About St. Stephen · Lawrence, Nebraska
St. Stephen is a small Catholic mission parish situated two miles south of Lawrence, in the northwest corner of Nuckolls County, Nebraska. It is classified by the Diocese of Lincoln as a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in Lawrence, sharing pastoral care with Assumption Parish in Deweese under a single pastor. The community traces its origins to 1875, when pioneer Catholic families first gathered for Mass in a dugout on the prairie, and today serves roughly 29 households in this rural southern Nebraska farming country. Its historic 1947 church, restored statues from the 1885 frame church, and the parish cemetery across the road remain the heart of a tight-knit farming community.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- St. Stephen (the First Martyr)
- Rector
- Rev. Denton Morris
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
St. Stephen offers a quiet, generational rural Catholic life — the same church building dedicated in 1947, the same parish cemetery across the road where past pastors are buried, and a community that gathers from about 29 farm families across the southern Nebraska prairie. Weekend Mass alternates between Saturday evening in summer and Sunday morning in winter, with confessions before each Mass, and the parish is part of a three-parish cluster with Sacred Heart in Lawrence and Assumption in Deweese — meaning parishioners also find fellowship in the wider Lawrence Deanery, an active Altar Society, and longstanding traditions like the quilted anniversary memorials and the annual Fall Dinner.
Mass times at St. Stephen
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday before Mass
- Sunday before Mass
Parish History
St. Stephen was established in 1875 in the Liberty Creek / Beachamville area of northwest Nuckolls County, the fruit of pioneer Catholic families traveling 25 miles to Fairfield for Mass with circuit priest Father Ferdinand Lechleitner. The area's first Mass was celebrated Oct. 28, 1875, in the dugout of Louis Schumm. A 28-by-25-foot log church named St. Stephen was built in 1876 — one of the best buildings around, since many neighbors still lived in sod houses. The parish received its first resident pastor in 1878, Father Kuppenbender, whose first rectory was a 12-by-14-foot dugout before a two-story log rectory was built. He also served the missions at Hebron, Alexandria, Fairbury and Wheatland (later replaced by Blue Hill, Superior, Guide Rock and Nelson).
- 1875 — area's first Mass in dugout of Louis Schumm (Oct. 28)
- 1876 — 28×25 ft log church built and named St. Stephen
- 1878 — Father Kuppenbender becomes first resident pastor
- 1882 — town of Beachamville renamed St. Stephen; parish school established
- 1885 — 92×46 ft frame church with 96-ft steeple replaces log church
- 1893 — log school replaced by two-story building (Ursuline sisters) peaking at ~100 students by 1920
- 1946 Oct. 13 — Bishop Louis B. Kucera lays cornerstone of new church
- 1947 Oct. 19 — present 128×46 ft church dedicated, with attached rectory
- 1960 — new parochial grade school built under Father John Kelly; Dominican Sisters of Great Bend, Kan., teach (the school/convent is today's parish hall)
- 1983 — St. Stephen consolidates with Sacred Heart, Lawrence, and becomes a mission
- 2000 — 125th anniversary; Altar Society makes anniversary quilt still on display
- Sept. 28, 2025 — 150th anniversary celebrated with Bishop James Conley
Parish Cluster: Shared Pastoral Care
Since 1983 St. Stephen has been a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in Lawrence. The two parishes are joined with Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Deweese under one pastor in a three-parish cluster. The arrangement allows a single priest to maintain a regular weekend rotation of Masses across the three rural congregations.
- Sacred Heart, Lawrence — central parish (141 E. 2nd Street, Lawrence, NE 68957)
- St. Stephen, Lawrence — mission church (1838 Road 2600, Lawrence, NE 68957)
- Our Lady of the Assumption, Deweese — mission church
- Current pastor: Rev. Denton Morris (since Jan. 22, 2024)
- Shared Facebook page: facebook.com/lawrence.and.deweese/
- Cluster contact phone: 402-756-7393
- Cluster mailing: PO Box 247, Lawrence, NE 68957
Altar Society & Parish Life
The Altar Society is the visible engine of parish life at St. Stephen. Members coordinate with the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (LDCCW) and run the parish's hospitality and outreach — from funeral lunches to the annual Fall Dinner. Sister parishes in the Lawrence Deanery support one another through shared events and the LDCCW.
