About St. Edward · Saint Edward, Nebraska
St. Edward Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the rural community of Saint Edward in Boone County, north-central Nebraska. The parish is one of the founding faith communities of the town, which was platted in 1877 and named in honor of Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C., the founder of the University of Notre Dame. Today the parish forms part of 'Rural Family J' of the Archdiocese of Omaha, sharing clergy and resources with St. Michael Parish in Albion, St. Anthony Parish in Cedar Rapids, and several other small mission parishes in the surrounding area. The parish continues to celebrate weekend Mass in its historic church at 805 Washington Street and is supported by a parish council, finance council, and a dedicated lay deacon.
- Established
- 1884
- Patron
- St. Edward the Confessor (the patron of the parish; the town itself is also traditionally associated with Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C.)
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew J. Gutowski
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
St. Edward Parish offers a close-knit rural Catholic community in the heart of Boone County, with traditional Sunday and Saturday Masses celebrated in its historic Washington Street church and the warmth of a small-town congregation where families know one another. As part of the Archdiocese of Omaha's 'Rural Family J' cluster, the parish shares clergy and faith-formation resources with sister parishes in Albion, Cedar Rapids, Genoa, Krakow, and Silver Creek, giving parishioners access to a wider community of ministries, councils, and deacons. For Catholics in or visiting north-central Nebraska, it is a welcoming, family-style parish with a history stretching back to the 1880s and a clear devotion to its patron, St. Edward the Confessor.
Mass times at St. Edward
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (per Discover Mass)
Parish Identity & Location
St. Edward Parish is the Catholic congregation of the small town of Saint Edward in Boone County, north-central Nebraska. The parish takes its name from the town's patron, St. Edward the Confessor (feast day October 13), although the town itself was named for Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C., founder of Notre Dame. The parish church sits at 805 Washington Street in the northern part of town, on land that was part of the St. Edward Land and Immigration Company's original 1877 town plat. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Omaha's 'Rural Family J' — a collaborative cluster that shares clergy, councils, and ministries among several small parishes across Boone, Nance, and Merrick counties.
- Parish: St. Edward Parish
- Town: Saint Edward, Nebraska (Boone County)
- Address: 805 Washington St., Saint Edward, NE 68660-4556
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Omaha
- Cluster: Rural Family J
History
The Catholic community at St. Edward was founded by Franciscan (O.F.M.) missionaries in 1884. Father Anastase Czech, O.F.M., planned the church, gathered subscriptions, and laid the foundation on November 17, 1886; the first Mass was celebrated in the completed building on April 1, 1888. The mission was served successively by Franciscans (Rev. Godfrey Hoelters, O.F.M., Rev. Ladislaus Czech, O.F.M., and others) before receiving its first resident pastor, Rev. W. Mulligan, under whom a new church and pastoral residence were built beside the original frame church. The parish has been continuously served since then by diocesan priests of what is now the Archdiocese of Omaha, including Rev. James Novotny (1996–2010), Msgr. Ralph J. Steffensmeier, Rev. William D. L'Heureux, and the current pastor, Rev. Matthew J. Gutowski (appointed 2024).
- 1884: Parish planned by Rev. Anastase Czech, O.F.M.
- 1886 (Nov 17): Foundation of first church laid
- 1887 (June 14): First baptism recorded — Isabella Vincent
- 1888 (April 1): First parish meeting and first Mass in the new church
- 1889: Rev. Godfrey Hoelters, O.F.M., served the mission
- c. 1892: First resident pastor, Rev. W. Mulligan
- 1996–2010: Rev. James Novotny serves St. Edward alongside Holy Family, Lindsay
- 2010s: Msgr. Ralph J. Steffensmeier officiates at parish funerals
- 2024: Rev. Matthew J. Gutowski appointed Pastor
Founding Franciscans & Early Clergy
The parish was founded and nurtured by the Franciscan fathers of the Columbus, Nebraska, custody, who traveled the rural missions of the Platte River valley. The founding pastor, Rev. Anastase Czech, O.F.M., preserved the earliest records of the parish in his own hand; those records are the source for almost everything known about the first church. Rev. Boniface Depmann, O.F.M., pastor of St. Joseph's at Platte Center and St. Michael's at Albion, personally supervised the construction and unloaded the building stones when Father Anastase was called away to Quincy, Illinois. Two laymen — Cornelius Koch and Pat Coyle — are credited with pushing the building to completion. The mission was later served by Rev. Godfrey Hoelters, O.F.M. (1889) and Rev. Ladislaus Czech, O.F.M., before the parish received its first resident pastor.
- Rev. Anastase Czech, O.F.M. — founding pastor (1884–1888)
- Rev. Boniface Depmann, O.F.M. — supervising builder
- Rev. Godfrey Hoelters, O.F.M. — 1889
- Rev. Ladislaus Czech, O.F.M.
- Rev. W. Mulligan — first resident pastor
Clergy & Staff
St. Edward Parish is currently served by Rev. Matthew J. Gutowski, Pastor, who also serves as pastor of St. Michael Parish (Albion) and St. Anthony Parish (Cedar Rapids) following the Archdiocese of Omaha's 2024 priest assignments. Deacon Harlan Long assists at St. Edward liturgies and parish life. The second cluster of Rural Family J — including the Genoa, Krakow, Silver Creek, and St. Edward area — is pastored by Rev. William D. L'Heureux. Retired priest Msgr. Ralph J. Steffensmeier, who previously served St. Edward, remains affiliated with the parish in retirement.
