About St. Mary · Hubbard, Nebraska
St. Mary is a Roman Catholic mission church in the small farming community of Hubbard, Nebraska, in Dakota County. It is one of twelve parishes that together form the Holy Apostles Parish Family, a collaborative grouping created in 2023 in the northeastern corner of the Archdiocese of Omaha at the request of Archbishop George Lucas. The Hubbard mission shares a pastor with Sacred Heart Parish in Emerson and St. John the Baptist Parish in Pender, and operates under a coordinated parish-family office with its sister communities. Sunday Mass and weekly confessions remain the backbone of its ministry to this rural northeast-Nebraska congregation.
- Established
- 1886
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Gerald Leise
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha)
Why belong here
St. Mary's in Hubbard offers a faithful Catholic home in a small rural community where Sunday Mass is celebrated weekly and confessions are heard before Mass or by appointment. As part of the twelve-parish Holy Apostles Parish Family, the mission shares priests, religious education, and adult faith formation with neighboring communities in northeast Nebraska, so parishioners have access to collaborative sacramental preparation (Baptism classes, marriage preparation with six months' notice, Anointing of the Sick on call) while still belonging to a tight-knit country parish with deep Dakota County roots going back to 1886.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Sunday Mass
- By appointment
St. Mary Mission at a Glance
St. Mary's in Hubbard is a small Catholic mission church in Dakota County, northeast Nebraska, with weekly Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM and confessions before Mass or by appointment. It is one of twelve parishes sharing ministry across the Holy Apostles Parish Family. The mailing address is PO Box 126, 211 Iowa Street, Hubbard, NE 68741, with the parish office reachable at 402-632-4292.
- Type: Catholic Mission
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Omaha
- Sunday Mass: 8:00 AM (English)
- Parish Center phone: 402-632-4283
- Parent parish family: Holy Apostles (formed 2023)
History and Heritage
St. Mary's traces back to 1885, when permission to form a Catholic parish in the new railroad town of Hubbard was granted; the nearby village of Homer originally served as a mission outpost of the parish. The parish was formally incorporated under the name given by Bishop O'Connor on November 3, 1886, and was built largely by Irish immigrant homesteaders drawn to the agricultural bottomland of Dakota County. A church register covering baptisms, marriages, and funerals from 1886 to 1907 is preserved on microfilm at the Nebraska State Historical Society.
- 1885 – Permission granted to form a parish in Hubbard
- 1886 – Parish formally incorporated November 3, named by Bishop O'Connor
- 1886–1907 – Early sacramental register (Latin) preserved at Nebraska State Historical Society (RG1550.AM)
- 1986 – Centennial celebrated with a year of events including bilingual Mass and 'Ye Olde Gallery'
- 2023 – Joined Holy Apostles Parish Family
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
St. Mary's is pastored as part of a three-parish cluster: Sacred Heart in Emerson, St. John the Baptist in Pender, and St. Mary in Hubbard. The current pastor, Rev. Gerald Leise (ordained 1974), has served all three parishes together since July 2018 and continues in this role under the 2023 Holy Apostles Parish Family restructuring.
- Rev. Gerald Leise — pastor since July 1, 2018
- Rev. Paul M. Albenesius — pastor 2006 to June 2018 (retirement)
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation for Hubbard parishioners is handled by the pastor who serves the Holy Apostles Parish Family cluster. Couples are asked to meet with a priest at least six months before a wedding; parents seeking Baptism meet with the pastor before a date is set; Anointing of the Sick is available by calling a priest any time.
- Baptism: meet with the pastor before scheduling
- Reconciliation: before Mass or by appointment
- Marriage: six (6) months' notice required
- Anointing of the Sick: contact a priest any time
- Holy Orders / Vocations: contact a parish priest or the Archdiocesan Office of Vocations
The Holy Apostles Parish Family
Formed in 2023 at the call of Archbishop George Lucas, the Holy Apostles Parish Family is a collaboration of twelve parishes in the northeast corner of the Archdiocese of Omaha sharing three priests and one collaborative parish office. The family collaborates on religious education, adult faith formation, and shared ministry between the communities it serves, while St. Mary's retains its own identity at 211 Iowa Street.
- St. Augustine, Winnebago
- St. Cornelius Mission, Homer
- Holy Cross, Bancroft
- Holy Family, Decatur
- St. John the Baptist, Pender
- St. Joseph, Lyons
- St. Joseph, Walthill
- St. Mary, Hubbard
- St. Michael, South Sioux City
- Our Lady of Fatima, Macy
- St. Patrick, Jackson
- Sacred Heart, Emerson
Schools of the Parish Family
Two schools accompany the twelve parishes of the Holy Apostles family, providing faith-based education for the wider region.
- St. Augustine Indian Mission School, Winnebago
- St. Michael's, South Sioux City
Visiting Hubbard
Hubbard is a small farming community in Dakota County laid out in 1880 by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway. Worshippers traveling to St. Mary's can find the church at 211 Iowa Street in the heart of town. For the most up-to-date times and parish news, the official Holy Apostles Parish Family website is the best source.
- Address: 211 Iowa St., Hubbard, NE 68741
- Parish office phone: 402-632-4292
- St. Mary Parish Center: 402-632-4283
- Directory listing: GCatholic ID 36851 (Mission of St. Mary)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Paul M. Albenesius2006 – June 2018 (retirement)
Born and raised in the area; attended local schools. Archbishop appointed him pastor of St. Patrick's, Jackson, and St. Mary's, Hubbard, in 2006. Retired end of June 2018 after twelve years.
- Rev. Gerald LeiseJuly 1, 2018 – present
Already pastor of Sacred Heart, Emerson, and St. John the Baptist, Pender; on July 1, 2018 Archbishop Lucas added St. Mary's, Hubbard as a third parish. Continues in the role under the 2023 Holy Apostles Parish Family restructuring (ordained 1974).