- Participates in the Diocesan diaper drive
- Donates to the LDCCW President's project
- Serves lunch at the annual Schutte Cattle Sale
- Recognizes parish couples on World Marriage Day
- Assists with the bloodmobile
- Serves funeral luncheons
- Prepares the annual Fall Dinner and games for children
- Coordinates with the LDCCW Spiritual Advisor (Rev. Thomas Lux, 402-798-7335)
Catholic Education Legacy
Education has been at the heart of St. Stephen since 1882, when the parish school was first established. In 1893 a small log school was replaced by a two-story building — classrooms on the main floor and living quarters upstairs for the Ursuline sisters — that peaked near 100 students by 1920. After Depression-era delays, a brand-new parochial grade school was built in October 1960 under Father John Kelly and staffed by the Dominican Sisters of Great Bend, Kansas; a convent was built for the sisters alongside it. Declining enrollment led the school to consolidate with Sacred Heart School in Lawrence in 1983, and the old school/convent now serves the parish as its parish hall.
- 1882 — parish school established
- 1893 — two-story school built; Ursuline sisters live upstairs; peak enrollment ~100 students by 1920
- 1960 — new parochial grade school built under Father John Kelly
- 1960s — Dominican Sisters of Great Bend, Kan., teach the children
- 1960 — convent built near the school (now the parish hall)
- 1983 — consolidates with Sacred Heart School, Lawrence
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the St. Stephen / Lawrence-area Catholic cluster through the shared contact information below. The cluster maintains a single Facebook page that covers the parishes of Lawrence and Deweese.
- Street address — 1838 Road 2600, 2 miles south of Lawrence, Lawrence, NE 68957
- Mailing address — PO Box 247, Lawrence, NE 68957
- Phone — 402-756-7393
- Facebook — facebook.com/lawrence.and.deweese/
- Diocese directory page — lincolndiocese.org/directory/parishes/725-st-stephen-lawrence
Patron & Feast
The parish is named for St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr (protomartyr), traditionally commemorated in the Western liturgical calendar on December 26 — the day after Christmas. The dedication of the very first log church in 1876 to this early witness of the Faith has shaped the parish's identity for 150 years.
- Patron — St. Stephen, first martyr (protomartyr)
- Feast day — December 26
Anniversaries & Anniversaries
St. Stephen marked its 125th anniversary in 2000 with an Altar Society-made quilt depicting key parish events, which still hangs in the back of the church. On Sept. 28, 2025, the community gathered to celebrate 150 years of Catholic life on the prairie, with Mass celebrated by Bishop James Conley and concelebrated by Father Denton Morris (pastor), Father Thomas Schultes, Father Adam Sparling and Father Christopher Eckrich.
- 2000 — 125th anniversary; anniversary quilt created by Altar Society
- Sept. 28, 2025 — 150th anniversary Mass with Bishop James Conley
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Ferdinand Lechleitner of Crete1873-1875
Circuit priest who celebrated the area's first Mass on Oct. 28, 1875, at the dugout of Louis Schumm.
- Father Kuppenbender1878-
First resident pastor; his first rectory was a 12-by-14-foot dugout, later replaced by a two-story log rectory; also served missions at Hebron, Alexandria, Fairbury, Wheatland.
- Father John Kellycirca 1960
Directed construction of the new parochial grade school in October 1960, staffed by Dominican Sisters of Great Bend, Kansas.
- Father Aloys Hahn
Former pastor; buried in the parish cemetery across the road from the church.
- Father Edward Valasek
Buried in the parish cemetery across the road from the church.
- Rev. Thomas Schultes2016-2019
First-time pastor; also oversaw Assumption-Deweese; now pastor of St. Mary, Nebraska City.
- Rev. Jamie Hottovy2022-2024
Pastored the Lawrence-area cluster from June 2022; returned from Rome sabbatical before transferring to St. Vincent de Paul, Seward.
- Rev. Denton Morris2024-present
Appointed pastor Jan. 22, 2024; previously pastor of St. Joseph, Harvard; ordained May 23, 2015.