About Sacred Heart · Olean, Nebraska
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church is a small mission parish perched on a hilltop in the unincorporated community of Olean, Colfax County, Nebraska — roughly halfway between Fremont and Norfolk. Founded in 1874 by German and Bohemian (Czech) Catholic pioneers who had first traveled by ox team to Mass at St. Charles, the parish is the oldest Catholic congregation in Colfax County and today serves about 35 farm families. It is classified as a mission of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Dodge and is one of ten rural communities united under the St. Joseph Family of Parishes in the Archdiocese of Omaha.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Fr. James Weeder
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is one of the oldest Catholic congregations in Colfax County, and its members — about 35 farm families — form one of the tightest rural faith communities on the Great Plains. Although Sunday Mass is no longer available at the church, the parish continues to offer evening Mass twice a month (2nd and 4th Thursdays at 5:30 PM), maintains an active parish council, and welcomes visiting priests and former pastors back for major feasts and anniversaries — most recently the 150th anniversary celebration in June 2024. For those seeking a quiet, devotional parish rooted in German and Bohemian Catholic tradition, where volunteers step up for every need and every milestone is treated as a family occasion, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Olean remains a living piece of Nebraska's Catholic pioneer heritage.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment
About Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church is a mission parish of the Archdiocese of Omaha serving the unincorporated community of Olean in Colfax County, Nebraska. The parish is administered together with St. Wenceslaus in Dodge as part of the St. Joseph Family of Parishes, a network of ten rural Catholic communities. About 35 families currently make up the parish.
- Type: Mission
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Omaha
- Parent parish: St. Wenceslaus, Dodge
- Family of Parishes: St. Joseph Family of Parishes (10 parishes across 8 towns)
History of Sacred Heart, Olean
The parish traces its origins to 1868, when the first Catholic families — Bader, Peitzmeier, Kassmeier, Dirkschneider and Kampschneider — settled near Oleyen and traveled by ox team to Mass at St. Charles. They built their first church in 1874 with contributions from 45 families, were formally erected as a parish on August 30, 1877, and have worshipped in their current German Gothic church since its dedication on June 12, 1929. The parish celebrated its 150th anniversary on June 9, 2024.
- 1868 — first Catholic settlers arrive in the Oleyen neighborhood
- 1874 — first church erected by 45 families; dedicated by Father Uhing of St. Charles
- 1877 — Oleyen erected as a parish; Father John Blaschke becomes first resident pastor
- 1882 — Father Turek arrives as second resident pastor
- 1883 — second (larger) church built; original structure becomes the school
- 1892 — Father Henry Hoheisel succeeds Father Turek
- 1893 — brick school and sisters' residence constructed
- 1929 — third and present church (German Gothic, red brick) dedicated June 12
- 1968 — Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy closes
- 2024 — 150th anniversary Mass celebrated June 9
Architecture and Grounds
The present church is a German Gothic–style building of red brick with a tall, prominent steeple, set on a hilltop so it can be seen for miles across the prairie. A white wood-frame parish house stands next to the church. Inside, statues of St. Wenceslaus, St. John Nepomucene and St. Ludmila honor the Bohemian roots of many founding families, while the German Gothic exterior reflects the German heritage of others. The parish cemetery adjoins the property; the Kluthe great-grandmother was its first recorded burial.
- Style: German Gothic
- Exterior: red brick with towering steeple
- Built: 1929; cost approximately $53,000
- Parish house: white wood-frame, adjacent to church
- Interior statues: St. Wenceslaus, St. John Nepomucene, St. Ludmila
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Sacred Heart is served through the joint St. Wenceslaus / Sacred Heart parish office in Dodge. Father James Weeder is the pastor, Father Walter Jong-A-Kiem serves as senior associate pastor, and Father Matthias Sule is listed as an associate pastor on the St. Joseph Family of Parishes site.
