About Ss. Peter and Paul · Krakow, Nebraska
Ss. Peter and Paul Parish is a small, historically Polish-American Roman Catholic parish located in the unincorporated village of Krakow, Nance County, Nebraska — roughly seven miles southwest of Genoa, in the heart of the Polish settlement belt that grew out of St. Stanislaus Parish in Duncan, Platte County. Founded on July 4, 1893, by the Franciscan Father Anastasius Czech, O.F.M., with 69 family heads gathered at the Vitalis Borowiak farm, it was incorporated under Nebraska law on September 26, 1895, with Bishop Richard Scannell of Omaha and Vicar General William Chocka present. The parish is a member of the Archdiocese of Omaha and is today clustered, under a single pastor, with St. Rose of Lima (Genoa), St. Lawrence (Silver Creek), and St. Edward (St. Edward).
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (Apostles)
- Rector
- Rev. William D. L'Heureux
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
Ss. Peter and Paul is the spiritual heart of a small, tight-knit farming community founded by Polish Catholic homesteaders in 1893 and still very much alive more than 130 years later — a country church so well-attended on Sundays that parishioners joke about needing to expand. Worshippers who appreciate historic Polish-American Catholic heritage, the quiet rhythm of a small-town rural parish, and the continuity of a community that has gathered at this same crossroads since the 1890s will find a warm welcome here. The parish is part of a four-parish family with St. Rose of Lima (Genoa), St. Lawrence (Silver Creek) and St. Edward (St. Edward), so a single pastor and shared sacramental life tie the wider region together.
Mass times at Ss. Peter and Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm (January through June)
Parish History & Polish-American Roots
Ss. Peter and Paul was founded on July 4, 1893, by the Franciscan Father Anastasius Czech, O.F.M., when 69 Polish family heads met at the Vitalis Borowiak farm and chose a site on the John Szatkowski (Shotkoski) farm for their church, with two acres on the Simon Czarnik farm set aside for a cemetery. The parish was carved out of St. Stanislaus in Duncan, Platte County, where Polish homesteaders had been arriving from Europe since 1869. The village itself took the name Krakow after the Polish city of Kraków — many of the settlers in fact came from nearby Tarnów, but a Nebraska post office already bore the name Tarnov, so they chose Krakow instead. Sunday Mass was first celebrated in the Martin Borowiak farmhouse, and the parish's first wedding — that of Mike Sock and Eva Szymowicz — was held in the Witalis Borowiak home. The first simple church was built in 1894, and the present (much larger) church was begun in 1901 and dedicated in 1904. The parish was formally incorporated under Nebraska law on September 26, 1895.
- Founded July 4, 1893, by Father Anastasius Czech, O.F.M.
- Formed from St. Stanislaus Parish, Duncan, Platte County
- Village of Krakow named for Kraków, Poland (many settlers actually from Tarnów)
- Incorporated September 26, 1895, before Bishop Richard Scannell
- Centennial commemorated in 1993 with parish history book
Architecture & Historic Complex
The Sts. Peter and Paul historic complex in Nance County (NEHBS NC00-157) was surveyed by the Nebraska State Historical Society as a group of buildings that grew with the parish. The 1901/1904 church, built in a simplified late-Gothic-Revival idiom typical of small rural Nebraska Catholic churches of the period, has been clad in aluminum siding — a fact the reconnaissance survey notes has compromised its historical integrity. A 1909 rectory (later replaced in 1967), a 1922 school/boarding-house/Sisters'-chapel/convent complex, and a 1925 horse-and-buggy barn once completed the grounds; the barn was torn down after the boarding school closed in 1956. The 1922 school, with its Colonial-Revival-influenced form, was singled out in the survey as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
- First church: 1894 (torn down 1922 when larger school was built)
- Present church: begun 1901, dedicated 1904
- Rectory: 1909; replaced by a modern rectory and social hall in 1967
- 1922 complex: convent, boarding house, Sisters' chapel, school
- Barn built 1925; demolished c. 1956
- School closed 1978
Sacraments & Religious Life
The parish continues to celebrate the standard sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. The parish's first recorded wedding (Mike Sock to Eva Szymowicz) was held in a private home, and the first baptism in the 1904 church was that of Otto Mueller; the first marriage in the new 1904 church was Joseph S. Liss and Theodora (Dorothy) Swantek on November 21, 1939. Polish language use in the liturgy and school was strong into the mid-20th century, with Polish taught alongside English in the eight-grade parochial school.
- Baptism
- Marriage / Matrimony
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Anointing of the Sick
- First Communion and Confirmation via family-of-parishes catechesis
Parish School, Sisters & Convent
From the 1880s onward, education was a central mission of the Polish Catholic settlement: a Saturday 'school' was held in two district school buildings, on 'the Island' (taught by Mr. John Krzycki) and northeast of Duncan (taught by Mrs. Stan. Borowiak), and a small frame schoolhouse near the church soon followed. Three Franciscan Sisters from Lafayette, Indiana, arrived on October 28, 1889, to take charge of the school — Sister Dorothea taught the primary grades and served as organist, Sister Theodora the upper grades. They retired in 1908, and Father Soliwoski contracted with the Sisters of the Resurrection of Chicago, who sent three Sisters to teach, serve as sacristan, and play the organ. A new convent, boarding house, Sisters' chapel and school were built in 1922, and at its peak the school enrolled 140 children in the full eight elementary grades. The parochial school finally closed in 1978.
