About St. Patrick · Mc Cool Junction, Nebraska
St. Patrick is a small Catholic mission parish in the farming community of McCool Junction, in York County, Nebraska. It is a mission of St. Joseph Catholic Church in York, sharing pastoral care with Rev. John Sullivan (Pastor) and Rev. Janusz Marzynski (Senior Parochial Vicar), both based in York. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Lincoln, is part of the York Deanery, and offers one Sunday Mass each week at 10:00 a.m., with confessions heard before Mass. Though modest in size, St. Patrick's roots reach back to 1905, and the parish has produced an unusual number of priestly and religious vocations for a rural community of its scale.
- Established
- 1905
- Patron
- Saint Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. John Sullivan
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
St. Patrick offers a quiet, close-knit Sunday Mass in the heart of rural York County, where the same farming families that founded the parish in 1905 still gather around the altar. As a mission of St. Joseph in York, it is cared for by two priests who celebrate the single Sunday liturgy and hear confessions beforehand, giving parishioners personal pastoral attention that is rare today. The parish is also a living link to more than a century of Nebraska Catholic heritage, with a documented history of priestly and religious vocations flowing from its pews.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:30–9:50 a.m. (before Mass)
History of St. Patrick, McCool Junction
St. Patrick Catholic Church in McCool Junction is one of the oldest Catholic congregations in York County, Nebraska. It was established in 1905 by a small but determined group of Catholic settler families and has remained a mission parish ever since, served first from Aurora, then York, then Grafton (under the Crosier Fathers), Exeter, and again York. A cornerstone was blessed on May 17, 1905, and Bishop Thomas Bonacum dedicated the building on September 14, 1905, naming it in honor of Saint Patrick. The parish's history is preserved in detail on the website of its sister parish, St. Joseph in York, and the church remains an active place of worship for the surrounding farming community.
- Cornerstone blessed May 17, 1905
- Dedicated by Bishop Thomas Bonacum on September 14, 1905
- Named in honor of Saint Patrick
- Founding Catholic families included Thomas J. Clark, James Conroy, Bert DeBoer, Patrick Doughtery, John Eagen, Harlan Ellis, Patrick Feeney, Joseph Finney, N.N. Flynn, John Green, Thomas Henehan, Frank Layton, Con McMahon, James McGowan, Michael McMullen, Richard Matthews, John Mohatt, Anna Neville, and Thomas Rea
Town of McCool Junction
McCool Junction was platted during the final months of 1886 in York County, Nebraska. The town's two-word name served a practical purpose: the two railroads formed a juncture at the site, and using "McCool Junction" distinguished the community from the existing town of McCook elsewhere in the state. It remains a small rural community in Nebraska's agricultural heartland, and St. Patrick's is one of its historic houses of worship.
- Town platted late 1886
- Named for the junction of two railroads
- Name chosen to avoid confusion with McCook, Nebraska
Vocations from the Parish
St. Patrick's modest size belies an extraordinary harvest of priestly and religious vocations. The parish records several priests, Ursuline Sisters, a Benedictine, and a member of a cloistered contemplative order all coming from its founding and successor families.
- Very Rev. James D. Dawson, V.G. – ordained to the priesthood June 9, 1954
- Father Eric Clark – ordained to the priesthood in 2014
- Sister Mary Annunciata Layton – Ursuline Sister, York
- Sister Margaret Mary Mohatt – Ursuline Sister, York
- Sister Marcella Donovan – Ursuline Sister, York
- Sister Henrietta Finney – Ursuline Sister, York
- Sister Francis de Sales Finney – received the Benedictine habit in 1939
- Sister Mary Kathryn Neville – Cloistered Benedictine Order of Perpetual Adoration
Pastoral Care & Administration
St. Patrick is officially listed by the Diocese of Lincoln as a Mission to St. Joseph Church, York, and is part of the York Deanery. Mail for the parish is routed through the St. Joseph rectory at 428 N East Avenue, York, NE 68467, though the church itself stands at 305 East M Street in McCool Junction.
- Deanery: York
- Mailing address: 428 N East Ave, York NE 68467
- Street address: 305 East M St., McCool Junction NE 68401
- Listed in the Diocese of Lincoln parish directory
Sacraments
Arrangements for the Sacraments of Baptism and Anointing of the Sick are coordinated through the parish office at St. Joseph, York.
- Baptism – contact parish office
- Anointing of the Sick – contact the Rectory
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors reach St. Patrick through the St. Joseph, York parish office. The church itself sits at 305 East M Street in McCool Junction and remains an open, working country church served by priests commuting from York.
- Phone: 402-362-4595
- Church address: 305 East M Street, McCool Junction, NE 68401
- Parish office: 428 N East Ave, York, NE 68467
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Patrick Healy1905–1909
First pastor; also served Fairmont; residence moved to Aurora 1909.
- Rev. William McKenna1911–1914
Served from Aurora.
- Rev. Michael A. O'Boyle1914–1915
Served from Aurora.
- Rev. Edward Hagan1915–1919
Served from Aurora.
- Rev. Paul Donovan1919–1920
Served from Aurora.
- Rev. John A. Hayes1920–1928
Resident in York.
- Rev. Patrick O'Leary1928–1930
Resident in York.
- Rev. John Kean1930–1933
Attended from Friend.
- Rev. Luke L. Mandeville1935–1960
Longest pastorate; assisted by priests from York.
- Rev. Clarence ReisdorffMarch–June 1960
Brief tenure.
- Rev. Clement Green1960–1966
- Rev. Joseph Rawley Myers1966–1968
- Rev. Joseph P. Cain, OSC1968–1972
Crosier Father; mission of Grafton designated 1968 by Bishop Flavin.
- Rev. Urban Schmitt, OSC1972–1994
Crosier Father.
- Rev. James Divis1994–1998
Administered from St. Joseph, York; still mission of Grafton.
- Rev. Mark Pfeiffer1998–2005
- Rev. Stephen Cooney2005–2008
Served from Exeter after mission reassigned to Exeter.
- Rev. Thomas Kuffel2008–2014
Served from Exeter.
- Rev. James Reinert2014–2020
First pastor after St. Patrick became a mission to York again in 2014.
- Rev. Dennis Hunt2014–2017
In Residence Priest from York.
- Rev. Denton MorrisJanuary–June 2020
Temporary Parish Administrator.
- Rev. John Sullivan2020–present
Pastor from York.
- Rev. Janusz Marzynski2020–present
Senior Parochial Vicar from York.