About Holy Cross · Bancroft, Nebraska
Holy Cross Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Bancroft, a farming community in northeast Nebraska, situated on the southern edge of the Omaha Reservation. Founded in 1882 by German and other European Catholic settlers drawn to the rich farmland of Cuming County, Holy Cross is one of the oldest faith communities in the area and today belongs to the Holy Apostles Parish Family within the Archdiocese of Omaha. The parish is celebrated locally for its enduring role as a spiritual anchor for rural Catholic families, holding a single weekly Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM that gathers worshippers from Bancroft and the surrounding countryside. A historic Holy Cross Catholic Rectory still stands at the corner of Park and Elm Streets, a tangible reminder of the parish's long heritage.
- Established
- 1882
- Patron
- The Holy Cross
- Rector
- Rev. Mark T. Beran (Pastor of the Holy Apostles Parish Family, including Holy Cross, Bancroft)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha)
Why belong here
Holy Cross in Bancroft is a welcoming, close-knit rural Catholic community rooted in the farming families of northeast Nebraska since 1882. As part of the Holy Apostles Parish Family formed in 2023, parishioners share three dedicated priests and a collaborative office while keeping Holy Cross's own identity, its Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM, and its ties to the land. The parish offers the classic rhythms of country Catholic life — Saturday confession at 4:30 PM, the Vigil Mass, and gathering with neighbors who have worshipped together for generations — making it a genuine spiritual home for Catholic families in the Bancroft area.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM (immediately before the Vigil Mass)
Holy Cross Parish in Bancroft, Nebraska
Holy Cross Catholic Church serves the small farming community of Bancroft in northeast Nebraska, within the Archdiocese of Omaha. The parish is part of the Holy Apostles Parish Family, a collaboration of 12 parishes and 2 schools across northeast Nebraska formed in 2023. The parish holds a single weekly Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM and offers confession before Mass on Saturdays.
- Address: 501 Park Street, Bancroft, NE 68004
- Parish family office phone: (402) 878-2402
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00 PM (English)
- Confessions: Saturday 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
- Part of the Holy Apostles Parish Family and the Archdiocese of Omaha
History
Holy Cross Parish was established in 1882, and its first church was built in 1883 during a wave of German, Scandinavian, and Irish Catholic immigration into Cuming County. Bancroft was platted in 1880 along the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha Railroad, and the community flourished after Congress opened the Omaha Reservation for settlement in 1884. The parish community marked its 125th anniversary in 2009, and the historic Holy Cross Catholic Rectory (site CM02-017) at Park and Elm Streets is still standing. In 2023, Holy Cross joined the Holy Apostles Parish Family.
- Founded: 1882
- First church built: 1883
- 125th anniversary celebrated: 2009
- Joined Holy Apostles Parish Family: 2023
- Holy Cross Catholic Rectory — historic site CM02-017 at Park & Elm Streets
The Holy Apostles Parish Family
Formed in 2023 in response to Archbishop George Lucas's call to build missional communities, the Holy Apostles Parish Family brings together twelve parishes and two schools in the northeast corner of the Archdiocese of Omaha. The name Holy Apostles was chosen because there are twelve parishes in the family — like the twelve apostles — joining to follow Christ and carry out His ministry. The family shares three priests, one deacon, and a collaborative parish office, and collaborates on religious education and adult faith formation.
- St. Augustine, Winnebago
- St. Cornelius Mission, Homer
- Holy Cross, Bancroft
- Holy Family, Decatur
- St. John the Baptist, Pender
- St. Joseph, Lyons
- St. Joseph, Walthill
- St. Mary (Queen of the Apostles), Hubbard
- St. Michael, South Sioux City
- Our Lady of Fatima, Macy
- St. Patrick, Jackson
- Sacred Heart, Emerson
- Schools: St. Augustine Indian Mission School (Winnebago); St. Michael's (South Sioux City)
Clergy & Staff
Three priests and one deacon serve the Holy Apostles Parish Family, which includes Holy Cross in Bancroft. The family is led by Father Mark Beran as Pastor, with Father Kevin Joyce as Senior Associate Pastor and Father Mark Bridgman as Associate Pastor. Deacon Donald Blackbird, Jr. assists across the family.
- Rev. Mark T. Beran — Pastor (Director and Pastor of the Holy Apostles Parish Family)
- Rev. Kevin J. Joyce — Senior Associate Pastor
- Rev. Mark M. Bridgman — Associate Pastor
- Deacon Donald Blackbird, Jr.
Sacraments & Devotions
Holy Cross offers the Eucharist at its weekly Saturday Vigil Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation every Saturday from 4:30 to 5:00 PM. As part of the Holy Apostles Parish Family, parishioners have access to broader sacramental and devotional life across the twelve parishes, including Spanish-language Masses celebrated at St. Michael in South Sioux City and Sacred Heart in Emerson.
- Holy Eucharist — Saturday Vigil at 5:00 PM
- Confession — Saturday 4:30–5:00 PM
- Spanish-language Masses available at sister-parish St. Michael, South Sioux City
Bancroft & the Holy Cross Community
Bancroft is a small farming town on the southern edge of the Omaha Reservation, 19 miles northeast of West Point in Cuming County. Platted in 1880 on land deeded by F.B. Barber, the town was originally called Unashta Zinga and then Barbersville before being renamed for railroad civil engineer George Bancroft. By 1917 Bancroft supported over 30 businesses, a telephone company, and six churches, including Holy Cross. Holy Cross remains a spiritual anchor for rural Catholic families across the area, drawing worshippers from Bancroft and the surrounding countryside to its Saturday Vigil Mass.
- Town founded: 1880 along the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha Railroad
- Earlier names: Unashta Zinga, Barbersville
- Named for George Bancroft, a civil engineer with the railroad
- Population peaked at 742 in 1910
- Located on the southern edge of the Omaha Reservation, 19 miles NE of West Point