About St. Joseph · Lyons, Nebraska
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin Rite parish at 430 Lincoln Street in the small northeast Nebraska farming community of Lyons. Founded in the 1880s by German and Irish Catholic pioneer families of Burt County, the parish has worshipped on this same block for more than a century and today belongs to the Holy Apostles Parish Family, a 2023 collaboration of twelve parishes in the rural northeast corner of the Archdiocese of Omaha. The parish shares three priests with the wider Holy Apostles family and continues a long pastoral tradition of also bringing Mass to residents of the Oakland Heights care facility on alternating Tuesdays. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:00 AM in English, with weekday Masses on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Established
- 1884
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Mark T. Beran
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha (Holy Apostles Parish Family)
Why belong here
St. Joseph's in Lyons is a small, close-knit rural parish where everyone knows one another and the faith is lived across generations of farm families. Members gather for Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM and on weekday mornings, with the parish also bringing Mass to elderly residents of Oakland Heights on alternating Tuesdays — a pastoral outreach that reflects the community's care for its own. As part of the Holy Apostles Parish Family, parishioners enjoy the stability of a resident pastor, Rev. Mark T. Beran, with additional support from a senior associate priest and deacon, while sharing faith formation, youth ministry and sacramental preparation with eleven neighboring parishes.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:15 PM – 5:45 PM
Parish Identity & Location
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin Rite parish of the Archdiocese of Omaha, located at 430 Lincoln Street in Lyons, Burt County, Nebraska (zip 68038). The parish phone is (402) 687-2102 and its online home is part of the Holy Apostles Parish Family website at holyapostlesfamily.org.
- Address: 430 Lincoln St., Lyons, NE 68038
- Phone: (402) 687-2102
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Omaha
- Website: holyapostlesfamily.org
History of St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph's was founded in 1884 as a mission church served by Father Nicholas Horn, the first pastor of St. Mary's in West Point. Pioneer Catholic families of Burt County — including the Dolans, Conlins, Colligans, Evans, Ruddy, Hammel, Dorans, Thibaults, Whites, Greniers, Coils, Lewises, Gleasons, Goodells, Reardons, Petersons, Renards, Calnons and O'Connors — hauled building materials for many miles and erected the first church on the present site. The first resident priest, Father Moriarity, recorded the first baptism on August 17, 1884, and the first wedding on January 27, 1884. Until 1917 pastors lived in Bancroft; thereafter Lyons had its own resident clergy, and the present spacious church was eventually completed under Father Wolpert through the arduous labor of parishioners.
- Founded 1884
- First baptism: August 17, 1884 (son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Dolan)
- First wedding: January 27, 1884 (Andrew Renard & Agnes Evans of Oakland)
- New cornerstone laid June 26, 1910; dedicated October 27, 1910
- Debt-free by 1934 under Fr. P.R. Kelly
Clergy & Staff
The parish is pastored by Rev. Mark T. Beran as part of the Holy Apostles Parish Family, with Rev. Kevin J. Joyce serving as Senior Associate and Deacon Robert Carl assisting. Father Beran also serves as Administrator of Holy Cross Parish in Bancroft, a pastoral linkage St. Joseph's has shared since 2005.
- Pastor: Rev. Mark T. Beran
- Senior Associate: Rev. Kevin J. Joyce
- Deacon: Robert Carl
- Additional Duties: Administrator of St. Joseph Parish, Lyons and Holy Cross Parish, Bancroft (per Archdiocese of Omaha directory)
Holy Apostles Parish Family
Since 2023, St. Joseph's has belonged to the Holy Apostles Parish Family, a collaboration of twelve parishes in the northeast corner of the Archdiocese of Omaha formed in response to Archbishop George Lucas's call to create missional communities. The twelve parishes — chosen in number to echo the Twelve Apostles — share three priests and one collaborative parish family office, and collaborate on religious education and adult faith formation.
- Formed in 2023
- Twelve parishes + two schools
- Shares three priests and one parish family office
- Sister parishes include St. Augustine (Winnebago), Holy Cross (Bancroft), Holy Family (Decatur), St. John the Baptist (Pender), St. Joseph (Walthill), St. Mary (Hubbard), St. Michael (South Sioux City), Our Lady of Fatima (Macy), St. Patrick (Jackson), Sacred Heart (Emerson), St. Cornelius Mission (Homer)
Pastoral Outreach to Oakland Heights
One of the most distinctive features of St. Joseph's ministry is its ongoing care for residents of the Oakland Heights care facility. On the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, the 9:30 AM Mass is celebrated at Oakland Heights, bringing the Eucharist and the parish community to elderly members who can no longer easily come to church.
- 9:30 AM Manor Mass at Oakland Heights — 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month
Getting Involved & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at (402) 687-2102, or connect with the wider community through the Holy Apostles Parish Family website and the parish's joint Facebook page with Holy Cross, Bancroft. Faith formation, sacramental preparation and adult formation are coordinated collaboratively across the Holy Apostles family.
- Phone: (402) 687-2102
- Website: holyapostlesfamily.org/st-joseph-in-lyons
- Facebook: St. Joseph's and Holy Cross Catholic Church
- Faith formation: collaborative through the Holy Apostles Parish Family
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Nicholas Hornearly 1880s
Pastor of St. Mary's, West Point, under whose direction the Lyons church was built and dedicated in 1884.
- Fr. Moriarity1884–
First resident priest of St. Joseph's; recorded the first baptism (Aug. 17, 1884) and first wedding (Jan. 27, 1884).
- Fr. J.R. McGrath
Resided in Bancroft while serving Lyons.
- Fr. M. St. Lawrence
Resided in Bancroft while serving Lyons.
- Fr. P.J. Grant
Resided in Bancroft while serving Lyons.
- Fr. J.J. Crowley
Resided in Bancroft while serving Lyons.
- Fr. M. O'Donaghuethrough 1917
Last pastor to reside in Bancroft; in 1907 doubled the size of the original church by moving the sacristy back.
- Fr. Gatelyfrom 1917
First pastor to reside in Lyons; built the rectory at a cost of $10,000.
- Fr. John O'Flynn
Succeeded Fr. Gately.
- Fr. Teahan
Succeeded Fr. O'Flynn.
- Fr. P.R. Kellythrough c. 1934
Under his tireless efforts and those of his parishioners the church property was debt-free by 1934.
- Fr. Wolpert
Under his guidance and direction the present spacious church was built, requiring arduous labor by parishioners.