About St. Francis · David City, Nebraska
St. Francis Parish (also called St. Francis, Center) is a rural Catholic parish in Butler County, Nebraska, situated near David City and historically served out of the Lincoln Diocese's David City Deanery. The parish is currently pastored by Rev. Adam Sughroue, who also serves Presentation Parish in nearby Bellwood, and the two parishes work together as a joint pastoral assignment. Worship follows the Roman (Latin) Rite, with a Saturday Vigil Mass at 6:00 p.m. and a Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m., preceded by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Despite being a small rural parish, St. Francis is known for its active Altar Society and a vibrant community life that includes an annual spaghetti dinner that feeds roughly 1,800 people.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. Adam Sughroue
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
St. Francis is a faithful rural parish where Mass is celebrated every Sunday morning and Saturday evening in the Roman (Latin) Rite, with confessions heard before each Mass. The parish's Altar Society is the heart of its community life — they host a monthly coffee-and-rolls gathering, volunteer at area nursing homes, and run a remarkable Annual Spaghetti Dinner on the last Sunday of September that serves about 1,800 guests. Members support Catholic Social Services, the St. Gianna House, the Aquinas High School Prom banquet, and the Butler County Fair lunch stand — making it a small parish with an outsized footprint of charity in Butler County.
Mass times at St. Francis
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday — 30 minutes before Mass (i.e., beginning around 5:30 p.m.)
- Sunday — 30 minutes before Mass (i.e., beginning around 9:30 a.m.)
Parish History
St. Francis was founded as a rural parish near David City in 1879, when Catholic farming families in Center Precinct built their first church. Fires destroyed sanctuaries in 1905 and 1914; the present brick church was completed in 1916 and has served the parish ever since. A rectory followed in 1923 and a parish hall in 1930.
- 1879 — Original St. Francis Church built as a rural parish near David City
- 1905 — Fire destroyed the first church
- 1914 — Fire destroyed the replacement church
- 1916 — Present brick church built
- 1923 — Rectory constructed
- 1930 — Parish hall built
Pastor & Clergy
St. Francis Parish is currently served by Rev. Adam Sughroue, who was appointed by Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln effective June 20, 2022. Father Sughroue simultaneously pastors Presentation Parish in nearby Bellwood and resides at the Presentation rectory. He also continues his assignment of formation and mentoring of seminarians at St. Gregory the Great Seminary.
- Rev. Adam Sughroue — Pastor (appointed 2022); also pastor of Presentation Parish, Bellwood; seminarian formator at St. Gregory the Great Seminary
Altar Society & Community Life
The St. Francis Altar Society is the engine room of parish life. Members run a monthly coffee-and-rolls gathering, help purchase candles and missalettes for the church, and serve the parish through a remarkable slate of charitable works — including the Annual Spaghetti Dinner on the last Sunday of September, which feeds about 1,800 people. The society also operates a lunch stand at the Butler County Fair and volunteers playing Bingo at area nursing homes.
- Monthly coffee and rolls
- Annual Spaghetti Dinner (last Sunday in September; serves ~1,800)
- Lunch-stand concession at the Butler County Fair
- Volunteer Bingo at local nursing homes
- Donations to St. Gianna House, Catholic Social Services, Aquinas High School (Gold Rush & Prom banquet), and the LDCCW Diaper Drive
- Quilt-making for the LDCCW raffle
Location, Deanery & Diocesan Connections
St. Francis belongs to the Diocese of Lincoln and is one of the parishes of the David City Deanery. It has a mission relationship with Presentation Parish in Marietta/Bellwood, sharing pastoral coverage with that neighboring parish. The parish sits on P Road about one mile south of Highway 92 and one mile east of Highway 15, just outside David City in Butler County.
- Diocese: Diocese of Lincoln
- Deanery: David City Deanery
- Related parish: Presentation (Marietta), Bellwood
- Part of the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (LDCCW)
Contact & Visiting Information
St. Francis Parish can be reached by telephone at (402) 367-4202. The street address is 3071 P Road, David City, NE 68632 (directions: 1 mile south of Hwy. 92, 1 mile east of Hwy. 15). Parish mail should be addressed to 1291 41 Road, Bellwood, NE 68624.
- Address: 3071 P Road, David City, NE 68632
- Mailing: 1291 41 Road, Bellwood, NE 68624
- Phone: (402) 367-4202
- Diocese directory listing: lincolndiocese.org/directory/parishes/693-st-francis-david-city
Pastors & rectors through the years
- John Gafron, O.F.M.1877–1878
Franciscan missionary who served the Butler County missions including the David City area (St. Francis-in-Center was being organized during this period).
- Rev. Adam Sughroue2022–present
Appointed pastor of St. Francis Parish in Center (and Presentation Parish in Bellwood) by Bishop Conley effective June 20, 2022; also retains the assignment of formation and mentoring of seminarians at St. Gregory the Great Seminary.