About St. Charles Borromeo · North Bend, Nebraska
St. Charles Borromeo is a historic Catholic parish in North Bend, Nebraska, serving the rural communities of the lower Elkhorn Valley since 1893. The parish is part of a family grouping with St. Patrick Catholic Church in Fremont (which provides pastoral and administrative staff) and sits within the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha. Its current church building, completed in 1916 under founding pastor Rev. Thomas S. Moriarty, was designed in a Neoclassical/Medieval Revival style by architect James H. Craddock and is adorned with Franz Mayer of Munich stained-glass windows and hand-carved butterwood altars. Recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, St. Charles continues to serve as both a worshiping community and a treasured landmark of North Bend.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. Charles Borromeo
- Rector
- Fr. Walter Nolte (Pastor of the family-group; Fr. Steven Emanuel is Associate Pastor with roots at the parish)
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
St. Charles Borromeo is a small-town parish where generations of the same farm families still worship, and the building itself — recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places — is a sanctuary of stained glass, hand-carved altars, and a century of prayer. Weekday and weekend Masses are celebrated in a peaceful rural setting, with regular Confession and Eucharistic Adoration, while being supported by the larger faith-formation, youth, music, Hispanic ministry and outreach programs of the St. Patrick cluster in Fremont. It is a place to belong, to be remembered, and to pass the faith on.
Mass times at St. Charles Borromeo
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesdays 6:45 – 7:15 am (before the 7:30 am Mass)
- Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:00 pm (before the 5:00 pm Mass)
Adoration times
- Listed under 'Adoration' on the parish page (specific times to be confirmed with the parish office)
Our Story — A Parish Born in 1893
Catholic life in North Bend began in late 1892 when Irish-immigrant families from Clyde and Ridgeley purchased a former one-room Congregational Church at Ninth and Locust for $800 and presented the deed to the bishop. The little wood-frame church was dedicated as St. Charles Borromeo on January 29, 1893. For more than a decade the parish was served by priests riding in from surrounding towns until, in 1903, the 26-year-old Irishman Thomas S. Moriarty arrived as the first resident pastor and began the work that would shape the parish for the next century.
- 1892 — Catholic families buy a former Congregational church for $800
- January 29, 1893 — parish dedicated as St. Charles Borromeo; operated as a mission
- 1903 — Thomas S. Moriarty becomes first resident pastor
- 1905 — first rectory built south of the church
- 1916 — current church building constructed under Moriarty
- 1991 — original 1905 rectory replaced by today's rectory
- 2017 — Fr. Walter Nolte becomes pastor of the family group
- 2023 — St. Charles formally joins St. Patrick's family group
- 2025 — added to the National Register of Historic Places
The 1916 Church Building
The current St. Charles Borromeo church was constructed in 1916 and designed by architect James H. Craddock in a Neoclassical / Medieval Revival style with Gothic and Romanesque accents. It is a brick building with limestone trim and twin facade towers. The interior is illuminated by stained-glass windows made by the renowned Franz Mayer studio of Munich, Germany — still among the parish's most treasured features.
- Architect: James H. Craddock
- Style: Neoclassical / Medieval Revival with Gothic and Romanesque accents
- Exterior: brick with limestone trim, twin facade towers
- Stained glass by Franz Mayer of Munich, Germany (1916)
- Resurrection window donated by Fr. Thomas S. Moriarty and his sister
- Hand-carved butterwood altars (Moriarty traveled to Dubuque, Iowa)
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2025
Founding Pastor: Fr. Thomas S. Moriarty
A 26-year-old Irish immigrant when he arrived in 1903, Thomas Moriarty threw himself into building up the small rural parish. In 1905 he built the first rectory, and by 1913–1916 he had rallied the farming community to purchase adjoining lots for about $7,500 and to raise the funds for a permanent church. He partnered with an Irish architect on the design, traveled to Dubuque, Iowa to oversee the carving of the butterwood altars, and arranged for the Franz Mayer stained glass to be shipped in by rail. He also landscaped the church grounds as a kind of community park. Moriarty served 13 years before stepping down from the strain of the work and later lived in Omaha into his eighties.
Sacraments
Sacraments at St. Charles are coordinated with St. Patrick's in Fremont. Baptisms are prepared for through a required baptism class for parents and godparents.
