About Sts. Peter and Paul · Saint Paul, Nebraska
Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Saint Paul, Nebraska, the seat of Howard County, serving as the hub of the Howard County Catholics tri-parish stewardship with the missions of St. Anthony of Padua in Farwell and St. Joseph in Elba. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Grand Island and offers weekend Masses on Saturday evening and twice on Sunday morning, daily Mass on most weekdays, religious education from preschool through 11th grade, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), and a busy Parish Life Center that hosts community events of up to 400 people. Current pastor Reverend Vincent L. Parsons, J.C.L., is assisted by two permanent deacons and a parish staff rooted in long family ties to the local church.
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul
- Rector
- Reverend Vincent L. Parsons, J.C.L.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Island (Bishop Joseph G. Hanefeldt)
Why belong here
Sts. Peter and Paul offers three weekend Masses (Saturday 5:00 p.m., Sunday 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.), daily Mass on Tuesday through Friday, Saturday confession at 4:30 p.m., a full preschool-through-11th-grade religious education program, an OCIA (RCIA) process for adults, and a lively Catholic Daughters and Knights of Columbus council. The parish is small enough that the priest and deacons know families by name, and the Parish Life Center makes the church a real hub for Howard County's Catholic community life — from funeral dinners to wedding receptions, class reunions to the annual Christmas party.
Mass times at Sts. Peter and Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM at Sts. Peter and Paul, or by appointment
About Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church
Sts. Peter and Paul is the main Catholic parish of Saint Paul, Nebraska, and the hub of the Howard County Catholics tri-parish stewardship. The parish shares its pastor and two permanent deacons with the mission churches of St. Anthony of Padua in Farwell and St. Joseph in Elba, allowing a small rural Catholic population to maintain a daily and weekly Mass schedule across the county. The parish is rooted in the same family ties that have defined Howard County for generations, and many of its sacraments — baptisms, weddings, and funerals — are still celebrated for families whose grandparents were baptized in the same church.
Parish History
The parish's own story is documented on a dedicated history page of the Howard County Catholics website (with photos and narrative credited to Ron Sack), and is set against the broader Catholic history of central Nebraska — from the creation of the Diocese of Kearney in 1912 to the 1917 transfer of the see city to Grand Island that pulled Howard County into the new Diocese of Grand Island. Like many Great Plains Catholic communities, the parish grew up around farm and ranch families, weathered rural depopulation through the 20th century, and today sustains itself through cooperation with its two mission churches.
- Photos and parish history courtesy of Ron Sack
Parish Staff and Clergy
Sts. Peter and Paul is led by a small but committed pastoral team. The pastor is assisted by two permanent deacons, a parish office manager who also coordinates middle- and high-school religious education, a separate director of religious education for preschool through fourth grade, and a lay pastoral minister. Liturgical ministry across the tri-parish cluster is coordinated by Deacon Neil Baquet and his wife Julie.
- Pastor: Reverend Vincent L. Parsons, J.C.L. — [email protected]
- Deacon: Rev. Mr. Neil Baquet — [email protected]
- Deacon: Rev. Mr. Phil Lukasiewicz — [email protected]
- Pastoral Minister: Mrs. Julie Dush — [email protected]
- Parish Office Manager / DRE 5th–11th: Mrs. Judi Baker — [email protected]
- DRE Preschool–4th: Mrs. Becky Knox — [email protected]
- Parish Council President: Mr. Phil Thede — [email protected]
Religious Education and Youth Ministry
The parish runs a continuous faith-formation program for children from preschool through 11th grade, plus OCIA for adults seeking Baptism, Eucharist, or Confirmation in the Catholic Church. Younger students (PreK–4th) meet Sunday mornings at the Parish Life Center; older students (5th–11th) meet Wednesday evenings. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, and for Confirmation, is built into these programs.
