About St. John Nepomucene · Howells, Nebraska
St. John Nepomucene is a small Roman Catholic parish in the Czech-heritage farm town of Howells, Nebraska, located at 320 South 2nd Street. Founded in 1893 by Bohemian (Czech) immigrant families, it stands about six blocks from the neighboring German-founded Ss. Peter and Paul Parish — for generations, Howells was the last small town in the Archdiocese of Omaha with two Catholic parishes, and the two communities have gradually blended their school, religious education, music, Knights of Columbus council, and even cemetery life. Today the parish is part of the multi-town St. Joseph Family of Parishes (covering Beemer, Dodge, Howells, Monterey, Olean, St. Charles, West Point and Wisner) and shares Howells Community Catholic School with Ss. Peter and Paul.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. John of Nepomuk (John Nepomucene), patron of Bohemia, confessors and bridges; martyr of the seal of confession
- Rector
- Rev. James Weeder (Pastor, St. Joseph Family of Parishes)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha (Catholic Voice and parish bulletins both list the parish under the Archdiocese of Omaha; locally it is administered through the St. Joseph Family of Parishes)
Why belong here
St. John Nepomucene is a close-knit, multi-generational parish rooted in the Czech Catholic heritage of rural northeast Nebraska. About 300 parishioners pack its pews for the single Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m., with weekday Mass on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursdays — a community small enough that "everybody takes their turn," whether cleaning the church, serving on the pastoral council, baking kolaches, or giving a neighbor a ride to Mass. The parish shares Howells Community Catholic School with its sister parish Ss. Peter and Paul, combining a parish school, Knights of Columbus council, music program and outreach efforts so that families can put down deep roots in one small town.
Mass times at St. John Nepomucene
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confessions are not listed as a standing scheduled time on the parish's own page. The Archdiocese of Omaha reconciliation page notes that area parishes (including the St. Joseph Family of Parishes churches in Howells) publish their exact confession schedules — for Howells-area reconciliation contact the parish office at (402) 986-1653 to arrange a time.
Adoration times
- No regular published adoration schedule is listed on the parish's own page (null).
History of St. John Nepomucene Parish
The Bohemian (Czech) homesteaders of the Howells area gathered in May 1893 to found St. John Nepomucene Parish, building their first church and school and recruiting a Czech-speaking pastor — the same independent path taken three years earlier by the German settlers who organized Ss. Peter and Paul. Parish records date from 1894 and continued until the two Howells parishes merged their books after 1940; the originals now reside in part at the Nebraska State Historical Center in Lincoln. A century later, in June 2018, the parish gathered more than 200 of its members — including lifelong parishioner Elsie Konsel, who helped bake kolaches for the occasion — to celebrate 125 years with Archbishop George J. Lucas.
- Founded May 1893 by Czech Catholic homesteaders
- Separate from Ss. Peter and Paul (German, 1890) by both ethnicity and worship language for three generations
- Current church building erected 1965, replacing the original 1890s structure
- 125th anniversary marked June 24, 2018 with Archbishop Lucas
Cooperation with Ss. Peter and Paul
For decades the two Howells parishes maintained parallel schools, choirs, social groups and even separate cemeteries. The first great thaw came with the 1968 merger of their schools into Howells Community Catholic School, for which local farmers did the dirt work — even dynamiting frozen ground in winter. A second milestone came in 1982, when the parishes agreed to share a priest; each dropped to one Sunday Mass, scheduled 90 minutes apart so the pastor could drive between them. Today they share a religious-education teacher, a unified Knights of Columbus council, a March 'Fun Fest' fundraiser for HCCS, and choirs that sing together at funerals and other events.
- Schools merged in 1968 → Howells Community Catholic School (HCCS)
- Shared priest since 1982
- Joint pastoral-council meetings
- Single shared Knights of Columbus council
- 'Fun Fest' fundraiser each March
Parish Staff & Clergy
Alongside its sister Howells parish, St. John Nepomucene is served through the St. Joseph Family of Parishes, headquartered in West Point and led today by Fr. James Weeder as Pastor with Fr. Walter Jong-A-Kiem as Senior Associate and Fr. Matthias Sule as Associate (Fr. Sule scheduled to depart July 1 for Our Lady of Lourdes in Omaha, with Fr. Joseph Broudou joining the family on the same date). The Howells office is staffed by parish contact Chris Coday, who handles the day-to-day needs of both Howells parishes.
