About St. William · Niobrara, Nebraska
St. William is a Catholic mission church located in Niobrara, Nebraska, in the Rural Northwest Deanery of the Archdiocese of Omaha. It is one of five church sites merged in July 2024 into the new Holy Angels Parish, which along with All Saints Parish and Holy Family Parish forms the multi-site 'Our Catholic Family of Parishes' based in Fordyce, Nebraska. According to GCatholic, St. William is listed as a mission of St. Wenceslaus Church in nearby Verdigre. The mission sits at 262 Buckeye Road and offers weekday Mass on the 3rd Wednesday and 4th Monday of each month, as well as a weekly Eucharistic Adoration hour on Thursdays.
- Patron
- Saint William of Vercelli
- Rector
- Fr. James Keiter (Pastor of Our Catholic Family of Parishes / Holy Angels Parish)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha)
Why belong here
St. William offers a quiet, intimate setting for weekday worship in rural northern Nebraska. It is one of twelve church sites cared for by Our Catholic Family of Parishes, so parishioners benefit from shared pastoral staff, faith-formation programs, and youth ministry across Holy Angels, All Saints, and Holy Family parishes. It is an ideal home for Catholics in the Niobrara area who value regular weekday Mass (3rd Wednesday and 4th Monday), Thursday evening Eucharistic Adoration, and a clear connection to neighboring mission and parish communities.
Mass times at St. William
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Thursday 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Overview & Identity
St. William is a small Catholic mission church in Niobrara, Nebraska, administered as part of Holy Angels Parish within the Archdiocese of Omaha. It is one of twelve church sites supported by the 'Our Catholic Family of Parishes' collaborative, which also includes All Saints Parish and Holy Family Parish. The mission is formally listed by the Archdiocese and by GCatholic as a Mission of St. Wenceslaus Church in nearby Verdigre.
- Type: Mission church
- Deanery: Rural Northwest Deanery, Archdiocese of Omaha
- Parent parish (per GCatholic): St. Wenceslaus, Verdigre
- Family of parishes: Our Catholic Family of Parishes (Fordyce, NE)
History & Parish Merger
St. William was long served as a mission in northern Knox County. On June 9, 2024, Archbishop George J. Lucas announced that, effective July 1, 2024, St. William would be merged with St. Wenceslaus (Verdigre), St. Ludger (Creighton), St. Ignatius (Brunswick), and St. Andrew (Bloomfield) to erect the new Holy Angels Parish. The decree was issued under canons 515 §2 and 121 of the Code of Canon Law and followed consultation with the Archdiocesan Council of Priests, 'with a concern for the care of souls and to ensure the vitality of parish life in the area.' Holy Angels Parish is part of the broader 'Our Catholic Family of Parishes' (Rural Family B).
- Announcement date: June 9, 2024 (Catholic Voice, Archdiocese of Omaha)
- Effective date of merger: July 1, 2024
- Decree by: Archbishop George J. Lucas
- Merger rationale: care of souls and vitality of parish life
- Forming parishes: St. William (Niobrara), St. Wenceslaus (Verdigre), St. Ludger (Creighton), St. Ignatius (Brunswick), St. Andrew (Bloomfield)
Saint William of Vercelli (Patron)
The parish takes its name from Saint William of Vercelli (c. 1085 – 1142), an Italian hermit and monastic founder. Orphaned as a child, William made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and chose a life of penance, eventually gathering followers and founding the Abbey of Montevergine and the Congregation of Montevergine (the Williamites). He died on June 25, 1142, at the monastery of Goleto near Nusco, Italy, and in 1942 Pope Pius XII declared him the primary patron of Irpinia.
- Born: c. 1085, Vercelli, Italy
- Died: June 25, 1142, Goleto, Italy
- Founded: Abbey of Montevergine / Congregation of Montevergine
- Feast day: June 25
- Declared primary patron of Irpinia by Pope Pius XII in 1942
Clergy & Staff (Our Catholic Family of Parishes)
Pastoral care for St. William is provided through the shared staff of Our Catholic Family of Parishes. The pastor and associate pastor serve all twelve church sites, with administrative assistants in Creighton and Verdigre supporting the Holy Angels Parish locations.
- Fr. James Keiter — Pastor ([email protected], 402-357-3506 Ext. 3)
- Fr. Marcus Knecht — Associate Pastor (402-358-3596)
- Deacon Shane Kleinsch — listed in OCF contacts
- Alex Nissen — OCF Director of Facilities and Grounds
- Director of Youth Religious Formation (OCF)
- Assist with Evangelization and Adult Faith (OCF)
- OCF Director of Finance
- Tara Gragert — Administrative Assistant, Holy Angels Parish (402-358-3501), 410 Bryant Ave, Creighton, NE 68729
- Rita Pavlik — Administrative Assistant, Holy Angels Parish, 211 4th Street, Verdigre, NE 68783
Visiting & Contact
The mission is reached via the shared Our Catholic Family of Parishes office. The Archdiocese of Omaha directory lists a dedicated mission line as well as the family-of-parishes phone number for inquiries about Mass times, sacraments, and registration.
- Address: 262 Buckeye Road, Niobrara, NE 68760
- Parish office: (402) 357-3506
- Mission line (per Archdiocese): (402) 668-2331
- Website: ourcatholicfamily.org