Southern Nebraska Register
Members of St. Anthony de Padua Parish in Bruno celebrated the parish’s 125th anniversary June 29.
Bishop James Conley celebrated Mass and installed Father Caleb Hile as pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Bruno and Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Abie.
After Mass, a group photo of all who were in attendance was taken in front of the church. Since Father Hile was installed as pastor that day, several of his family members traveled to Bruno for the celebration, including his maternal grandmother Nadine Rerucha, who was married to Ben Rerucha in 1957 at St. Anthony Church.
Courtesy photos
A dinner was served at the parish hall, where Tom Pohl served as master of ceremonies. The event included a video presentation of the parish history produced by parishioner Mathew Ostry. A dance with music by the Kenny Janak Orchestra was held in the parish pavilion. The celebration planning committee included Tom Pohl, Donna Chmelka, Helena Ostry, and Mikayla and Mathew Ostry.
The first St. Anthony Church was built in 1899, with an initial donation of $1,000 from the Anthony A. Hirst family of Philadelphia. Father J.T. Roche received the gift through the Church Extension Society, the first church in the United States to be built through the Society.
A building committee raised an additional $1,500 and the church was dedicated by Father Thomas Cullen V.F. of York, appointed by Bishop Thomas Bonacum, the first Bishop of Lincoln.
The parish was named for St. Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan priest who lived in Portugal from 1195-1231. Although the saint is popularly invoked by those who have trouble finding lost objects, Catholic News Agency reported he was known in his own day as the “Hammer of Heretics” due to the powerful witness of his life and preaching.
Bruno’s first St. Anthony Church was destroyed by a tornado June 29, 1903. A second church was completed in 1905, with insurance money and donations collected by pastor Father Francis Zalud and Joseph Yindrick. The cost of the second church was $15,000. That church was blessed by Bishop Thomas Bonacum. In 1907, lightning struck the church steeple and damaged it badly, but it was repaired. That church served the parish until 1975, when a new church was built, and the old one was dismantled.
The third, and current, church was dedicated Sept. 7, 1975, when the parish celebrated its Diamond Jubilee. Father Stanley Schieffer was pastor, and the building committee consisted of Louis Koza, Herman Ostry, Ellis Proskovec, Edward Sedlacek, Donald Stara and Laddie Svoboda.
The interior of the church was redecorated in 1999 in preparation for the parish centennial. A sign displaying the parish Mass schedule was erected outside, and a brick mosaic of a cross was added to the front walk.
The parish serves approximately 50 families in Butler County.
