About St. Benedict the Moor · Omaha, Nebraska
St. Benedict the Moor Parish is the only historically Black Catholic parish in Nebraska, located in the Near North Side neighborhood of Omaha at 2423 Grant Street. Founded in 1918-1919 as a mission for Black Catholics who had been repeatedly turned away from Omaha's segregated Catholic churches, it was originally ministered by the Jesuits of Creighton University until 2011, when pastoral leadership transitioned to the Archdiocese of Omaha. Today, with a membership of approximately 225, the parish remains a vital anchor of stability and Catholic-and-black heritage for the northeast Omaha community, partnering with the Bryant Resource Center and hosting a growing African immigrant Catholic population alongside generational African-American families.
- Established
- 1919
- Patron
- St. Benedict the Moor (San Benedetto di San Fratello, 1526-1589)
- Rector
- Rev. David M. Korth
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
St. Benedict the Moor is Nebraska's only historically Black Catholic parish and a tight-knit community proud of its Catholic and Black heritage, where generational African-American families worship alongside a growing contingent of African immigrant Catholics. The parish offers Sunday and weekday Mass, a vibrant music tradition with gospel-influenced liturgy, and active ministries including the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, the Black Catholic Implementation Team, and a deep partnership with the Bryant Resource Center, which runs youth basketball, chess, and educational programs in the former parish school. Anyone looking for a 'very dynamic, warm and friendly faith community' with a strong social-justice and outreach identity will find a home here.
Mass times at St. Benedict the Moor
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:30-10:00 am (St. Benedict the Moor)
- Or by appointment (call the parish office)
History of St. Benedict the Moor Parish
St. Benedict the Moor was founded in 1918-1919 as a Catholic mission to Black residents of Omaha's Near North Side, at a time when the city's other Catholic parishes would not admit Black worshippers. Jesuit Father Francis Cassilly, S.J. of Creighton University began the work in 1918 by celebrating Mass in the chapel at nearby Sacred Heart Church; the next year, the parish formally opened as the Saint Benedict Community House at 2429 Parker Street. In 1923, the parish purchased the former St. John AME Church at N. 25th and Grant Streets and immediately opened a grade school in the building. A new school was added next door in 1929, and a high school was added in 1937. The school grew to 243 primary students by 1953, becoming the only officially segregated school in Omaha. The parish's pastoral history, from Fr. Cassilly (1918-1933) through Frs. Daly, Preuss, and Killoren, S.J. and into the archdiocesan era under Fr. Vitalis Anyanike (2011) and Fr. Michael Voithofer, is the chronicle of Black Catholic life in Nebraska.
- 1918: Fr. Francis Cassilly, S.J. begins Masses at Sacred Heart chapel
- 1919: Parish opens at 2429 Parker Street (24th & Parker)
- 1923: St. John AME Church at 25th & Grant purchased; school begins
- 1926: Parish buys the corner of N. 24th and Grant for a future church
- 1929: New school building opened
- 1937: High school added
- 1943: 25th anniversary celebrated by Bishop Ryan
- 1953: Archbishop Bergan reclassifies parish from mission to regular territorial parish
- 1956-1958: Present church constructed on site of original
- 1966: Bryant Center Association founded by Fr. Killoren
- 1968: Parish school closes
- 1985: Bryant Resource Center incorporated as a nonprofit
- 2011: Pastoral leadership transitions from Jesuits to Archdiocese of Omaha; Fr. Vitalis Anyanike installed as first archdiocesan pastor
- 2016: Major sanctuary renovation completed
- 2019: 100th anniversary celebrated
- 2023: Fr. David Korth named pastor under Family of Parishes model
From Mission to Parish: The 1952-1953 Transition
For nearly three decades after its founding, St. Benedict the Moor functioned as a mission church — meaning it had no defined parish boundaries and served as the designated Catholic home for all Black Catholics in Omaha. By the 1950s, parish members and Omaha civil-rights activists — including those in the DePorres Club — had come to view the mission designation itself as a tool of segregation. The November 21, 1952 issue of the Omaha Star published an article titled 'St. Benedicts, Promoter of Racial Segregation,' arguing that the 'unbounded Negro Catholic Church' effectively made Omaha's other parishes 'White Catholic churches.' Unbeknownst to the public, St. Benedict's own pastor Fr. John Killoren, S.J. had submitted a recommendation to Archbishop Bergan on June 16, 1952 — five months before the Star article — to convert the parish to a regular territorial parish with defined boundaries. Archbishop Bergan agreed, and in 1953 the transition took effect, with the new boundaries butting up against St. John's to the south and Sacred Heart to the north.
