About St. Peter · Bellwood, Nebraska
St. Peter Catholic Church is a small rural parish in the village of Bellwood, Nebraska (Butler County), in the David City Deanery of the Diocese of Lincoln. Founded in 1889 as a mission of Presentation Church in Luxemburg, it became an independent parish in 1913 and today serves the Bellwood community together with its mission parish, St. Joseph. The current brick church, social hall, and chapel were built in 1967, a Marian grotto was added in 1988, and a new ranch-style brick rectory was completed in 2012–2013. The parish is led by Rev. Stephen Graeve (appointed pastor in June 2023) and is known for its long-running lay organizations, CCD religious education, and a tradition of Catholic school cooperation with Aquinas High School in David City.
- Established
- 1889
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Stephen Graeve
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
St. Peter is a tight-knit, multi-generational rural Catholic community in the heart of Butler County where every member of the family is likely to know every other member of the family. Weekend Mass is offered Saturday evening and Sunday morning, with weekday Mass Monday through Friday in the chapel shrine, and confessions before the Vigil — a schedule well suited to farm and small-town life. The parish runs CCD religious education for students attending Bellwood Public School, sends its youth to Aquinas Catholic High School in nearby David City, and supports a strong lay life through the PCCW (Parish Council of Catholic Women, formerly the Altar Society), the Men's Club, and an active tradition of funeral dinners, soup suppers, bazaars, quilt-making, and outreach to Catholic Social Services, Birthright, the pregnancy resource centers, and the annual LDCCW Diaper Drive. A visitor can expect genuine country-Catholic hospitality, a 1988 Marian grotto for outdoor prayer, and a long history of lay involvement in building and maintaining the church — going all the way back to the frame structure donated land for and built by parishioners in 1889.
Mass times at St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. (before Vigil Mass)
History of St. Peter Parish
St. Peter's history in Bellwood stretches back to the 1880s, when Catholic settlers in the Butler County area traveled five miles east to St. Mary Church in Luxemburg for Sunday Mass. As the local Catholic population grew, Father Shraffel and Rev. Dr. J. H. Hansen of St. Mary's organized the construction of a new church on Esplanade Street. The site was donated by Mrs. Hattie M. Bell — the village's namesake — and the frame church was built between June and October 1889, dedicated by Bishop Thomas Bonacum, the first Bishop of Lincoln. The parish operated as a mission of Presentation (Luxemburg) for 24 years before being raised to an independent parish by Bishop Charles Riley in 1913, with the Rev. Joseph Flukinger as its first resident pastor.
- 1889 — original frame church built; dedicated Oct. 2 by Bishop Thomas Bonacum
- 1905 — church enlarged an additional 30 feet
- 1913 — Bellwood raised to an independent parish; St. Joseph, six miles west and one mile north, becomes the mission
- 1915 — two-story frame rectory built (contractor: E. R. Watson of David City)
- 1958 — St. Peter's joins 13 other parishes to found Aquinas High School, David City
- 1964 — Diamond Jubilee celebrated
- 1967/1968 — new brick church, social hall, and chapel built; dedicated by Bishop Glennon P. Flavin
- 1979 — pipe organ dedicated at Easter Holy Week (gift of Mrs. Markus in memory of Frank and Ella Markus)
- 1988 — Marian grotto built south of the church for the Marian Year
- 2012/2013 — new ranch-style brick rectory built by Aquinas High Industrial Class students
Worship & Liturgy
St. Peter offers a traditional small-parish schedule centered on the Saturday Vigil, Sunday morning, and a daily Mass in the chapel shrine. Confessions are heard every Saturday afternoon before the Vigil. The church, social hall, and chapel are clustered together on the Esplanade Street campus, with the 1988 Marian grotto to the south serving as an outdoor devotional site.
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday Mass — 10:00 a.m.
- Weekday Mass — Monday through Friday at 7:00 a.m. in the Chapel Shrine
- Confessions — Saturday 4:00–4:50 p.m. (and by appointment)
- Marian grotto (1988) for outdoor prayer
- Pipe organ (1979) accompanies liturgical music
Faith Formation & Catholic School Partnership
Because Bellwood does not have a Catholic grade school, parish children attend Bellwood Public School and receive their religious education through the parish's CCD program, which runs throughout the school year. For high school, St. Peter's is a member parish of Aquinas Catholic High School near David City — a school the parish helped found in 1958 and continues to support, most visibly through the 2012/2013 rectory built by Aquinas's Industrial Class students. The current pastor also serves as chaplain at Aquinas High School.
- CCD / Religious Education for students attending Bellwood Public School
- Aquinas Catholic High School, David City — founding member parish (1958)
- Rev. Stephen Graeve — Chaplain, Aquinas High School
- 2012/2013 parish rectory built by Aquinas Industrial Class
Parish Organizations & Lay Life
Lay leadership has always been central to St. Peter's identity. The PCCW (Parish Council of Catholic Women) — the direct descendant of the parish's Altar Society — remains the engine of parish hospitality, fundraising, and outreach, while the Men's Club anchors the men of the parish. The PCCW's work in 2024–2026 is led by President Judy Weston, with current and recent pastors serving as Spiritual Advisor.
