Founded in 1856, St. Benedict Parish is the oldest parish in the Diocese of Lincoln and the oldest continuously active Catholic church in Nebraska. The present church was completed in 1861, using handmade bricks formed from local clay. Parishioners contributed extensively to the construction—hauling walnut for pews, shaping bricks, and donating labor and materials.
The church measures 87 feet long, 34 feet wide, and 29 feet high, with a 50-foot tower. Its original bell came from the steamboat Kansas, which wrecked on the Missouri River. Another bell in the tower was salvaged from a different river steamer.
Key figures like Joseph Sand Sr., who donated land for a cemetery, and Mrs. Henry Kalkmann, who provided ornate gas chandeliers from her riverboat dining hall, shaped the church’s early beauty. An altar of inlaid walnut was installed in 1898, adorned with gold leaf and flanked by statues of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica. The church has seen several restorations over the years, including brick repairs, roof replacements, and a new altar of sacrifice consecrated by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz in 1997.
SNR photos | Corbin Hubbell
