About St. Anne · Shubert, Nebraska
St. Anne is a small Catholic mission parish in the village of Shubert, in Richardson County in southeastern Nebraska. It is part of the Diocese of Lincoln (Falls City Deanery) and operates as a mission church of St. Mary Parish in Dawson, sharing clergy with that parish. The community worships at 507 Main Street in Shubert, where Sunday Mass is offered at 10:30 a.m. and confessions are heard before Mass. Its roots stretch back to the 1860s with the Catholic pioneers of Barada, and the present church in Shubert was built in 1941–42 after the original rural church and rectory were lost to fire in 1940.
- Established
- 1885
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Leo Seiker (parish administrator, appointed June 15, 2026)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln (Falls City Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Anne is a small, multigenerational rural Catholic community where parishioners know one another by name and share in the rhythms of village life — from a Sunday morning Mass and a quiet confession beforehand to the Altar Society's annual Lenten fish fry and monthly coffee-and-rolls gathering in the parish hall. As a mission of St. Mary's in Dawson, it offers the stability of an established parish family with the closeness of a village church, including the continuing care of the historic St. Anne Cemetery southeast of Shubert where the original church once stood. Visitors and newcomers are welcomed into a 150-year-old faith community rooted in southeast Nebraska's Catholic pioneer heritage.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:00–10:20 a.m.
About St. Anne Parish
St. Anne is a Catholic mission church in the village of Shubert, Nebraska, in the Diocese of Lincoln. It is one of two mission parishes served by St. Mary Parish in Dawson. The church sits at 507 Main Street in Shubert and offers Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m., with confessions heard in the half hour before Mass. As a mission church it shares its pastor with St. Mary's, and the small community worships and gathers as one faith family.
- Mission to St. Mary, Dawson
- Diocese of Lincoln, Falls City Deanery
- Address: 507 Main Street, Shubert, NE 68337
- Phone: 402-855-3595
History of St. Anne
The Catholic community of St. Anne grew out of the pioneer settlement of Barada and the 1869 construction of St. John the Baptist Church. By 1880 Bishop James O'Connor urged the parish to build a larger church at a more central site, and in 1885 the new St. Ann's Church was completed southeast of Shubert and named for benefactress Anna Litty. Through the late 19th and early 20th centuries the parish was variously a mission of Falls City and of St. Mary's in Dawson; the old Barada church was dismantled in 1920 and its lumber used to expand St. Ann's.
- 1867: Antoine Barada buys land east of town for a Catholic church and cemetery
- 1869: St. John the Baptist Church built in Barada
- April 6, 1880: Bishop James O'Connor confirms 40+ at St. John's
- 1885: St. Ann's Church built southeast of Shubert; named for Anna Litty
- 1889: St. Ann's accepted as a mission of St. Mary's, Dawson
- 1911: Final Mass at St. John's, Barada (funeral of Elizabeth Ege)
- 1914: Father Paul Hasler becomes first resident pastor of St. Ann's
- 1920: St. John's dismantled; lumber added to St. Ann's as a semicircular vestibule
The 1940 Fire and Rebuilding in Shubert
On September 30, 1940, a fire started while Father Aloys Rienbold and a parishioner were burning weeds and leaves on the church grounds. The blaze consumed both the church and the rectory. Father Rienbold was able to rescue the Blessed Sacrament, and only a garage, a grotto, and the statue of St. Ann from the grotto survived. After much deliberation the parish chose to rebuild not on the rural cemetery site but in the village of Shubert, grateful for the Town Board's offer of the Town Hall for worship and a purse of more than $200 from local merchants.
- September 30, 1940: Church and rectory destroyed by fire
- Blessed Sacrament rescued; statue of St. Ann from grotto survives
- May 1941: Construction of the new church begins ($11,000+)
- May 3, 1942: First Mass in the new church
- June 24, 1942: Bishop Louis Kucera dedicates the church as St. Anne
Post-War Growth and the Parish Hall
After the war, the parish continued to grow. In 1948 a house and three lots north of the church were purchased and remodeled as a parish hall. By 1969 the old altar had been replaced with a front-facing arrangement and a 100-year parish history celebration was held with Bishop Flavin. In 1983–84 a new parish hall connected to the church was built at a cost of $42,600, much of the savings coming from volunteer labor and additional church renovations, with no new debt incurred.
- 1948: House north of church purchased and converted into parish hall
- 1969: Remodeled altar; 100-year history celebration with Bishop Flavin
- 1983–84: New parish hall built adjoining the church ($42,600)
St. Anne Cemetery
The original 1885 St. Ann's Church site, southeast of Shubert, remains the parish's historic cemetery. Antoine Barada and many other pioneers are buried there. The cemetery is still cared for by present-day parishioners and remains an essential part of the parish's identity even though worship now takes place in the village.
- Located southeast of Shubert on the original 1885 church grounds
- Burial site of Antoine Barada and other Catholic pioneers
- Maintained by parishioners
Clergy and Pastoral Care
St. Anne is served by the pastor of St. Mary's, Dawson. From 2011 through mid-2026 the pastor was Father Kenneth Hoesing, who led the parish's 150th anniversary celebration in 2019. Per the Diocese of Lincoln clergy appointments announced April 10, 2026, Rev. Leo Seiker was appointed parish administrator of St. Mary, Dawson and St. Anne, Shubert effective June 15, 2026.
- Rev. Leo Seiker — parish administrator (from June 15, 2026)
- Rev. Kenneth Hoesing — pastor 2011–2026
- Shared clergy with St. Mary Parish, Dawson
Parish Life and Ministries
The parish is small but active, with the Altar Society as the principal lay organization. Listed under the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (Falls City Deanery), the St. Anne Altar Society hosts an annual Lenten fish fry and a monthly coffee-and-rolls gathering in the parish hall. Parishioners also maintain the St. Anne Cemetery and share in the broader life of St. Mary's, Dawson.
- Altar Society (Falls City Deanery CCW) — Judy Weston, 2024–2026 President
- Annual Lenten fish fry
- Monthly coffee and rolls
- Care of St. Anne Cemetery
Contact and Location
St. Anne is located on Main Street in the village of Shubert, Richardson County, in the far southeastern corner of Nebraska. The mailing address uses the parish's parent mission in Dawson.
- Street address: 507 Main Street, Shubert, NE 68337
- Mailing address: PO Box 96, Dawson, NE 68337
- Phone: 402-855-3595
- Diocese of Lincoln parish directory: lincolndiocese.org/directory/parishes/777-st-anne-shubert
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John Hayes1860s
Priest from Rulo who rode by horseback to say Mass in Catholic homes around Barada.
- Father John T. Leefrom 1879
Appointed resident pastor of Falls City; St. John's became his mission church. Reassigned to St. Mary's, Dawson in 1887.
- Father Paul Haslerfrom 1914
First resident pastor of St. Ann's; oversaw the 1915 rectory and accepted St. Herman, Salem as a mission.
- Father Aloys Rienbold1940
Pastor at the time of the September 30, 1940 fire that destroyed the rural church and rectory; led the rebuilding in Shubert and chose the name St. Anne after a shrine he had visited in Canada.
- Father Kenneth Hoesing2011–2026
Pastor of St. Mary, Dawson and St. Anne, Shubert; led the parish's 150th anniversary celebration in 2019.
- Rev. Leo Seikerfrom June 15, 2026
Appointed parish administrator of St. Mary, Dawson and St. Anne, Shubert per Diocese of Lincoln clergy appointments.