About St. Joseph · Tobias, Nebraska
St. Joseph is a small Catholic mission church in the village of Tobias, Nebraska, in the southwestern corner of Saline County. It is officially a mission of St. Wenceslaus Parish in nearby Wilber, with which it shares a pastor (Rev. Robert Barnhill) and a mailing address. The parish serves about 20 registered families and celebrates Sunday Mass at 8:00 a.m. in summer and 10:00 a.m. in winter. Its 1913 white-clapboard, Gothic-Revival church is one of Nebraska's early Czech-Catholic landmarks and was rededicated by Bishop James Conley in March 2014 on the centennial of its construction.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Robert Barnhill
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln (Crete Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a small, intimate Catholic community in the heart of a historic Czech-Catholic settlement, just a block south of Highway 74 in Tobias. As a mission of St. Wenceslaus in Wilber, it pairs the warmth of a 20-family parish with the resources of a larger sister parish — Sunday Mass, sacraments, an active Altar Society that supports Villa Marie School and Spirit Catholic Radio, and a Food Drive serving Saline and Fillmore counties. For anyone looking for a quiet, tradition-rooted parish in rural Nebraska, St. Joseph is a welcoming stop.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 30 minutes before Mass (7:30–7:50 a.m. in summer, 9:30–9:50 a.m. in winter); confessions are also heard 30 minutes before Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass at the parent parish of St. Wenceslaus, Wilber
Parish Identity & Mission Status
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tobias is classified by the Diocese of Lincoln as a mission of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Wilber. Both parishes share one pastor (Rev. Robert Barnhill), share a mailing address (PO Box 706, Wilber, NE 68465), and share a weekly combined bulletin published under the heading 'Welcome to St. Wenceslaus and St. Joseph.' The mission status means St. Joseph does not have its own resident pastor but is fully supported liturgically and pastorally from Wilber.
- Mission of: St. Wenceslaus, Wilber
- Deanery: Crete (Diocese of Lincoln)
- Pastor: Rev. Robert Barnhill
- Shared mailing: PO Box 706, Wilber, NE 68465
- Shared bulletin and website at stwenceslauswilber.org
History & Founding
Catholic life in Tobias dates to 1888, when Father Philip Maly, S.J. first tried — unsuccessfully — to organize a church-building campaign for local families who were driving ten miles to Mass in Milligan. Permission to build came in 1912 from Bishop Tihen, and construction went up in 1913 under Czech-speaking Father Adolph M. Mosler. The choice of St. Joseph as patron was famously driven by the all-Joseph building committee.
- 1888: Father Philip Maly, S.J. launches (unsuccessful) Tobias building campaign
- 1912: Bishop Tihen grants permission to build
- 1913: Church completed under Father Adolph M. Mosler (later Msgr. Mosler)
- Patron St. Joseph chosen after committee members Joseph Markey, Joseph Lorenz, Joseph Laun, and driver Joseph Laun Jr.
- March 2014: Rededicated for 100th anniversary with Bishop James Conley as celebrant
Architecture & Sacred Interior
St. Joseph is a white-clapboard, Gothic-Revival frame church — a style common to the early Czech-Catholic settlements of southeastern Nebraska. Inside, a high altar is the visual centerpiece, with the Infant Jesus of Prague enshrined within a sparkling sanctuary. The interior is unified by an architecturally appealing ceiling and carefully-crafted woodwork, with statues of Mary and St. Joseph and a full set of Stations of the Cross restored by the parish. The building is generally kept locked outside of Mass times.
- White-clapboard, Gothic-Revival exterior
- High altar with the Infant Jesus of Prague
- Statues of Mary and St. Joseph
- Stations of the Cross
- Hand-crafted woodwork and decorative ceiling
Parish Life & Ministries
Although small, St. Joseph maintains an active Altar Society that serves funeral dinners and supports Villa Marie School and Spirit Catholic Radio. A parish food drive collects canned goods at the back of the church for Saline County & Fillmore County Community Action. The combined parish bulletin lists the same ministries, calendar of events, and outreach opportunities for both Tobias and Wilber.
- Altar Society (funeral dinners; supports Villa Marie School and Spirit Catholic Radio)
- St. Joseph Parish Food Drive (canned goods; benefits Saline & Fillmore County Community Action)
- Combined St. Wenceslaus / St. Joseph weekly bulletin and calendar
- Volunteer liturgical and hospitality roles shared with Wilber
Clergy: Pastor Rev. Robert Barnhill
Rev. Robert Barnhill is pastor of both St. Wenceslaus in Wilber and St. Joseph in Tobias, having been appointed in June 2023. He is also a physics teacher at St. Pius X High School in Lincoln and a veteran who served as a chaplain in the Air National Guard. Early in his tenure he carried out an unusual Rogation-style pastoral blessing of the parish territory from a small plane — an 89-mile flight piloted by parishioner and acolyte John Cox over parts of Gage, Saline, Lancaster and Fillmore counties, during which he sprinkled blessed salt and recited Psalms 103 and 104 over the land.
- Appointed pastor of Wilber and Tobias parishes: June 2023
- Also teaches physics at St. Pius X High School, Lincoln
- Veteran; former chaplain, Air National Guard
- Performed aerial blessing of parish boundaries, September 2023, with pilot John Cox
Visiting & Contact
St. Joseph is located at 511 North Elm in Tobias, one block south of Highway 74. The mailing address — handled through the parent parish — is PO Box 706, Wilber, NE 68465. Telephone, email, bulletins and the shared parish website are all administered from the St. Wenceslaus office.
- Street: 511 North Elm, Tobias, NE 68453
- Mailing: PO Box 706, Wilber, NE 68465
- Phone: (402) 821-2689
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stwenceslauswilber.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Philip Maly, S.J.1888
Jesuit priest who first attempted — unsuccessfully — to organize a church-building campaign for Tobias Catholics who were traveling to Milligan for Mass.
- Father Adolph M. Mosler1912–1913
Czech-speaking German pastor (later Monsignor Mosler) who oversaw construction of St. Joseph Church and chose its patron after the all-Joseph building committee came forward.