Browsing Parish History Blog

1958: St. John the Apostle Parish Opens

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

The Franciscan Fathers continued to provide pastors for St. Patrick’s during the 1950s. After Father Godfrey Piontkowski came Father Paschal Rollman (1951-1954), Father Norbert Schmalz (1954-1958), and Father Benno Tushaus in 1958. During these years the parish grew so rapidly that the need for a new parish became apparent. ... Read More »

1950s: Activities of Catholic Life

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

Highlights of Catholic life in the 1950s were often found in parish religious events, forming a social bond for parishioners that was perhaps more intense than in parish life today. There were Missions and Forty Hour Devotions and other religious ceremonies which were often made into impressive productions. For ... Read More »

1950s: Increase in Enrollment Calls for Changes in the School

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

With the reactivation of Lincoln Air Base and growth in parish families, school enrollment grew from 66 in 1951 to 138 in 1954. To ease overcrowding in the classrooms above the church, several classrooms were constructed in the church basement. A newspaper article dated August 26, 1955 says that ... Read More »

1950: Lincoln Air Force Base Provides a Boon in Parish Families

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

In the ten years since the disastrous Depression had reduced the number of parish families to 25, St. Patrick achieved the status of a thriving parish once again. The number of families climbed to 125 by 1947, and remained there until a major event changed life for the parish ... Read More »

1948-1949: Improvements and a Missing Bell Tower?

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

Father Piontkowski's leadership, and the steady willingness of the parishioners to put their shoulders to the grind, so to speak, had put St. Patrick parish back on solid ground. During the second half of the decade, a number of improvements were made. In 1948, opalescent stained glass windows were installed ... Read More »

1946: The Postponed 50th Parish Anniversary Celebration

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

St. Patrick’s parish was due to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1943. However, sixty-one of its men were still off at war. A blue vigil light burned for their safe return. Because of their absence, and because the parish still had the $13,000 left to pay on the auction ... Read More »

1942: St. Patrick School Reopens; Parish is Debt-Free in 1945!

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

On August 2, 1940, Father Godfrey Piontkowski, O.F.M., along with Brother Bies, O.F.M., arrived at St. Patrick. By that time, the number of parish families had dwindled to 39, the school had been closed for six years, and the parish buildings had suffered from lack of funds for upkeep. ... Read More »

1940: The Return of the Franciscans

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

Bishop Kucera had saved St. Patrick from bankruptcy, but that was not the end of financial problems for the parish. Bishop Kucera thus deemed it wise to return the parish to the Franciscan Fathers for their care, and so he wrote this time to the Franciscan Fathers in St. ... Read More »

1939: Church is Auctioned; A.C. Allyn Co. to the Rescue!

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

Due to the hardships brought on by the Depression, the number of parish families at St. Patrick’s dropped from 86 families in 1932 to 25 families in 1938. Not even the experienced hand of Monsignor Albert Mosler, who was next assigned to be pastor of St. Patrick, could save ... Read More »

1932-1937: Fr. Joseph Keany is Pastor of St. Patrick; Depression Hits and School Closes in 1934

Posted by Site Administrator on 7/23/16

Father Joseph Keany followed Father O’Connor as pastor of St. Patrick’s in 1932. He was only 33 years old, but he had to guide the parish through the troubled times of the Depression, a challenge that would have been a daunting task even for a much more experienced priest. ... Read More »