Sacraments
The parish prepares parishioners for and celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments. Families and individuals should contact the parish office at (402) 348-0631 to arrange Baptisms, weddings, Anointing of the Sick, and funeral liturgies. First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation preparation are offered through parish faith formation. Confessions are heard on Sunday mornings and by appointment.
- Baptism — by arrangement with the parish office
- First Reconciliation & First Eucharist — parish faith formation
- Confirmation — parish faith formation
- Marriage — prenuptial preparation with the parish
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment
- Funeral liturgies — by arrangement with the parish office
Parish Ministries & Community Life
St. Benedict the Moor is a community known for its strong Catholic and Black heritage, with active ministries that blend spiritual life and social outreach. Parishioners are involved in the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, the Black Catholic Implementation Team, and the broader community-organizing network Omaha Together One Community (OTOC). The parish also runs a food pantry for neighbors in need and partners closely with the Bryant Resource Center, which uses the parish's former school building for youth programs and community services.
- Knights of Peter Claver (Catholic fraternal organization for Black Catholics)
- Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary
- Black Catholic Implementation Team
- Parish food pantry
- Omaha Together One Community (OTOC) participation
- Gospel-style parish music ministry and choir
The Bryant Resource Center Partnership
Founded in 1966 by then-pastor Fr. John Killoren, S.J. in the midst of 1960s civil unrest, the Bryant Center Association built six outdoor basketball courts and a concession stand at 24th and Burdette Streets on church-owned property, with the goal of giving North Omaha children a 'safe harbor.' The center's namesake, George Bryant, was a renowned musician, longtime St. Benedict the Moor choir director and parish trustee who received papal honors on two occasions. After the parish school closed in 1968, the building was repurposed for community use, and in 1985 the Bryant Resource Center Inc. was incorporated as an independent nonprofit, obtaining legal title to the school building from the archdiocese to qualify for federal funding. A Head Start program was among its first tenants, and the center has run programs for youth including basketball, golf, tennis, chess, drum corps, drill team, and educational field trips ever since. Today, BRC is an active community-development nonprofit that partners with Lyfe Changes, Inc. and Omaha Skills Connection to offer job training, life-skills classes, and Project Safe Space for at-risk youth.
- Founded 1966 by Fr. John Killoren, S.J.
- Six outdoor basketball courts plus a concession stand at 24th & Burdette
- Named for George Bryant, parish choir director and papal honoree
- BRC Inc. incorporated 1985
- Partners with Lyfe Changes, Inc. and Omaha Skills Connection
- Hosts Head Start, youth sports, drill team, chess, and educational programs
Family of Parishes: Historic 24th Street
St. Benedict the Moor is part of the Historic 24th Street Family of Parishes, an organizational model that links it with Sacred Heart Parish (2207 Wirt St., Omaha) and St. John's at Creighton University Parish on the strength of their intertwined histories along Omaha's historic North 24th Street corridor. Under this model, St. Benedict the Moor and Sacred Heart share one pastor — currently Fr. David M. Korth — while St. John's retains its Jesuit pastor (Fr. Matt Walsh, S.J.). The family of parishes coordinates sacramental and pastoral life across the three communities and supports the healing of historic racial divisions along the corridor.
