year. The number of total donors dropped from 3,112 in 2025 to 2,181 in 2026. The amount of money donated in both the early giving period before May 6 and the post-giving period for one week after May 6 increased significantly from previous years in both cases.
The average amount of money raised for organizations also increased. This year the average raised for a school, parish or ministry was $7,819, up from about $5,800 the previous year.
“It’s great to see Catholic organizations from across our state join together to make it easier for people to donate to them,” said Dennis Kellogg, director of communications for the Diocese of Lincoln. “There are so many worthy causes for people to consider for their donations, and we’re so glad to see them choose to support our Catholic organizations.”
