About St. Anthony · Saint Charles, Nebraska
St. Anthony is a small rural Catholic parish in St. Charles Township, Cuming County, Nebraska, situated in the rolling Missouri River bluffs a few miles west of West Point. Established in the late 1860s by German immigrant farming families, it is one of the oldest Catholic communities in northeast Nebraska and has shared pastoral care for over a century and a half with the cluster of mission parishes surrounding West Point. Today it belongs to the St. Joseph Family of Parishes, a grouping of rural congregations in the Archdiocese of Omaha led from West Point. The parish gathers weekly for Mass in a simple country church and is supported locally by the Holy Name Society.
- Established
- 1867
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. James Weeder
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
St. Anthony is a faithful, multigenerational farming community rooted in the German-Catholic pioneer tradition of northeast Nebraska. Weekly Mass in the country church, the long-running Holy Name Society of laymen, and shared pastoral care with neighboring parishes give parishioners both a strong devotional life and a tight-knit family feel. Visitors are welcomed into a parish where nearly everyone knows everyone, and where Mass, confession, and parish business are organized through the St. Joseph Family of Parishes office in nearby West Point.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 1/2 hour before Mass at St. Anthony's (per the St. Mary's parish schedule)
- Saturday 4:00–4:30 PM on 2nd and 4th Saturdays (older schedule)
Parish Identity and Location
St. Anthony is a rural Roman Catholic parish located in St. Charles Township, Cuming County, in the rolling Missouri River bluffs a few miles west of West Point, Nebraska. The mailing address is 449 15th Road, St. Charles, NE 68788, and the parish is reached through the shared St. Joseph Family of Parishes office at 343 N. Monitor Street in West Point (phone 402-372-2188). The parish's historic formal name, 'Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,' is preserved on the older St. Mary's cluster website, which still lists St. Anthony as one of its four parishes.
History
The Catholic community at St. Charles appears in the Catholic Directory as early as 1867, served at that time by Rev. Phillip James Erlach out of Columbus. The first resident pastor was Rev. Frederick Uhing, ordained March 8, 1867, who served St. Anthony's until 1877. German pioneer families — Fischer, Grewe, Grovijohn, Kaup, Schmuecker, Schueth, and Harstick, later joined by Drueke, Gerken, Goeken, and Kappius — built up the parish from homestead sod. In 2017 the parish celebrated its 150th anniversary. After more than a century as a mission linked to West Point, it became one of the founding members of the new St. Joseph Family of Parishes in 2021 under Fr. James Weeder.
- St. Charles station listed in Catholic Directory, 1867
- Rev. Frederick Uhing serves as first resident pastor, 1867–1877
- 150th anniversary celebrated, 2017
- Reorganized into St. Joseph Family of Parishes, July 2021
Parish Staff and Contacts
Day-to-day parish life at St. Anthony is supported by local lay leaders and by the staff of the West Point office. Glenn Harstick serves as Holy Name Society President, with Deb Wiegert as Business Manager and Rita Goeden directing music. Parishioners with questions reach the office through the St. Mary's parish secretary, Elaine Maly, and the business coordinator, RaNae O'Brien. Family-of-Parishes communications include a bulletin published at parishesonline.com.
- Glenn Harstick — Holy Name Society President
- Deb Wiegert — Business Manager
- Rita Goeden — Music
- Rick Guenther — Parish Council President
- Elaine Maly — Parish Secretary (West Point office)
- RaNae O'Brien — Business Coordinator (West Point office)
Ministries and Parish Life
The principal lay organization at St. Anthony is the Holy Name Society, a long-standing men's devotional and service society typical of rural German-Catholic parishes. Music ministry under Rita Goeden supports weekly liturgy, and the Parish Council (President: Rick Guenther) coordinates parish affairs. Faith formation for children and sacramental preparation (First Communion, Confirmation) are run regionally through the West Point cluster with CCD coordinators Jodi Disher and Carol McAuliffe, and youth ministry is based at the St. Francis Center in West Point with Lisa Hunke.
- Holy Name Society
- Parish Council
- Music ministry
- Regional CCD / Faith Formation
- Youth Ministry at St. Francis Center, West Point
- Confirmation preparation
Sacraments
Sacraments at St. Anthony are prepared and administered in cooperation with the other parishes of the St. Joseph Family of Parishes. Baptisms and marriages are arranged through the West Point parish office; First Communion and Confirmation preparation is coordinated regionally. Reconciliation is offered a half-hour before each Mass at St. Anthony.
- Baptism
- Marriage preparation
- First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation
- Reconciliation (1/2 hour before Mass)
St. Joseph Family of Parishes
In July 2021 the Archdiocese of Omaha reorganized the rural parishes around West Point into the St. Joseph Family of Parishes, covering Catholic communities in Beemer, Dodge, Howells, Monterey, Olean, St. Charles, West Point, and Wisner, Nebraska. Within this family, St. Anthony retains its own identity and lay leadership while sharing pastoral, administrative, and faith-formation staff with the other parishes. The family-of-parishes bulletin lists Mass times for each site and is the best single source for current week-to-week information.
- Family Pastor: Fr. James Weeder
- Associate Pastors: Fr. Walter Jong-A-Kiem, Fr. Joseph Broudou, Fr. Matthias Sule
- Parishes: St. Mary's West Point, St. Aloysius Aloys, St. Boniface Monterey, St. Anthony St. Charles, plus parishes in Beemer, Dodge, Howells, Olean, and Wisner
- Central office: 343 N. Monitor St., West Point, NE 68788
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Phillip James Erlachto 1867
Missionary from Columbus who organized the St. Charles station, listed in the Catholic Directory of 1867.
- Rev. Frederick Uhing1867–1877
First resident pastor; ordained at Omaha on March 8, 1867; later moved to West Point.
- Rev. Steven D. Emanuel
Pastor of the St. Mary's cluster of parishes (St. Mary's West Point, St. Aloysius Aloys, St. Boniface Monterey, St. Anthony St. Charles) before the 2021 transition.
- Rev. James Weeder2021–present
Current pastor; assigned July 1, 2021 to lead St. Mary's West Point and the rural parishes including St. Anthony.