- First Sisters: three Franciscan Sisters from Lafayette, IN (arrived Oct 28, 1889)
- From 1908: Sisters of the Resurrection, Chicago
- 1922 complex: convent, boarding house, Sisters' chapel, school
- Peak enrollment: 140 children in 8 elementary grades
- School closed 1978
Family of Parishes (Current Pastoral Structure)
Today Ss. Peter and Paul is pastored together with three other small rural parishes of the Archdiocese of Omaha under a single pastor. This family-of-parishes model is the archdiocese's pastoral structure for the thinly populated prairie counties northeast of Columbus, and means that Masses, sacraments and sacramental preparation are coordinated across the four church communities.
- Ss. Peter and Paul Parish — Krakow (this parish)
- St. Rose of Lima Parish — Genoa
- St. Lawrence Parish — Silver Creek
- St. Edward Parish — St. Edward
- Single pastor: Rev. William D. L'Heureux
Cemetery & Burial Grounds
Two acres on the Simon Czarnik farm were set aside for the parish cemetery on the very day the parish was founded, July 4, 1893, and the Ss. Peter and Paul Cemetery has been in continuous use ever since. A memorial on the grounds reads 'Established July 4, 1893 — Memorial to Our Beloved Deceased Resting Here in Unmarked Graves,' honoring the many early settlers whose graves were never given headstones. Catherine Czarnik, who died at age 93 on December 8, 1939, was the first person buried from the new (1904) church; her funeral was held on December 11, 1939.
- Cemetery established July 4, 1893, on the Simon Czarnik farm
- Memorial to 'Our Beloved Deceased Resting Here in Unmarked Graves'
- First burial from new church: Catherine Czarnik (Dec 11, 1939)
Notable & Little-Known Facts
The parish is a small place with a remarkably rich history. Many of the documents of the early years are sparse — the parish's own records note that 'the records of Sts. Peter & Paul Parish in Krakow is meager' — so much of what we know derives from the memoirs of those associated with the parish in its first decades. Several facts are unusual: the parish was incorporated while the Bishop of Omaha was in Rome; the pastor had to 'sign the notes' personally because the parish was not yet a corporation; Father Soliwoski declined a telephone for the rectory on the grounds that he would not use it enough; the Depression-era plan to build a $75,000 church was wisely shelved; and the 1895 articles of incorporation were notarized in Douglas County (Omaha) rather than Nance County.
- Bishop Scannell was in Rome ad limina at the time of the 1895 incorporation; Vicar General Chocka acted as administrator
- First telephone suggestion at rectory was declined by Father Soliwoski
- Abandoned $75,000 church plan saved the parish during the Depression
- Father Anastasius Czech, the founder, died in office on March 13, 1896
- Parish is one of nine rural Nance/Platte-area parishes studied in AP News reporting on possible archdiocesan consolidation
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Anastasius Czech, O.F.M.1893 – March 13, 1896
Franciscan founder of the parish; organized the new parish from St. Stanislaus, Duncan; died in office.
- Father Sebastia Cebula (OFM, temporary)after March 1896 – August 1896
Temporary administrator following the death of Father Anastasius.
- Father Remigius Berendt, O.F.M.August 1896 – Oct 1898 (with a gap: July 1897 – Sep 1897 and Dec 1897 – Oct 1898)
Took over regular duties from Fr. Cebula; later returned for a second stint.
- Father Ladislaus Czech, O.F.M.interim 1890s
One of the early Franciscan pastors at Krakow (exact dates not given in parish history).
- Father Rembert Stanowski, O.F.M.June 2, 1898 – (transferred) 1898 (also returned briefly 1906–07)
Remained more than eight years in earlier assignment at Duncan; pastor of Krakow before being called away before full completion of the church; returned during the 1906–07 Franciscan re-pastorate.
- Father Marcellinus Kollmeyer, O.F.M.by Sept 26, 1895
Pastor at the time of the parish's legal incorporation on September 26, 1895.
- Father B. RadkaSep 1897 – Dec 1897
Short-term administrator between Berendt's stints.
- Father Wegrzynowski, O.F.M.November 1895 – June 1897
First resident pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul; arrived 1895.
- Father Marian Grlahn (OFM)March 1906 – July 1907
One of the Franciscans who returned to the parish after Father Augustyn.
- Father Theobald Kalamaja (OFM)March 1906 – July 1907
Franciscan during the 1906–07 re-pastorate.
- Father Cyrill Mitera (OFM)March 1906 – July 1907
Franciscan during the 1906–07 re-pastorate.
- Father Dionisius Czech (OFM)March 1906 – July 1907
Franciscan during the 1906–07 re-pastorate.
- Father Augustyn (diocesan)November 1898 – March 1906
First diocesan (non-Franciscan) pastor, after the Franciscans relinquished the parish to the diocese in 1898.
- Father Paul Knappek (diocesan)July 1907 – September 1907
Briefly pastor between the Franciscan re-pastorate and the arrival of Father Soliwoski.
- Father Edward Soliwoski (diocesan)September 1907 – March 1956
Nearly half-century pastor; built the 1909 rectory, expanded the school and convent complex in 1922, served the Silver Creek mission from 1907–1918, declined a telephone at the rectory, shaped the physical parish for generations.
- Father George Mikulskilate 1930s
Oversaw construction of the 1939 church and rectory project at a reduced Depression-era cost.
- Father Stefan Flisiak (diocesan)April 5, 1956 – c. late 1960s/1970s
Succeeded Father Soliwoski; installed new gas furnaces (1957), bought a clothes dryer for the Sisters (1958), closed the boarding school (1956), built the new modern rectory and social hall (1967).
- Rev. William D. L'Heureuxpresent (as of recent Archdiocese of Omaha directory)
Current pastor; serves Ss. Peter & Paul (Krakow) along with St. Rose of Lima (Genoa), St. Lawrence (Silver Creek) and St. Edward (St. Edward) as a family of rural parishes.