About St. George · Morse Bluff, Nebraska
St. George Catholic Church is a small rural parish serving the village of Morse Bluff in Saunders County, Nebraska, within the Diocese of Lincoln. Founded in 1945 from Sacred Heart Parish in Cedar Hill, it shares its pastor with its mission church, Sacred Heart in Cedar Hill, and worships out of a brick-front church built in 1955 with months of donated labor from the Czech and Moravian farming families who settled the area. The parish continues a faithful tradition of weekly Mass, the Rosary before Mass, an active Altar Society, and seasonal events such as the Annual Soup Dinner (third Sunday in February) and the Harvest Steak Fry in October.
- Established
- 1945
- Patron
- St. George
- Rector
- Rev. Dennis Hunt
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
St. George is a close-knit rural parish where the Altar Society keeps the fellowship strong — Coffee & Rolls on first Sundays, the Annual Soup Dinner on the third Sunday of February, the Harvest Steak Fry each October, and an Advent Party — and the Rosary is prayed before Mass. The parish worships in a church built by its own families in 1955 and continues a steady weekly rhythm of Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses (alternating between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.), with confessions 25 minutes before each Mass. Visitors and new parishioners are welcomed into a small, generational community that honors graduates, first communicants and the recently confirmed, supports mothers and fathers living and deceased, joins the Pro-Life Chain, and contributes to a Diaper Drive and donations for St. Gianna's and Catholic Social Services.
Mass times at St. George
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 25 minutes before Mass (≈5:35 p.m.)
- Sunday: 25 minutes before Mass (≈7:35 a.m. or 9:35 a.m. depending on the week)
Parish History
St. George Catholic Church in Morse Bluff, Nebraska, was organized out of a community need in early 1945. Two local businessmen, Emil Wolf and Phillip Walla, approached Bishop Louis B. Kucera of the Diocese of Lincoln; Wolf offered a garage dance hall as a temporary chapel, and Walla offered a small house as a rectory. The Catholic Extension Society supplied a small main altar, and side altars and pews came from neighboring parishes. Fr. George J. Livanec was installed on March 16, 1945, and celebrated his first Mass in the temporary St. George Chapel on July 1, 1945. Sacred Heart in Cedar Hill, which had briefly been an independent parish (since July 1, 1945), was attached as a mission of Morse Bluff once a resident priest was in place. Construction on the present metal-and-brick church, with its adjoining social hall, began in October 1954 and was completed in 1955. The cornerstone was laid by Monsignor Matthew V. Nemec on September 25, 1955, with the first Mass in the new church offered that day, and Bishop Kucera dedicating the building on December 21, 1955 — at which time Sacred Heart again formally became a mission of St. George.
- 1945 — Parish organized; first pastor Rev. George J. Livanec installed March 16.
- July 1, 1945 — First Mass celebrated in the temporary chapel.
- 1951 — Rectory property purchased from Wilma Kunkle for $6,375.
- October 1954 — Construction begins on the present church.
- September 25, 1955 — Cornerstone laid; first Mass in new church.
- December 21, 1955 — Church dedicated by Bishop Louis B. Kucera.
- 1961 — Death of Fr. Livanec (Aug. 5); Rev. Henry Denis appointed in October.
- 1983 — CCD classrooms added to the hall.
- 1995 — 50th anniversary of the parish celebrated.
Altar Society & Parish Fellowship
The Altar Society is the backbone of parish life at St. George. Its calendar of activities — published by the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women — turns the year into a rhythm of food, prayer, and care: Coffee & Rolls on the first Sunday of each month, the Annual Soup Dinner on the third Sunday in February, and the Harvest Steak Fry in October, plus an Advent Party. Members also lead the Rosary before Mass and quietly carry on the parish's corporal works: funeral meals, a diaper drive for St. Gianna's and Catholic Social Services, recognition of graduates and sacramental milestones, and honoring living and deceased mothers and fathers. The parish also joins the area Pro-Life Chain each year.
