About St. Wenceslaus · Milligan, Nebraska
St. Wenceslaus is a small Roman Catholic mission church located in the Czech-heritage farming village of Milligan, Nebraska, and is one of the oldest Catholic communities in Fillmore County. It is administered as a mission of St. Stephen Parish in nearby Exeter within the Diocese of Lincoln and shares a single pastor, Fr. Corey Harrison, with that sister parish. The parish is notable for offering both an Ordinary Form and a Traditional Latin Mass each Sunday, and its current brick church (built 1978–80) preserves an historic wood altar, a 100-year-old oil painting of St. Wenceslaus, German-style stained glass, and a free-standing bell tower housing the bell from the original 1890 church.
- Established
- 1890
- Patron
- St. Wenceslaus (patron saint of Bohemia / the Czech lands)
- Rector
- Fr. Corey Harrison
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
St. Wenceslaus offers a rare combination for a small rural parish: an authentic Czech-Bohemian Catholic heritage going back to the 1870s, a quiet and historic worship space adorned with a century-old altar and stained glass, and a weekly Traditional Latin Mass alongside the Ordinary Form — a draw for Catholics who cherish the classical Roman liturgy. As a tight-knit mission paired with St. Stephen in Exeter, the parish is small enough that newcomers are quickly known by name, while still being supported by the wider diocesan family, faith-formation programming, and a local Knights of Columbus council (Council 11822 of Exeter, Milligan and Friend).
Mass times at St. Wenceslaus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00–5:00 p.m. at St. Stephen, Exeter (shared with the Exeter–Milligan parishes)
- Sunday approximately 11:30 a.m.–12:00 noon (before the noon Mass at Milligan)
Parish Overview
St. Wenceslaus is a small mission parish of the Diocese of Lincoln serving the village of Milligan in Fillmore County, Nebraska. It is pastorally united with St. Stephen Parish in nearby Exeter, sharing one priest, one bulletin, and one parish website (emcatholic.com). Though modest in size, the parish retains a strong sense of identity rooted in the Czech-Bohemian Catholic heritage of the original settlers and offers a richer liturgical life than many parishes its size — including a weekly Traditional Latin Mass.
- Mission of St. Stephen Parish, Exeter
- Diocese of Lincoln, Crete Deanery
- Czech-heritage rural parish founded 1890
- Pastored by Fr. Corey Harrison
History & Heritage
Catholic worship in the Milligan area began in 1874–1876, when Czech and Irish immigrant families built a small chapel on the Josef Kotas farm northwest of town. That Pioneer Chapel — the first permanent house of worship in Fillmore County — was moved to a nearby cemetery in 1901 and restored in 1998. In 1890 a successor St. Wenceslaus church was erected in the new railroad town of Milligan itself, formally establishing the parish. By the late 1970s the original building had been outgrown, and a local couple underwrote construction of the present-day brick church, which was dedicated in 1980.
- 1874–1876: Pioneer Chapel built on the Kotas farm — one of the first Czech Catholic churches in Nebraska
- 1890: St. Wenceslaus church erected in the new town of Milligan
- 1901: Pioneer Chapel moved to the nearby Catholic/Cesky Bratri Cemetery
- 1978–79: Current brick church built, funded primarily by a local couple
- 1980: New church dedicated
- 1984: Bell from the original 1890 church mounted in a free-standing bell tower
- 1998: Pioneer Chapel restored and rededicated
Architecture & Sacred Art
Although the present building is a modern brick structure (1978–80), it is filled with 19th- and early-20th-century Catholic devotional art rescued from the original church. Visitors encounter a serene, traditional sanctuary rather than a bare modern room, giving the small parish a distinctly old-world character.
- Historic white wood altar with central painting and fleurs-de-lis
- Oil painting of St. Wenceslaus, over 100 years old
- Statue of St. Wenceslaus
- Four original sanctuary statues: Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and St. Theresa of Lisieux
- German-style stained-glass windows with medallions of Catholic symbols
- Czech-language donor inscriptions beneath the stained glass and on side altars
- Free-standing bell tower at the front of the property housing the 1890 bell
- Commemorative plaque for the donor couple just outside the front door
Mass & Liturgy
St. Wenceslaus and St. Stephen in Exeter operate as one weekend worship community, sharing Sunday Masses between the two towns and offering both the Ordinary Form and the Traditional Latin Mass each Sunday. The parish also celebrates a daily Mass on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in Milligan.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m. at St. Stephen, Exeter
- Sunday: 8:00 a.m. at St. Stephen, Exeter
- Sunday: 10:00 a.m. at St. Wenceslaus, Milligan
- Sunday: 12:00 noon Traditional Latin Mass at St. Wenceslaus, Milligan (at St. Stephen, Exeter on the 2nd Sunday)
- Wednesday: 7:30 a.m. at St. Wenceslaus, Milligan
- Saturday: 8:30 a.m. at St. Wenceslaus, Milligan
Parish Staff & Clergy
The mission is staffed by a single priest shared with its sister parish of St. Stephen, Exeter.
- Pastor: Fr. Corey Harrison
- Shared with St. Stephen Catholic Church, Exeter
Sacraments & Faith Formation
The parishes of St. Stephen (Exeter) and St. Wenceslaus (Milligan) accompany parishioners through all seven sacraments of the Catholic Church and provide faith formation for children and adults. Preparation programs are coordinated across both worship sites.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Holy Communion (Eucharist)
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Matrimony
- Anointing of the Sick
- Faith formation programs for children and adults
Parish Ministries & Community Life
Although small, the parish is anchored by active lay involvement and shared ministries with St. Stephen, Exeter. The local Knights of Columbus council — chartered jointly across Exeter, Milligan and Friend — is a visible presence of Catholic fraternity and service.
- Knights of Columbus Council 11822 of Exeter, Milligan and Friend (chaplain: Fr. Corey Harrison)
- Shared faith formation with St. Stephen Parish
- Sacramental preparation across both parishes
- Outreach to Catholic schools and people with intellectual disabilities through the Knights
Visit & Contact
St. Wenceslaus is open most weekdays for private prayer and welcomes visitors to its weekend Masses, including the Traditional Latin Mass. The mailing address for both Exeter–Milligan parishes is the Exeter parish office.
- Street address: 703 Main Street, Milligan, NE 68406
- Mailing address: 207 N Union Ave, Exeter, NE 68351
- Phone: 402-266-5581 (parish) / 402-756-6251 (Fr. Harrison)
- Email: [email protected]
- Joint website: https://www.emcatholic.com/
- Diocese directory listing: lincolndiocese.org/directory/parishes/750-st-wenceslaus-milligan
- Church is open most weekdays for private prayer