- Rev. Matthew J. Gutowski — Pastor (2024–present)
- Rev. William D. L'Heureux — Pastor of the Genoa / Krakow / Silver Creek / St. Edward cluster
- Deacon Harlan Long
- Msgr. Ralph J. Steffensmeier — retired, formerly served St. Edward
Family of Parishes — Rural Family J
St. Edward is a member of 'Rural Family J,' one of the Archdiocese of Omaha's Families of Parishes formed to sustain vibrant Catholic life in rural northeast Nebraska. The cluster is co-pastored by Rev. Matthew J. Gutowski (Albion, Cedar Rapids, St. Edward) and Rev. William D. L'Heureux (Genoa, Krakow, Silver Creek, St. Edward area). Shared staff include deacons Patrick S. Benson, Richard L. Larson, Harlan Long, Donald Placke, Tim Preister, James R. Schindel, John F. Small, and Paul A. Weeder. The cluster's shared website is stmichaelalbion.com.
- St. Michael Parish — Albion (host parish)
- St. Anthony Parish — Cedar Rapids
- St. Edward Parish — St. Edward
- St. Rose of Lima Parish — Genoa
- Ss. Peter and Paul Parish — Krakow
- St. Lawrence Parish — Silver Creek
- St. Peter Parish — Clarks
- Holy Family Parish — Lindsay
Parish & Finance Councils
St. Edward maintains both a Parish Council and a Finance Council that work with the pastor on the spiritual and temporal life of the parish. These councils collaborate with their counterparts at the other Rural Family J parishes to coordinate shared ministries and stewardship.
- St. Edward Parish Council
- St. Edward Finance Council
Cemetery
From the very beginning, the parish set aside land for Catholic burial. The founding records note that 'three acres of ground off the west side of a 10 acre tract in the northeast corner of the east half of the northeast quarter of section one, township 18, North Range West' were obtained 'to be used for a cemetery,' in addition to the four lots in Block 31 donated by the St. Edward Land and Immigration Company. This cemetery remains the St. Edward Catholic Cemetery, where parishioners and community members are interred, and where the parish continues to bury its faithful today (e.g., burials of Emerson R. Kaspar in 2017 and Mathilda 'Tillie' VanMeter in 2018 were held there).
- Three acres donated in 1888 for the Catholic cemetery
- Located northeast of town (Section 1, Township 18 North)
- Active burial ground; parish funerals continue to be held here
Sacraments & Devotions
St. Edward Parish celebrates the seven sacraments in cooperation with the other parishes of Rural Family J. Baptisms, weddings, funerals, and anointing of the sick are arranged through the pastor; wake services and vigil prayers are held in the church before funeral Masses (a long-standing local tradition, attested by multiple parish funeral notices). Saturday confessions are offered before the vigil Mass. Annual devotions on the feast of St. Edward the Confessor (October 13) and other holy days are observed according to the cluster's shared liturgical calendar.
- Baptism — by appointment with the pastor
- Marriage — preparation with the pastor; liturgies celebrated in the parish church
- Reconciliation — Saturdays 4:00–4:45 PM
- Anointing of the Sick — on request
- Funerals — wake service in the church, followed by Mass of Christian Burial and burial at St. Edward Catholic Cemetery
- Feast of St. Edward the Confessor — October 13
Visiting the Parish
Saint Edward, Nebraska, is a small rural town of about 725 residents in northeastern Boone County, founded in 1871 and incorporated in 1884. Visitors to the parish will find it in the northern part of town on Washington Street, near St. Edward Public Schools. The town is also home to the famous 'stone men' — two figures built from sand and lime in 1883 to push the town's population count past the 200-person threshold required for incorporation. The St. Edward Catholic Cemetery lies just northeast of town and is open to visitors who wish to pay respects to the pioneer Catholic families of the area.
- Town of Saint Edward — pop. 725 (2020 census)
- Founded 1871; incorporated October 6, 1884
- Originally named Beaver, then Waterville, then Saint Edward (1877)
- Named for Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C. — founder of Notre Dame
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Anastase Czech, O.F.M.1884–1888
Founding Franciscan missionary who planned the parish, collected subscriptions, laid the foundation on Nov. 17, 1886, blessed and celebrated the first Mass in the new church on April 1, 1888; recorded the first baptism (Isabella Vincent, June 14, 1887).
- Rev. Boniface Depmann, O.F.M.1886–1888
Pastor of St. Joseph's, Platte Center, and St. Michael's, Albion; supervised the construction of St. Edward's first church at Father Anastase's request and personally unloaded the building stones.
- Rev. Godfrey Hoelters, O.F.M.1889
Franciscan priest who attended St. Edward's mission after the founding pastor.
- Rev. Ladislaus Czech, O.F.M.c. 1889–1892
Franciscan priest who served the St. Edward mission prior to the appointment of a resident pastor.
- Rev. W. Mulliganby 1892
Identified in the Franciscan-in-Nebraska history as 'the present rector' and St. Edward's first resident pastor; oversaw the building of a new church and pastoral residence beside the original frame church, which he converted into a community hall.
- Rev. James Novotny1996–2010
Served St. Edward in 'double duty' alongside Holy Family Parish in Lindsay, Nebraska; died Dec. 14, 2024.
- Msgr. Ralph J. Steffensmeierserved in 2010s
Officiated funerals at St. Edward Catholic Church in 2017 and 2018; listed by the Archdiocese of Omaha as retired.
- Rev. William D. L'Heureuxuntil 2024
Listed in the 2024 Archdiocese of Omaha directory as Pastor for the Genoa/Krakow/Silver Creek/St. Edward cluster of Rural Family J.
- Rev. Matthew J. Gutowski2024–present
Appointed Pastor of St. Michael Parish (Albion), St. Anthony Parish (Cedar Rapids), and St. Edward Parish (St. Edward) in the 2024 Archdiocese of Omaha priest assignments; transferred from senior associate pastor of Rural Family G.