- Sunday and weekday Mass
- Confession before Tuesday and Wednesday Masses
- Baptism (English class: 2nd Saturday, 8:45–10:30 am; Spanish class: last Saturday, 9:30 am–12:30 pm)
- Eucharistic Adoration
- Anointing / pastoral care: contact the parish office
Parish Ministries & Groups
Because St. Charles is clustered with St. Patrick of Fremont (and with St. Lawrence of Scribner, St. Rose of Hooper, and St. Leo of Snyder) under the Archdiocese of Omaha's Journey of Faith pastoral planning, most formation, youth, music and outreach ministries are shared across the family group. The parish app and St. Patrick's staff list many ways to get involved.
- Faith Formation (children and adult; Kate Casale, Adult Faith Formation Director)
- Youth Ministry (Lori Kisby, Director of Youth Ministries)
- Music Ministry (MaryBeth Hilbers, Director)
- Hispanic Ministry (Krystal Morales, Director) — Guadalupanas, Jovenes Carismaticos, Hispanic liturgical ministries
- Bereavement Ministry (Deacon Joe Uhlik)
- Baptism class instructors (English and Spanish)
- Eucharistic Adoration
- Liturgical ministries: Eucharistic Minister, Lector, Mass Coordinator, Server
- Fundraising & Events committees
- Finance Committee
- Permanent Diaconate discernment
Our Staff (serving the family group)
St. Charles Borromeo is served by the priests and staff of the St. Patrick Fremont family group. The published parish staff includes the following.
- Pastor — Fr. Walter Nolte
- Associate Pastors — Fr. Steven Emanuel, Fr. Bill Cremers
- Deacons (cluster-wide)
- Director of Music Ministry — MaryBeth Hilbers
- Director of Youth Ministries & Safe Environment — Lori Kisby
- Adult Faith Formation Director — Kate Casale
- Assistant Office Manager & Director of Hispanic Ministry — Krystal Morales
- Office Manager, Finance, Communications, Maintenance and other support staff (see stpatsfremont.org/our-staff)
Cluster Family Group
St. Charles Borromeo is part of the St. Patrick Fremont family group established under the Archdiocese of Omaha's Journey of Faith pastoral planning. In 2019, First St. Lawrence of Scribner and St. Rose of Hooper joined; in 2023, St. Charles Borromeo of North Bend and St. Leo of Snyder joined, sharing pastoral and administrative staff across the five parishes.
- St. Patrick — Fremont (center)
- St. Lawrence — Scribner
- St. Rose — Hooper
- St. Charles Borromeo — North Bend
- St. Leo — Snyder
Reflections of Glory & Praise — 110th Anniversary Celebration
On Sunday, November 2, 2025, the parish and the wider North Bend community gathered to mark the 110th anniversary of the current church building. The day — titled "Reflections of Glory and Praise: our church and the story it tells" — featured self-guided morning tours, an 11 a.m. historical video presentation by parish historian Bob Hines, guided tours in the afternoon by local docents, and an interdenominational illumination service at 6:15 p.m. that shone spotlights through the stained-glass windows into the darkened sanctuary while playing narrations, poetry and music. Free-will donations supported Blessings Pantry, the North Bend Senior Center, and the North Bend Volunteer Fire Department. A $3,000 grant from the North Bend Area Community Foundation helped fund the celebration.
- Sunday, November 2, 2025
- Self-guided morning tours
- Historical video at 11 a.m. by Bob Hines
- Guided docent tours 1–5 p.m.
- Illumination service at 6:15 p.m. (spotlights on stained glass)
- Donations to Blessings Pantry, North Bend Senior Center, North Bend Volunteer Fire Department
- Funded in part by a $3,000 grant from the North Bend Area Community Foundation
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed at St. Charles Borromeo. The parish is administered through the St. Patrick Catholic Church office in Fremont.
- Address: 811 Locust Street, North Bend, NE 68649
- Parish phone: (402) 652-8484
- Cluster office phone: (402) 721-6611
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.stpatsfremont.org/st-charles
- Parish app: stpatsfremont.weconnect.com/st-charles-borromeo
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas S. Moriarty1903–c.1916
First resident pastor; 26-year-old Irish immigrant who built the current church (1916), secured Franz Mayer stained glass, hand-carved butterwood altars, and the rectory (1905). Served 13 years.
- Rev. Keith Rezac
Most recent resident priest for St. Charles (pre-clustering).