- Rev. James Weeder — Pastor, St. Joseph Family of Parishes
- Rev. Walter Jong-A-Kiem — Senior Associate Pastor
- Rev. Matthias Sule — Associate Pastor (departing July 1)
- Rev. Joseph Broudou — incoming Associate (beginning July 1)
- Chris Coday — parish contact, Howells ([email protected])
Distinctively Czech Catholic Traditions
From its earliest decades, St. John Nepomucene cultivated customs drawn from old Bohemian Catholic piety. The signature events were the annual Corpus Christi procession and the May 16 feast of the parish's patron, St. John Nepomucene — a day so celebrated in early Howells that excursion trains carried visitors from east and west and local marching bands led the procession in front of the church. The parish also maintained a long-running bazaar known as the 'Duck Supper,' which (along with the kolaches baked for special occasions) remains a touchstone of parish culture.
- Corpus Christi procession
- May 16 feast of St. John Nepomucene
- Annual 'Duck Supper' parish bazaar
- Kolaches and other Czech pastries for parish celebrations
Howells Community Catholic School (HCCS)
Formed by the 1968 merger of St. John Nepomucene's grade school with that of Ss. Peter and Paul, HCCS continues to be the common educational apostolate of the two Howells parishes. The school serves roughly 50 students in grades 1–6, with students attending Mass twice per week (Monday and Wednesday) at 8:15 a.m. at Ss. Peter and Paul; classes begin at 8:15 a.m., doors open at 7:55 a.m., and dismissal runs about 3:30 p.m. Lunch is served at the public school. Both parishes share a religious-education teacher with HCCS, and the parishes host a joint 'Fun Fest' each March to support the school.
- Founded 1968 as merger of the two Howells parish schools
- About 50 students in grades 1–6
- Mass twice per week (Mon & Wed 8:15 a.m.)
- Joint 'Fun Fest' fundraiser each March
Music Ministry
Music has always been one of the strongest shared ministries between St. John Nepomucene and Ss. Peter and Paul. Wayne Molacek, a member of St. John Nepomucene since 1970, has served as the parish music director and organist/pianist; in recent years he also stepped in at Ss. Peter and Paul to fill a music gap there. The two parish choirs now routinely combine forces for funerals and other special events, an arrangement that has only grown more important as the choirs themselves have shrunk in size.
- Parish music director: Wayne Molacek (member since 1970)
- Combined choirs with Ss. Peter and Paul for funerals and special events
Altar Society, Knights of Columbus & Parish Groups
St. John Nepomucene's longest-running lay organization is its Altar Society — multiple women have cycled through multi-year terms as president since at least the 1940s, organizing volunteers, cleaning the sacristy, and supporting parish hospitality. Today the parish shares a single Knights of Columbus council with Ss. Peter and Paul, described in local reporting as 'thriving like it hasn't been in decades' thanks to the combined membership of both towns' Catholic men.
- Altar Society (since the early parish era)
- Knights of Columbus — shared council with Ss. Peter and Paul
- Parish Pastoral Council — meets jointly with Ss. Peter and Paul
Cemetery & Parish Property
From its earliest years the parish maintained its own parish cemetery separate from Ss. Peter and Paul's, reflecting the original division between the Czech and German Catholic communities of Howells. The current church building, erected in 1965 to replace the original 1890s structure, continues to serve as the primary site for Sunday worship and parish life.
- Separate parish cemetery (one of the divisions preserved in cooperation with Ss. Peter and Paul)
- Current church built 1965; original 1890s church previously stood on or near the same site
Visiting & Contact Information
Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the Howells-area Masses. The shared parish office can be reached at (402) 986-1653 or [email protected] and is staffed by Chris Coday. The Howells-area parish office is located at 614 Center Street, Howells. The parish belongs to the broader St. Joseph Family of Parishes network, whose main website — stjosephfamilyofparishes.org — posts the weekly bulletin and up-to-date Mass and event schedule.
- Parish office: 614 Center St., Howells, NE 68641 — (402) 986-1653
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stjosephfamilyofparishes.org/st-john-nepomucene-howells/
- Belongs to the St. Joseph Family of Parishes (8 rural communities in northeast Nebraska)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Stanley (Stan) Schmitserving in 2017–2018 (and at the 125th anniversary in 2018)
Pastor of both Howells parishes plus Holy Trinity in Heun as of the 2018 anniversary; first pastor to formally serve the two Howells parishes together in 1982 (initially as shared priest).
- Father Walter (Jong-A-Kiem)listed as pastor on the town's 2024 community page; associate pastor under the Family of St. Joseph structure
Named on the Howells community-directory entry as the pastor for parish contact purposes; serves the St. Joseph Family of Parishes.
- Father James Weedercurrent (2026) — Pastor, St. Joseph Family of Parishes
Head of the family of parishes that includes St. John Nepomucene, Sts. Peter & Paul (Howells), Holy Cross (Beemer), St. Wenceslaus (Dodge), St. Mary's (West Point), Sacred Heart (Olean), St. Aloysius (Aloys/Monterey) and others.