About Ss. Peter and Paul · Bow Valley, Nebraska
Ss. Peter and Paul is a historic Roman Catholic parish in the tiny rural community of Bow Valley, Nebraska, in Cedar County. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Omaha and today belongs to the multi-site Holy Family Parish family of churches, which shares one pastor and pastoral staff across several small northeast Nebraska communities. The 1903-built church is one of the most striking landmarks of the area — its scale is remarkable for a town the size of Bow Valley — and the surrounding complex (rectory, school, and the 1952 Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima) was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
- Established
- 1903
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha)
Why belong here
Ss. Peter and Paul remains a working Sunday Mass site within the multi-parish 'Our Catholic Family' family that serves the rural communities of northeast Nebraska. Parishioners value the church for its soaring historic sanctuary, its traditional weekday and weekend Mass schedule (including the only Sunday evening Mass in the family at 6:00 PM), and weekly confession and Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesdays. The historic Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima draws visitors from across the region, and belonging here connects a family to a tight-knit cluster of small-town parishes sharing Catholic schools, faith formation and sacramental preparation.
Mass times at Ss. Peter and Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (shared with Sacred Heart, Wynot)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM (Eucharistic Adoration)
History of Ss. Peter and Paul
Bow Valley's Catholic parish was founded in 1903 to serve a small rural congregation of largely Bohemian and German immigrant farmers in Cedar County, northeast Nebraska. The first church building, designed by architect Josef Schwartz and built by Henry Stukenoff, blended Late Gothic Revival and Colonial Revival style — a striking choice for a town the size of Bow Valley. Over the next five decades the parish added a rectory (1926), a parish school, and the famous Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima (1952). The whole complex was recognized for its historic and architectural significance when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
- Church built 1903 (architect Josef Schwartz, builder Henry Stukenoff)
- Rectory built 1926
- Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima completed 1952
- Listed on NRHP July 5, 2000 (#00000765)
The Historic Church Building
The 1903 sanctuary is described by the National Register as a hybrid of Late Gothic Revival and Colonial Revival architecture — a combination rarely seen in such small communities. It dominates the skyline of Bow Valley and remains the parish's most recognizable feature. Inside, traditional Catholic furnishings still serve the parish's continuing liturgical life.
- Style: Late Gothic Revival / Colonial Revival blend
- Architect: Josef Schwartz
- Builder: Henry Stukenoff
- Original construction 1903–1904
Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima
Completed in 1952, the Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima is part of the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church Complex and is listed as a 'contributing object' in the National Register listing. Built of locally gathered fieldstone, it remains a devotional site and an unusual regional attraction. It is one of the parish's most distinctive features.
Holy Family Parish / Our Catholic Family
Ss. Peter and Paul no longer operates as a standalone parish; it is one of about twelve church sites served by the multi-site Holy Family Parish family of parishes headquartered in Fordyce, Nebraska, under the umbrella name 'Our Catholic Family.' This family-of-parishes model — developed in response to the declining population of rural northeast Nebraska — shares a pastor and pastoral staff across Bow Valley, Fordyce, Crofton, Creighton, Wynot, Niobrara, Brunswick, Constance, Bloomfield, Menominee, Verdigre and St. Helena. Office hours for All Saints and Holy Family in Fordyce are Monday–Thursday 9:00–4:30 and Friday 9:00 to noon.
- Headquartered in Fordyce, Nebraska
- Twelve church sites in Cedar & Knox Counties
- Office: Mon–Thu 9–4:30, Fri 9–Noon
National Register of Historic Places
The Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church Complex was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 2000 (reference number 00000765). The nomination recognizes the complex for its architectural significance and for the important role it has played in the religious and cultural life of Bow Valley and surrounding Cedar County. The complex covers about 9 acres and includes five contributing buildings, a contributing site, and the Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima as a contributing object.
- Listed July 5, 2000
- NRHP reference #00000765
- Approx. 9-acre complex
- Five contributing buildings plus contributing site & object