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Women religious of the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln gathered at St. Patrick Parish in Lincoln Sept. 13 for a workshop, “Theology of the Body and Consecrated Life.” The day included Mass, study, and time for prayer. The presenter was Jen Settle of the Theology of the Body Institute, a consecrated virgin since 2017.

SNR photos | Cathy Blankenau Bender

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Bishop James Conley celebrated the “Blue Mass” for law enforcement and firs responders Sept. 11 in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln. After Mass, the bishop blessed vehicles and distributed prayer coins.

SNR photos | Natalie Bender

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St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward hosted a celebration Sept. 7 for Bishop Emeritus Fabian Bruskewitz, in honor of his 90th birthday and the 65th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. After Vespers in the Immaculate Conception Chapel, a reception was held with talks by Bishop James Conley and Bishop John Folda of Fargo, N.D., a priest of the Lincoln Diocese and former rector of St. Gregory the Great. Bishop Conley and Father Brian Kane, current rector, presented Bishop Bruskewitz with gifts, including an apostolic blessing from Pope Leo XIV.

SNR photos | Cathy Blankenau Bender

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Bishop James Conley celebrated Mass in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln Monday, Aug. 18, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral.

SNR photos | Natalie Bender and Cathy Blankenau Bender

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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in North Platte marked a major milestone in 2011, when Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz dedicated the parish’s new church. The history traces back to 1970, when Bishop Glennon Flavin purchased 10 acres of land on the south side of North Platte, with hopes that it would one day be the site of a parish. That became reality June 13, 1994, when Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz established the parish and named Father Gary Brethour as its first pastor.

Later, under the leadership of Father Thomas Brouillette, a new rectory and parish office were completed in 2001. Successive pastors helped shepherd the parish as it grew, and in April 2010, with pastor Father Mark Seiker, the parish broke ground for the long-awaited church.

Bishop Bruskewitz dedicated St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church Oct. 2, 2011. The crowning features were its stained-glass windows, salvaged from a chapel of the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration in Austin, Texas. Crafted by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, Germany, the windows depict the Mysteries of the Rosary.

SNR photos | Corbin Hubbell

Bishop James Conley celebrated Mass Sept. 2 at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, in honor of the Sept. 3 feast of St. Gregory the Great.

SNR photos | Dennis Kellogg

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

Bishop James Conley made a pastoral visit to Sri Lanka in June, at the invitation of Cardinal Malcom Ranjith, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Bishop Conley traveled with Father Christopher Eckrich, the bishop’s priest-secretary and master of ceremonies.

Cardinal Ranjith will send priests to serve in diocesan parishes in the coming years, and the Diocese of Lincoln will sponsor two Sri Lankan seminarians beginning next academic year, 2026-2027.

Bishop James Conley celebrated an outdoor vigil Mass Aug. 14 for the holy day of the Assumption of Mary. The Mass was celebrated on the grounds of the Catholic Center near Waverly, which is home to Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House, the Marian Sisters’ motherhouse, and Villa Marie School for Exceptional Children.

SNR photos | Natalie Bender

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North American Martyrs Parish in Lincoln held a celebration Aug. 17 in honor of Our Lady of La Vang. Pastor Father Nathan Hall presided.

Our Lady of La Vang refers to an apparition of Mary who visited Catholics in Vietnam, during the great persecution (1798-1801). Many Catholics took refuge in the jungles, where they experienced hunger and illness, and prayed, preparing themselves for martyrdom. Mary presented herself as the Mother of God, and encouraged and consoled the people. Those who congregated and prayed at this site were able to return to their villages in 1802. In 1961, Pope John XXIII granted a canonical coronation to the statue of Our Lady of La Vang, and in 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized 117 Vietnamese martyrs who died during the persecution in the late 18th century.

North American Martyrs Parish has a large Vietnamese community, and the celebration of Our Lady of La Vang is a way for parishioners to learn about the Vietnamese culture. The celebration Aug. 17 included a reading, hymns, and the rosary, in Vietnamese and English. A meal with traditional dishes followed in the parish hall.

SNR photos | Natalie Bender and Cathy Blankenau Bender

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St. Mary Parish in Orleans stands as a testament to the faith and perseverance of Nebraska’s early Catholic settlers. The first Mass in the area was celebrated in a dugout home in 1874, and just a few years later, in 1878, the first Catholic church in southwestern Nebraska was dedicated there.

By 1898, the Orleans community’s dedication led to the construction of the stone church that still serves as a place of prayer and worship today. The parish serves approximately 50 families. Father Maurice Current is pastor.

For nearly 150 years, generations of parishioners have built and sustained a strong Catholic presence in the Republican Valley. From its earliest days on the frontier, through years of growth, challenges, and countless blessings, St. Mary Parish has been a home of faith, family, and vocations. All are invited to pilgrimage to this site and the eight other Jubilee Pilgrimage sites across the Diocese of Lincoln.

SNR photos | Corbin Hubbell

  1. Jubilee pilgrimage site: Eucharistic Shrine of Christ the King
  2. Jubilee pilgrimage site: St. Anthony Church in Steinauer
  3. ICLE Mass July 18, 2025
  4. ICLE Mass July 17, 2025
  5. 2025 ICLE panel
  6. Leadership Camp 2025
  7. Jubilee pilgrimage site: St. Benedict
  8. Sisters celebrate profession, jubilee
  9. Immaculate Heart of Mary procession
  10. 2025 Corpus Christi Sunday
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