About St. Leonard · Madison, Nebraska
St. Leonard Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Madison, Nebraska, founded in 1879 and named after St. Leonard of Port Maurice, the Franciscan patron saint of parish missions. The current brick Romanesque Revival church, designed by noted Nebraska architect Jacob M. Nachtigall, was completed in 1913 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today St. Leonard is part of the Heart of Jesus Catholic Family of Parishes, which also includes St. Mary in Norfolk, St. Joseph in Pierce, St. Peter in Stanton, and St. Patrick in Battle Creek. Beginning in the early 1990s a wave of Hispanic immigration transformed the community, and by 2011 roughly two-thirds of the parish was Hispanic; the parish now regularly offers bilingual Masses in English and Spanish.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- St. Leonard of Port Maurice
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
St. Leonard is a deeply rooted and bilingual Catholic community in rural northeast Nebraska, where English- and Spanish-speaking families have worshipped together since the 1990s in a National-Register-listed Romanesque Revival church. As part of the Heart of Jesus Family of Parishes, it shares its priests and sacramental life with five nearby mission churches while keeping its own historic home at 504 S. Nebraska St., Madison, where families can attend bilingual weekend Masses, prepare their children for First Communion alongside the rest of the cluster, and grow in faith within a centuries-old immigrant Catholic tradition.
Mass times at St. Leonard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday, 9:45–10:15 am (before 10:30 am Mass), St. Leonard, Madison (regular schedule, Jan 1 – Apr 30)
Adoration times
- Blessed Sacrament reposed after Holy Thursday Mass until Tuesday following 7:15 am Mass (Holy Week schedule published by the Heart of Jesus Family of Parishes)
Parish History
St. Leonard's roots go back to the first Catholic homesteaders in the Madison area around 1875. The parish was organized in 1879, a wood-frame church was built in 1881 north of the cemetery, and the building was physically moved into the town of Madison in 1898. A limestone basement church was finished in 1903 and used as the worship space for a decade while the old frame served as a school. The present Romanesque Revival brick church, designed by Jacob M. Nachtigall, was completed in 1913 and dedicated December 4, 1913, at a cost of about $75,000.
- Catholic community in Madison area: from c. 1875
- Parish organized: 1879
- First frame church completed: 1881
- Cemetery platted: 1882
- Frame church moved into town: 1898
- Limestone basement church completed: February 17, 1903 ($8,000)
- Rectory completed: 1911 ($10,374)
- Vermont marble cornerstone laid: May 8, 1913
- Upper church construction began: May 26, 1913
- Upper church completed: November 30, 1913
- Solemn dedication: December 4, 1913
- Construction cost: about $75,000
- Building centennial celebrated: December 1, 2013
Franciscan Mission Roots
For its first thirty years Madison was a missionary parish served by Franciscan missionaries based in Columbus, Nebraska. The parish was named for St. Leonard of Port Maurice because he was a Franciscan and the patron saint of parish missions.
- Franciscan missionaries from Columbus, NE: 1880–1910
- Transferred to Diocese of Omaha: 1910
- First diocesan pastor: Fr. Edward Muenich (assigned October 1910)
The 1913 Church Building
The present church is a Romanesque Revival brick structure designed by Jacob M. Nachtigall, a pupil of Thomas Rogers Kimball. The interior has a seating capacity of 700 and is anchored by a 110-foot bell tower containing a clock with four six-foot dials and a three-bell peal contributed by the citizens of Madison, which also rang the quarter-hours for the surrounding community.
- Architect: Jacob M. Nachtigall
- Style: Romanesque Revival
- Seating capacity: 700
- Tower height: 110 feet
- Clock: four six-foot dials
- Bells: three (gifted by Madison citizens)
National Register of Historic Places
The church, its 1912 Neoclassical rectory, and the rectory's garage were added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 1989, in recognition of their architecture and as the work of noted Nebraska architect Jacob M. Nachtigall.
- NRHP reference number: 89002038
- Listed: November 27, 1989
- Includes: church, 1912 rectory, and rectory garage
- Rectory style: Neoclassical
Hispanic Community and Bilingual Liturgy
Beginning in the early 1990s, Madison saw a dramatic influx of Hispanic residents tied to the IBP / Tyson Foods meatpacking plant, the city's single largest employer. The Archdiocese of Omaha began assigning Spanish-speaking priests to St. Leonard in 1991, and bilingual (English/Spanish) Masses have been offered ever since. By 2011 an estimated two-thirds of parishioners were Hispanic.
- Hispanic share of Madison County population: 2% (1990) → 13% (2010)
- Hispanic share of Madison city population: <1% (1980) → 48.8% (2010)
- First Spanish-speaking priests assigned: 1991
- Bilingual Masses introduced: 1991
- Bilingual liturgy confirmed at centennial Mass, December 1, 2013
Heart of Jesus Family of Parishes
St. Leonard today belongs to the Heart of Jesus Catholic Family of Parishes, which shares priests and sacramental life across six churches in northeast Nebraska. The cluster publishes a unified weekend Mass schedule, a rotating bilingual-Mass schedule, and shared Reconciliation and Holy Week/Easter schedules.
- St. Mary, Norfolk (2300 W. Madison Ave.)
- Sacred Heart, Norfolk (200 N. 5th St.)
- St. Joseph, Pierce (421 S. Brown St.)
- St. Patrick, Battle Creek (107 N. 3rd St.)
- St. Peter, Stanton (1504 Ivy St.)
- St. Leonard, Madison (504 S. Nebraska St.)
Holy Week & Easter
Holy Week liturgies in the Heart of Jesus family are celebrated centrally at St. Mary, Norfolk, but St. Leonard receives an Easter Sunday Mass at 9:30 am. The Blessed Sacrament is reposed after Holy Thursday Mass and returned after 7:15 am Mass on the Tuesday following Easter.
- Easter Sunday: 9:30 am, St. Leonard, Madison
- Blessed Sacrament reposed after Holy Thursday Mass; returned after 7:15 am Tuesday Mass
Sacraments of Initiation
First Communion for children of St. Leonard is celebrated in common with the rest of the Heart of Jesus Family of Parishes. In 2026 the parish's celebration is scheduled for April 12 at 10:30 am.
- First Communion 2026: April 12, 10:30 am, St. Leonard, Madison
Visit & Contact
St. Leonard's church sits on South Nebraska Street in Madison, Nebraska, and is served through the Heart of Jesus Catholic Parishes office. Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish by phone during office hours and can find directions and contact information on the parish website.
- Address: 504 S. Nebraska St., Madison, NE 68748
- Phone: 402-371-2621
- Website: heartofjesuscatholic.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Franciscan missionaries from Columbus, NE1880–1910
Cared for the Madison Catholic community for thirty years as a missionary parish.
- Fr. Edward MuenichAssigned October 1910
First diocesan priest after the parish transferred from the Franciscans to the Diocese of Omaha; oversaw the 1911 rectory build and the 1912 basement extension.