- Urban Family E in the Archdiocese of Omaha directory
- Pastor: Fr. David M. Korth (also pastor of Sacred Heart)
- Sister parish: St. John's at Creighton University (Jesuit pastorate)
Clergy & Leadership
St. Benedict the Moor is currently pastored by Fr. David M. Korth, who also serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish under the Historic 24th Street Family of Parishes model. He is supported by deacons and the parish office. Since 2023, the parish's former pastor, Fr. Michael Voithofer, has served in sacramental supply at St. Matthew Parish in Bellevue while continuing his ministry with Ablaze Ministries. The parish has been led by a succession of Jesuit priests from its founding in 1918 until 2011, when the first archdiocesan priest, Rev. Vitalis Anyanike, was installed.
- Pastor: Rev. David M. Korth (also pastor of Sacred Heart)
- Deacon Ernest Spicer
- Deacon Bob Leake
- Past pastor: Rev. Michael Voithofer (2023, sacramental supply at St. Matthew; Ablaze Ministries)
- Past pastor: Rev. Vitalis Anyanike (2011-~2020, first archdiocesan pastor)
Pastoral Succession (Founding to Present)
St. Benedict the Moor has been led by a lineage of Jesuit (S.J.) pastors from its founding in 1918 until 2011, followed by a succession of archdiocesan priests. The full succession, as documented in parish histories, Creighton Archives, the Archdiocese of Omaha directory, and the Catholic Voice, is listed in the pastor_history field of this profile.
- Rev. Francis Cassilly, S.J. (1918-1933) — founder
- Rev. Francis Daly, S.J. (1933-~1938)
- Rev. James Preuss, S.J. (~1938-~1940s)
- Rev. John Killoren, S.J. (~1950s-1960s+) — secured 1953 transition, founded Bryant Center
- Rev. Vitalis Anyanike (2011-~2020) — first archdiocesan pastor
- Rev. Michael Voithofer (~2020-2023) — released for Ablaze Ministries
- Rev. David M. Korth (2023-present) — current pastor
Contact & Visiting
St. Benedict the Moor Parish is located at 2423 Grant Street on Omaha's Near North Side, in the heart of northeast Omaha's historic Black community. The parish office can be reached by telephone at (402) 348-0631. The official website is stbenedictomaha.com. Visitors are warmly welcomed at all Sunday and weekday Masses.
- Address: 2423 Grant St., Omaha, NE 68111
- Phone: (402) 348-0631
- Website: stbenedictomaha.com
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Omaha (archomaha.org)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Francis Cassilly, S.J.1918-1933
Founding Jesuit pastor of the mission; began Masses at Sacred Heart chapel in 1918, opened the St. Benedict Community House at 2429 Parker Street in 1919, purchased St. John AME Church at 25th and Grant in 1923, opened St. Benedict School, and led the parish through the early growth years.
- Rev. Francis Daly, S.J.1933-~1938
Succeeded Fr. Cassilly as pastor in 1933.
- Rev. James Preuss, S.J.~1938-~1940s
Documented pastor of St. Benedict the Moor in 1938; later invited the Pallottine Sisters to teach in the parish school.
- Rev. John Killoren, S.J.~1950s-1960s+
Submitted the 1952 recommendation to Archbishop Bergan to convert the parish from a mission to a standard territorial parish (effectuated in 1953); supervised construction of the present church (1956-1958); in 1966 founded the Bryant Center Association with its outdoor basketball courts and youth programs.
- Rev. Vitalis Anyanike2011-~2020
First archdiocesan (non-Jesuit) pastor of St. Benedict the Moor, originally from Nigeria; oversaw the 2016 sanctuary renovation and led the parish through its 100th anniversary in 2019; also pastored nearby Holy Name Parish.
- Rev. Michael Voithofer~2020-2023
Pastored while released for ministry with Ablaze Ministries, with residence at the Ablaze House of Prayer; cease in pastor role effective July 1, 2023.
- Rev. David M. Korth2023-present
Current pastor; also pastor of Sacred Heart Parish under the Historic 24th Street Family of Parishes model; president of CUES School System and a member of the Archdiocese of Omaha Laudato Si' Commission.