The first church building built near Arapahoe in 1879 was made of sod. Six years later, a wood frame church was built in Arapahoe and dedicated as St. Germanus Church.
The Our Lady of Fatima Shrine on the grounds of St. Germanus Church was built by Father Henry Denis when he was pastor at the parish. Father Denis had served as a Polish military chaplain and was captured by the Nazis in 1939. During his imprisonment at Buchenwald and Dachau, Father Denis vowed to build a shrine in honor of the Virgin Mary if he was freed. Dachau was liberated in 1945 and Father Denis was freed, though very frail. He made his way to America, to recuperate in the Diocese of Lincoln. The shrine was completed in 1956.
The parish today is a mission of St. John the Baptist Parish in Cambridge. The current pastor is Father Kenneth Wehrs. All are invited to pilgrimage to this site and the eight other Jubilee Pilgrimage sites across the Diocese of Lincoln.
SNR photos | Corbin Hubbell
