About St. Mary · Dawson, Nebraska
St. Mary Catholic Church is a rural Roman Catholic parish in the small farming community of Dawson, Richardson County, Nebraska, founded by its members in 1873 and serving as one of the oldest faith communities in southeast Nebraska. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Lincoln (Falls City Deanery) and is currently pastored by Rev. Anthony Bedient, who was appointed in June 2024 and also serves the companion mission parish of St. Anne in nearby Shubert. The congregation worships in the fourth church building on the parish property — the present structure was dedicated July 31, 1900, by Bishop Thomas Bonacum, the first bishop of Lincoln — and continues to be sustained by a strong Altar Society, parish hall events, the local Knights of Columbus, and an enduring bond with Sacred Heart School in Falls City.
- Established
- 1873
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (parish name: St. Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Bedient
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln (Falls City Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Mary offers a genuine rural Catholic community that has celebrated the Mass and the sacraments on the same Dawson parish grounds for 150 years, through storms, fires and lightning alike. Parishioners worship in a church dedicated in 1900 by the first bishop of Lincoln, share fellowship at the parish hall's annual pork barbecue, pancake feed, soup supper and Altar Society events (Rolls & Coffee, the Mother/Daughter potluck, funeral dinners), and serve the wider Richardson County community by running the famous cheeseburger-and-chili stand at the county fair. With weekend Mass on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, confession before each, and a pastor also serving the school in Falls City, St. Mary remains both deeply rooted and actively outward-looking.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:45–5:20 p.m.
- Sunday 7:45–8:15 a.m.
History of St. Mary Parish
St. Mary was founded by its own parishioners in 1873, just after the town of Dawson itself was established in 1872 on the banks of the Nemaha River. The earliest recorded Mass in the area was celebrated in 1860 by Father Phillip Vogg, O.S.B., of Nebraska City, in the Rothenberger home. With the parish's founding, the 36 founding families outgrew private homes and gathered for five years in the Iliff school house, a mile east of town, until the first church was built under Father C. J. Quinn and dedicated with a cornerstone on July 4, 1878. The parish then endured three successive church destructions: a cyclonic storm in 1879, arson against the replacement, and lightning striking the third church's tower in 1898. The current (fourth) church was completed in 1900 and dedicated July 31, 1900, by Bishop Thomas Bonacum, the first bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln. A parish cemetery was added in 1884 and a parish hall was blessed by Bishop Glennon P. Flavin in 1977.
- 1860 — first Mass in the area celebrated by Father Phillip Vogg, O.S.B., in the Rothenberger home
- 1873 — parish founded; Masses held at the Iliff school house for five years
- 1878 — first church cornerstone laid July 4 under Father C. J. Quinn
- 1879 — cyclonic storm destroys the first church
- Second church destroyed by arson; third destroyed by lightning in 1898
- 1900 — present (fourth) church dedicated July 31, 1900, by Bishop Thomas Bonacum
- 1884 — parish cemetery established west of town
- 1977 — Bishop Glennon P. Flavin blesses the parish hall
Diocese and Deanery
St. Mary belongs to the Diocese of Lincoln and is part of its Falls City Deanery, the south-east cluster of parishes. Father Anthony Bedient is pastor of St. Mary in Dawson and the companion mission of St. Anne in Shubert, a small neighboring community; through this pastorship he also teaches religion at Sacred Heart High School in Falls City.
- Diocese: Catholic Diocese of Lincoln
- Deanery: Falls City
- Mission parish: St. Anne, Shubert
- Partner school: Sacred Heart, Falls City
Altar Society
The St. Mary Altar Society is the heartbeat of the parish's hospitality life. Members gather for coffee and rolls after the 8:30 Mass on the first Sunday of every month, host a soup supper in February and a community Mother/Daughter potluck in May, and step in with funeral dinners whenever needed. They also organize the First Communion reception, Confirmation reception, and graduation recognition for seniors, and assist with running the Richardson County fair stand and the parish pork barbecue dinner.
- Rolls & Coffee after 8:30 Mass on the first Sunday of the month
- February Soup Supper
- May Mother/Daughter potluck
- Funeral dinners as needed
- First Communion / Confirmation / graduation receptions
- Co-presidents: Joyce Huppert and Evalyn Clancy; Secretary: Norma Arington; Treasurer: Bonnie Kanel
Knights of Columbus and Cemetery
The parish cemetery sits about a mile west of the church, on a hilltop. Since 1884 it has served as the resting place of generations of parishioners, and it continues to be maintained by the community and led by the local Knights of Columbus council.
