About St. Rose of Lima · Hooper, Nebraska
St. Rose of Lima Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in Hooper, Nebraska, in the rural Elkhorn River valley of Dodge County. It is currently served from St. Patrick Parish in neighboring Fremont, where Fr. Walter Nolte is pastor with associate priests, and Deacon Joe Uhlik serves as Ministry Director for the parish. The parish shares weekly Mass and sacramental ministry with nearby St. Lawrence Mission in Scribner as part of a tri-parish arrangement under the Archdiocese of Omaha. Worship is offered in English in the modest brick church on East Elk Street, and the parish continues the sacramental and devotional life of a traditional rural Nebraska Catholic community.
- Patron
- St. Rose of Lima
- Rector
- Rev. Walter L. Nolte
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
St. Rose of Lima offers a quiet, traditional rural Catholic community in the heart of Dodge County's farm country, where families can worship together in a small historic church and still draw on the full sacramental and pastoral resources of the larger St. Patrick cluster in Fremont. Weekend and weekday Masses, rotating with St. Lawrence in Scribner, give parishioners regular access to the Eucharist without losing the intimacy of a small parish. With active liturgical, trustee, and Guild leadership (including a New Guild president supporting parish life), and sacramental preparation through the cluster's faith-formation programs, St. Rose of Lima is a good fit for families seeking the close-knit character of a country parish connected to a strong regional Catholic network.
Mass times at St. Rose of Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm (rotates with St. Lawrence - Scribner)
Parish Identity and Cluster Relationship
St. Rose of Lima Parish is the Catholic parish of Hooper, a farming community in Dodge County in eastern Nebraska. Although it has its own parish church on East Elk Street, its own parish council, and its own cemetery, it is administered as part of a tri-parish cluster with St. Patrick Parish in Fremont and St. Lawrence Mission in Scribner. Fr. Walter L. Nolte is the pastor of the cluster; associate priests Fr. Steven D. Emanuel, Fr. William J. Cremers, Fr. Joseph R. Sund, and Fr. Minh Tran help cover the three worship sites, and Deacon Joe Uhlik serves as Ministry Director.
- Parish: St. Rose of Lima, Hooper, NE
- Cluster: St. Patrick (Fremont) + St. Rose of Lima (Hooper) + St. Lawrence Mission (Scribner)
- Pastor: Rev. Walter L. Nolte
- Deacon Joe Uhlik, Ministry Director
History of the Parish
St. Rose of Lima was established in the late nineteenth century to serve Catholic homesteading families in the Hooper area. The original frame church was replaced over time by the present tan buff brick Romanesque-style building with precast art stone trim that anchors the parish today. The adjacent St. Rose of Lima Cemetery has long served the wider Hooper community and is recorded as a Dodge County landmark. The parish's history is also a story of gradual integration with neighboring parishes — first as a mission of St. Patrick's in Fremont, and now as a clustered parish sharing clergy and rotating weekend Masses with St. Lawrence in Scribner.
- Established late 19th century for immigrant homesteaders (German and Czech)
- Original frame church later replaced by current brick church
- St. Rose of Lima Cemetery adjacent to the church
- Clustered with St. Patrick (Fremont) and St. Lawrence (Scribner)
Parish Staff and Leadership
The parish is led by Pastor Fr. Walter L. Nolte, with senior associate Fr. Steven D. Emanuel and associates Fr. William J. Cremers, Fr. Joseph R. Sund, and Fr. Minh Tran. Deacon Joe Uhlik serves as Ministry Director and Fr. Bill Cremers serves as Secretary. The Parish Council and trustees help guide parish operations, and the New Guild supports parish life and fellowship.
- Fr. Walter L. Nolte, Pastor
- Fr. Steven D. Emanuel, Senior Associate
- Fr. William J. Cremers, Associate / Secretary
- Fr. Joseph R. Sund, Associate
- Fr. Minh Tran, Associate Pastor
- Deacon Joe Uhlik, Ministry Director
- Trustees: Frank Horvatich, Glen Kassmeier
- New Guild President: Patti Kraus
- Staff: Mary Anselmo, Joan Westergaard, Renae Meyer, Ron Fetkenher
Sacraments and Faith Formation
Sacramental preparation for baptism, first Holy Communion, marriage, and reconciliation is coordinated through the St. Patrick's Fremont cluster office. Confessions are heard Saturday afternoons before the Saturday evening Mass (rotating with St. Lawrence). Funeral Masses, weddings, and baptisms are scheduled with the cluster priests and Deacon Joe Uhlik.
- Baptism preparation via cluster
- First Communion preparation via cluster
- Marriage preparation via cluster
- Reconciliation Saturdays (rotating with St. Lawrence)
- Anointing / pastoral care coordinated through St. Patrick's Fremont
Parish Ministries and Community Life
Parish life at St. Rose of Lima centers on the Parish Council, the trustees, and the New Guild (led by Patti Kraus). Liturgical ministries, hospitality, and faith-formation leadership are coordinated across the cluster with Deacon Joe Uhlik as Ministry Director. Live-streamed Masses via the St. Patrick's Fremont Facebook page and YouTube channel extend the parish's reach to homebound parishioners and families living away from Hooper.
- Parish Council
- Board of Trustees (Frank Horvatich, Glen Kassmeier)
- New Guild (Patti Kraus, President)
- Cluster faith-formation / sacramental prep
- Livestream Mass via facebook.com/stpatsfremont and YouTube
Facilities: Church and Cemetery
The parish worship site is the brick church on East Elk Street, with parking on the parish grounds. The adjacent St. Rose of Lima Cemetery is an active and historical cemetery serving the wider Hooper community, recorded on Dodge County archival maps as 'St Rose of Lima Cem'.
- Church: 405–406 E. Elk Street, Hooper, NE
- St. Rose of Lima Cemetery (adjacent)
- Parish parking on-site
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Damien Wee
Listed as Pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, Hooper.
- Rev. Walter L. Nolte
Current pastor of the cluster of St. Patrick (Fremont), St. Rose of Lima (Hooper), and St. Lawrence Mission (Scribner); also listed as pastor on Archdiocese of Omaha directory.