- Preschool–4th grade: Mrs. Becky Knox, [email protected], 308-571-0430 — meets Sunday 9:00 AM at the PLC
- 5th–11th grade: Mrs. Judi Baker, [email protected], 308-750-8418 — meets Wednesday 7:00 PM
- OCIA (adult initiation) — Monday evenings, see bulletin
Parish Organizations and Small Groups
Sts. Peter and Paul hosts a range of parish organizations that meet at the Parish Life Center and the church classrooms, including a local court of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, a Knights of Columbus council, a Women's Bible Study, and a parishioner-led Prayer Chain for prayer requests.
- Catholic Daughters — Tuesday 7:00 PM (NW Classroom)
- Knights of Columbus — Tuesday 7:00 PM (Classroom)
- Women's Bible Study — Monday 6:30 PM (PLC)
- Prayer Chain (St. Paul): Dianne Rice (308-571-0039), Ann Rief (308-380-0619)
Sacramental Information
Information on Baptism, Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Funeral Rites is published on the parish website and in print. The parish has a particularly detailed Funeral Guide booklet that walks families through the Funeral Mass, the role of the priest or deacon as presider, the role of parish music ministers, and the parish's funeral-dinner ministry (coordinated by Mrs. Pat Knutson).
- Sacrament of Reconciliation — Saturdays 4:30 PM or by appointment
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- Marriage — contact Fr. Vince Parsons
- Anointing of the Sick / Homebound visits — contact the parish office
- Funeral Rites — see HCC Printable Funeral Guide on the parish website
Parish Life Center (Parish Hall)
The Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Life Center is a community-facing reception hall and meeting complex built to fill a need in Howard County for a first-class event venue. The large venue seats approximately 400 people; the small venue seats approximately 40. There are seven additional classrooms available for meetings. A modern, large-scale commercial kitchen supports catered events, with alcohol permitted with prior approval and a licensed caterer. Parish functions use the facility free of charge; parishioners and the wider community may rent it by submitting a Parish Hall Reservation form.
- Large venue capacity: ~400 guests
- Small venue capacity: ~40 guests
- Seven additional meeting classrooms
- Up-to-date commercial-grade kitchen
- Events hosted: weddings and receptions, banquets, anniversary celebrations, class and family reunions, business lunches, Christmas parties, fundraisers, graduations, celebrations of life
Howard County Catholics — Tri-Parish Cluster
The Howard County Catholics stewardship unites three parishes under one pastor: Sts. Peter and Paul in Saint Paul (the hub, with weekend Masses), St. Anthony of Padua in Farwell (Mass on the First Saturday of each month at 7:00 PM, 103 Kearns Avenue), and St. Joseph in Elba (Mass on the Third Saturday of each month at 6:30 PM, 1803 Highway 11). Sharing clergy and staff across the three churches keeps a regular Mass schedule alive in rural Howard County.
- Sts. Peter and Paul — Saint Paul — weekend Masses
- St. Anthony of Padua — Farwell — First Saturday 7:00 PM
- St. Joseph — Elba — Third Saturday 6:30 PM
Contact and Visit
The parish office is located inside Sts. Peter and Paul at 713 Elm Street, Saint Paul, NE 68873. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (per the bulletin), with phone (308) 754-4002 and email [email protected]. Sacramental record inquiries for St. Anthony (Farwell) and St. Joseph (Elba) are routed through P.O. Box 156, Farwell, NE 68838 ([email protected]).
- Parish office: 713 Elm St., St. Paul, NE 68873
- Phone: (308) 754-4002
- Email: [email protected]
- Farwell / Elba sacramental records: P.O. Box 156, Farwell, NE 68838
Diocese of Grand Island
Sts. Peter and Paul is part of the Diocese of Grand Island, a Catholic diocese covering over 42,000 square miles of central and western Nebraska. The diocese traces its origins to the 1912 creation of the Diocese of Kearney; in 1917 Pope Benedict XV added the counties of Wheeler, Greeley, and Howard, and the see city was moved to Grand Island. The current diocesan cathedral is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Grand Island. The diocese has been led since 2015 by Bishop Joseph G. Hanefeldt, the eighth Bishop of Grand Island.
- Cathedral: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grand Island
- Current Bishop: Most Rev. Joseph G. Hanefeldt (installed March 19, 2015)
- See city: Grand Island, Nebraska