- Pastor — Fr. James Weeder
- Senior Associate Pastor — Fr. Walter Jong-A-Kiem
- Associate Pastor — Fr. Matthias Sule
- Parish Office Manager — LaVaine Novak (bulletin submissions)
- Secretary / Bookkeeper — Carol Ortmeier
- Joint rectory resides in Dodge
Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy
For many decades the parish operated Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy, a Catholic grade school serving the children of Olean and surrounding farms. The school closed in 1968, and although the academy no longer exists, the parish continues to nurture faith formation through the family of parishes and through the longstanding Catholic tradition of the home.
- Grades: parish grade school
- Closed: 1968
Family of Parishes — St. Joseph
Sacred Heart is one of ten rural Catholic communities united under the St. Joseph Family of Parishes in the Archdiocese of Omaha, spanning eight small towns across the Great Plains: Beemer, Dodge, Howells, Monterey, Olean, St. Charles, West Point and Wisner. The shared-pastor model allows a small group of priests to provide regular Mass, sacraments and pastoral care across a wide rural area.
- Parishes: St. Wenceslaus (Dodge), Sacred Heart (Olean), Sts. Peter & Paul (Howells), St. John Nepomucene (Howells), and others in the family
- Mass schedule and bulletins shared through the St. Wenceslaus website
Parish Life and Anniversaries
Sacred Heart's small size is matched by a strong tradition of lay involvement. The parish council, chaired by trustee Danny Kluthe, organizes major celebrations and ordinary parish life. The 150th anniversary on June 9, 2024, drew more than 400 people — past and present parishioners, family and friends — for a 2 p.m. Mass followed by a polka band, a beer garden, and a catered meal of pork roast, kraut and dumplings, mashed potatoes, green beans and parish-made desserts.
- Parish Council Chair / Trustee — Danny Kluthe
- Liturgical volunteers: liturgists, greeters, lectors, servers, gift bearers, Eucharistic ministers (per bulletin)
- Major celebration: 150th anniversary, June 9, 2024
- Concelebrating priests at the 150th Mass: Fathers Kampschneider, Weeder, Jong-à-Kiem, Wittrock, Gutowski, Steffensmeier
Visit, Contact and Bulletins
Parishioners and visitors can find current schedules, the weekly bulletin and parish news through the St. Wenceslaus website or the St. Joseph Family of Parishes site. Bulletin submissions and parish communications are coordinated through LaVaine Novak, parish office manager.
- Parish phone: (402) 693-2235
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Bulletin submissions: via LaVaine Novak (parish office)
- Parish website: stwenc.org/Sacred_Heart/Sacred-Heart.html
- Family of Parishes site: stjosephfamilyofparishes.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Uhing1874–1877
Pastor of St. Charles; celebrated the dedication of Oleyen's first church in 1874 and continued to attend Oleyen as a mission.
- Father John Blaschke1877–1881
First resident pastor of Sacred Heart; organized the new parish with all necessary equipment, then returned to Europe after four years.
- Father Turek1882–~1892
Second resident pastor (came from Austria). Built the second (larger) church in 1883; the original church became the school. Recalled to Austria by his superiors.
- Father Henry Hoheisel1892–
Succeeded Father Turek; built a new brick school and sisters' residence in 1893.
- Father End
Listed among subsequent pastors.
- Father Teves
Listed among subsequent pastors.
- Father Zemp
Listed among subsequent pastors.
- Father Schopp
Initiated plans for the present (third) German Gothic church, dedicated June 12, 1929.
- Father Matthew Gutowski
Former pastor; concelebrated the 150th anniversary Mass on June 9, 2024.
- Father Dan Wittrock
Former pastor; concelebrated the 150th anniversary Mass on June 9, 2024.
- Father Ralph Steffensmeier
Archdiocesan priest for 65 years and Sacred Heart native; concelebrated the 150th anniversary Mass on June 9, 2024.
- Father Daniel Kampschneider
Archdiocesan priest for 45 years and Sacred Heart native; presided at the 150th anniversary Mass on June 9, 2024.
- Father James Weeder
Current pastor of St. Wenceslaus / Sacred Heart, residing in Dodge.