- PCCW (formerly Altar Society) — President Judy Weston (2024–2026)
- St. Peter's Men's Club
- Spiritual Advisors: Rev. Thomas Lux and Rev. Thomas McGuire
- Historic sodalities: League of the Sacred Heart, Holy Name Society
- Historic clubs: Merrymakers Club, St. Peter's Dramatic Club
Outreach, Charity & Diocesan Support
Although it is a small rural parish, St. Peter's PCCW supports an unusually broad slate of Catholic charitable works — both local and diocesan. Activities include funeral dinners, nursing-home Bingo, hand-quilted quilts for the homeless, a king-size quilt raffled at the parish soup supper, and outreach to Catholic Social Services, St. Gianna House, Birthright, the pregnancy resource centers, and the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women's annual diaper drive. The parish also sponsors a child through the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and hosts an Advent Baby Shower for Birthright.
- Funeral dinners and parish hospitality
- Bingo at local nursing homes
- Quilt-making for the homeless and soup-supper raffle quilt
- Catholic Social Services support
- St. Gianna House support
- Birthright — including Advent Baby Shower
- Pregnancy resource center support
- LDCCW Annual Diaper Drive
- Catholic Near East Welfare Association (sponsor-a-child)
Community Events & Annual Traditions
St. Peter's annual calendar reflects the rhythm of small-town Nebraska: parish bazaars and soup suppers, an ice-cream and pie stand at the county fair and at Bellwood Daze, and the life-of-the-parish events that draw multiple generations together. These traditions, many of them dating back decades, are the visible expression of the parish's motto-style identity as a 'family parish' serving the village of Bellwood and surrounding farms.
- Parish Bazaar (originated under Msgr. O'Conner, 1940s)
- Parish Soup Supper (with hand-quilted king-size quilt raffle)
- Ice cream and pie stand at the county fair
- Bellwood Daze festival — parish food stand
- Funeral dinners (PCCW)
- Christmas and Easter liturgies with the 1979 pipe organ
Campus & Facilities
The St. Peter campus sits on Esplanade Street in the village of Bellwood and is composed of three primary buildings — the 1967/1968 brick church, an attached social hall, and the separate chapel shrine used for daily Mass — plus a 1988 Marian grotto south of the church and a 2013 brick rectory. The chapel shrine was donated by Mrs. Rosa M. Didier in memory of her parents Peter and Mary Schmit; the present pipe organ was the gift of Mrs. Markus in memory of Frank and Ella Markus; and the new church was funded in large part by a bequest from Mrs. Louis Moell.
- Main church — brick, 1967/1968 (dedicated by Bishop Glennon P. Flavin)
- Social hall — connected to the church, 1967/1968
- Chapel Shrine — for daily Mass, memorial to Peter and Mary Schmit
- Marian grotto — 1988, Marian Year
- Rectory — ranch-style brick, 2012/2013 (built by Aquinas High Industrial Class)
- Pipe organ — 1979, gift of Mrs. Markus in memory of Frank and Ella Markus
Getting Involved & Visiting
Newcomers and visitors are welcomed at any Mass, with the Saturday Vigil at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 10:00 a.m. being the principal weekend times. Weekday Masses in the chapel shrine at 7:00 a.m. are a peaceful option for travelers. To register as a parishioner, schedule a baptism or wedding, or arrange religious education for a child, contact the rectory at 402-538-3135. The parish shares its Facebook presence with its mission, St. Joseph in Bellwood, at facebook.com/peterjosephcatholic.
- Register as a parishioner — call the rectory 402-538-3135
- Baptism, marriage, anointing — by arrangement with the pastor
- CCD enrollment — for students attending Bellwood Public School
- Facebook: facebook.com/peterjosephcatholic (shared with St. Joseph, Bellwood)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Flukinger1913–1914
First resident pastor when St. Peter's became an independent parish on Oct. 15, 1913; lived at the 'Derby House' since no rectory yet existed.
- Rev. J. V. Hoffman1914–1918
Oversaw construction of the two-story frame rectory in 1915 (built by E. R. Watson of David City).
- Rev. Paul Frans1918–1919
Arrived August 16, 1918; administration ended May 1919.
- Father Mock1919
Served as temporary pastor between Frans and Reddy until August 5, 1919.
- Rev. John J. Reddy1919–1936
Appointed by Bishop Charles Riley on Aug. 5, 1919; 16-year pastorate; founded the League of the Sacred Heart, Holy Name Society, Merrymakers Club, St. Peter's Dramatic Club, and a boys' baseball team. Died 1936.
- Rev. F. J. Haskamp1936
Succeeded Fr. Reddy in the fall of 1936 for a short pastorate.
- Rev. D. B. O'Conner1936–1949
Organized the parish's first CYO and the first parish bazaars; elevated to Domestic Prelate (Monsignor) on March 16, 1948; died 1949.
- Rev. G. C. Messman1949–1975
Long-tenured pastor; led the parish through the 1958 founding of Aquinas High School, the 1964 Diamond Jubilee, and construction of the 1967/1968 brick church, social hall, and chapel (dedicated by Bishop Glennon P. Flavin). Retired June 1975.
- Rev. Robert A. Roh1975–
Appointed July 1, 1975; also taught at Aquinas High School in David City.
- Rev. Thomas Lux
Pastor prior to current assignment; later served as Spiritual Advisor to the parish's PCCW (Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women).
- Rev. Thomas McGuire
Pastor prior to current assignment; later served as Spiritual Advisor to the parish's PCCW.
- Rev. Stephen Graeve2023–present
Appointed Pastor of St. Peter Parish and St. Joseph Parish (Bellwood) and Chaplain at Aquinas High School, effective June 19, 2023.