- Established 1884
- Located approximately one mile west of the church
- Cared for by the parish and led by the local Knights of Columbus council
Sacred Heart School Connection
After ten years of planning, the parish opened its own school in 1912, staffed by four Dominican Sisters from St. Catherine, Kentucky, and serving about 70 students. In 1963 the school was consolidated with Sacred Heart School in Falls City. St. Mary continues that strong relationship today — Father Bedient, the current pastor, teaches religion at Sacred Heart High School, keeping the parish firmly tied to Catholic K–12 education in Richardson County.
- Parish school opened 1912 with ~70 students and four Dominican Sisters
- Consolidated with Sacred Heart School, Falls City, in 1963
- Pastors teach religion classes and serve in school counseling roles
Pastoral Leadership
Like many rural Nebraska parishes, St. Mary has been served by dozens of priests across more than a century. Father Kenneth Hoesing was pastor from 2011 until summer 2024; Father Anthony Bedient was then appointed (effective June 17, 2024) as pastor of both St. Mary in Dawson and the mission of St. Anne in Shubert, while also serving on the religion faculty of Sacred Heart High School in Falls City. Earlier, Father C. J. Quinn directed the building of the original 1878 church and Father Phillip Vogg, O.S.B., celebrated the area's first known Mass in 1860.
- Father Phillip Vogg, O.S.B. — 1860 (first Mass in the Dawson area)
- Father C. J. Quinn — directed construction of the first St. Mary Church (cornerstone 1878)
- Father Kenneth Hoesing — 2011–2024
- Father Anthony Bedient — appointed June 17, 2024
Parish Hall and Community Fundraisers
Bishop Glennon P. Flavin laid the cornerstone for the parish hall in 1977, and that building has hosted the major parish events ever since: the annual pork barbecue dinner, the pancake feed, the February soup supper and many smaller gatherings throughout the year. Each September the parish takes over the square in Humboldt for the Richardson County Fair, running its kitchen and serving tent for three days to serve cheeseburgers and the legendary 'St. Mary's chili' — one of the most significant fellowship and fundraising activities on the calendar.
- Parish hall cornerstone laid 1977 by Bishop Flavin
- Annual pork barbecue dinner
- Pancake feed and Soup Supper (February)
- Three-day Richardson County Fair stand in Humboldt (cheeseburgers and St. Mary's chili)
Vocations from the Parish
St. Mary has sent a remarkable number of its sons and daughters into religious life — a fact the parish proudly notes in its own history. The parish counts two priestly vocations, Msgr. John Kean and Father Tom McQuire, and three religious sisters: Sister Mary David Kean (Sisters of Mercy, and the sister of Msgr. Kean), Sister Aquinas Fenton (Sisters of Mercy), and Sister M. Thaddeus Trompeter (Sisters of St. Joseph).
- Msgr. John Kean
- Father Tom McQuire
- Sister Mary David Kean, RSM (sister of Msgr. Kean)
- Sister Aquinas Fenton, RSM
- Sister M. Thaddeus Trompeter, CSJ
Visiting and Contact
St. Mary's church sits at 312 4th Street in Dawson, with a mailing address of PO Box 96, Dawson, NE 68337. The parish phone line is 402-855-3595. Visitors driving US 75 through Richardson County are warmly welcome; parishioner Kevin Burnison has noted that, while small parishes like St. Mary might be overlooked by passing motorists, they remain places 'where families are nurtured.'
- Address: 312 4th St, Dawson, NE 68337
- Mailing: PO Box 96, Dawson, NE 68337
- Phone: 402-855-3595
- Deanery: Falls City
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. C. J. Quinn1878–
Directed the building of the first St. Mary Church; cornerstone laid July 4, 1878
- Father Phillip Vogg, O.S.B.1860
Celebrated the first known Mass in the area, in the Rothenberger home
- Rev. Kenneth Hoesing2011–2024
Arrived in 2011 and also served the mission parish of St. Anne in Shubert
- Rev. Anthony Bedient2024–
Appointed pastor June 17, 2024; also pastor of St. Anne, Shubert, and religion teacher at Sacred Heart High School, Falls City