- Coffee & Rolls — first Sundays
- Annual Soup Dinner — third Sunday of February
- Harvest Steak Fry — October
- Advent Party
- Rosary before Mass
- Diaper Drive / Items for St. Gianna's & Catholic Social Services
- Pro-Life Chain
- Honor graduates, First Communicants and Confirmandi
- Honor living & deceased Mothers and Fathers
- Funeral meals
Faith Formation (CCD)
Religious education has been part of parish life since CCD classrooms were added to the church's social hall in 1983. As family size in the rural area declined, St. George combined some of its CCD classes with neighboring North Bend to keep a viable program running. Classes continue to be hosted in the parish's own facilities, allowing children of the parish and its mission community (Sacred Heart, Cedar Hill) to share in faith formation under the same pastor.
- CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) — onsite in parish hall
- 1983 — CCD classrooms added to social hall
- Combined classes with North Bend as enrollment declined
Sacred Heart, Cedar Hill (Mission Church)
Sacred Heart Church at Cedar Hill has been formally tied to St. George as a mission since the new Morse Bluff parish received its first resident priest in 1945. The two parishes continue to share one pastor. Sacred Heart (2750 County Rd. 27, Morse Bluff, NE 68648) offers a Friday 8:00 a.m. Mass and alternating Sunday morning Masses complementing St. George's weekend schedule. Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women entries describe Sacred Heart's separate Altar Society activities and history, while both communities are served by the same resident priest at the Morse Bluff rectory.
- Same pastor as St. George (Rev. Dennis Hunt)
- Mass schedule: Friday 8:00 a.m.; alternating Sundays 8:00 a.m. / 10:00 a.m.
- Shared CCD and fellowship life with St. George
Church Building
The 1955 church building at 260 Short Street is the parish's tangible inheritance from its founding generation. Built of metal with a brick front, it comprises a 39 × 80-foot worship space adjoining a 39 × 37-foot social hall. CCD classrooms were added to the hall in 1983, and the building continues to host Mass, the Altar Society's fellowship events, and CCD classes today. The cornerstone laid on September 25, 1955, by Monsignor Matthew V. Nemec, and the Solemn Pontifical Mass of dedication offered by Bishop Kucera on December 21, 1955, mark the building as a community milestone — paid for with about $24,000 in cash and roughly 4,500 hours of donated labor from the families who built it.
- 260 Short St., Morse Bluff, NE 68648
- Brick-front, metal-clad structure completed 1955
- 39 × 80-foot church + 39 × 37-foot social hall
- CCD classrooms added 1983
- Mailing: PO Box 98, Morse Bluff, NE 68648
Visit & Contact
St. George welcomes visitors and new parishioners to its weekend Masses and to the parish fellowship events hosted by the Altar Society. The parish shares a pastor (currently Rev. Dennis Hunt) with Sacred Heart, Cedar Hill, and can be reached at the parish office by phone. The mailing address is PO Box 98, Morse Bluff, NE 68648.
- Address: 260 Short St., Morse Bluff, NE 68648
- Mailing: PO Box 98, Morse Bluff, NE 68648
- Phone: (402) 666-5280
- Website: http://stgmbne.com/
- Deanery: Wahoo (Diocese of Lincoln)
- Pastor: Rev. Dennis Hunt
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. George J. Livanec1945–1961
Founding pastor; installed March 16, 1945, said first Mass in temporary chapel July 1, 1945; oversaw construction of the present church and died August 5, 1961.
- Rev. John Kozlik1961 (interim)
Cedar Bluffs priest who covered Sunday Masses at Morse Bluff after Father Livanec's death until the next appointment.
- Rev. Henry Denis1961–1974
Appointed October 1961 to serve Morse Bluff and Cedar Hill parishes.
- Rev. Otto Ekhaml1974–1978
- Rev. Jerome Pokorny1978–1979
- Rev. Jack (John) Hebert1979–1982
Referenced in parish and Sacred Heart histories as 'Rev. John Hebert… pastor three years.'
- Rev. Meldon Wass1982–
Pastor at the time of the 1983 Saunders County History; parish then had 103 members.
- Rev. Brian Kane2006–
Returned to Nebraska in 2006 and assigned as pastor of St. George, Morse Bluff and Sacred Heart, Cedar Hill; also taught religion at Bishop Neumann High School, Wahoo.
- Rev. Dennis Huntcurrent
Listed by the Diocese of Lincoln directory as resident priest at St. George, Morse Bluff, with mission Sacred Heart, Cedar Hill.