Parishioners of St. Michael Church in Central City celebrated the 100th anniversary of the parish July 4. One hundred sixty three families are registered at the church – its interior shown. Courtesy photo.
St. Michael Parish in Central City marks 100 years By LISA MAXSON Catholic Voice
Parishioners at St. Michael Church in Central City celebrated the parish's centennial July 4 with a Mass and dinner.
Archbishop Emeritus Elden Francis Curtiss presided and was the homilist at the Mass. Abbot Theodore Wolff of Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey near Elkhorn was the celebrant.
Concelebrants were Msgr. Ivan Vap, a retired priest of the Diocese of Lincoln who lives in Hastings, and Father William Sanderson, pastor of St. Mary and St. Francis of Assisi parishes in Omaha.
A special Latin Mass setting, written by Father Bernard Teves, pastor of St. Michael from 1940 to 1944, was used for the Mass.
"We are building on the people who came before us and we are a foundation for people who come after us," said Msgr. Nelson Newman, who has been pastor at the parish for 17 years.
ST. MICHAEL PARISH
Church location: 2004 24th St., Central City.
Registered families: 163
Current pastor: Msgr. Nelson Newman
Previous pastors: Fathers J. Ryan, Eugene Garry, Albert Horn, James Gleason, Florian Delfosse, William O'Conner, Felix Gebauer, Anthony Kluthe, Hugh Gately, Martin Brady, Bernard Teves, Joseph Duhamel, Ignatius Spenner, Leo Kuhn, Edward Gill, Kenneth Carl, Jerome Spenner, Carl Sodoro, and Jack Hebert.
History: The history of St. Michael Parish parallels that of the Union Pacific Railroad. The settling of many Catholic families followed the coming of the railroad.
The first Mass celebrated in Central City, then Lone Tree, was in the Railroad Section House in 1870, with Father J. Ryan of Columbus as celebrant.
In 1876, a frame church building was erected on land acquired from the Union Pacific Railroad north of the railroad tracks. In 1881, Father Eugene Garry was the first resident priest, but he moved in 1889 to St. Paul to serve Central City only monthly.
In 1890, Father Horn came and lived with a local family until a rectory was built. A new wood frame church was built in 1898.
On July 1, 1910, St. Michael Church was formally incorporated under the laws of Nebraska.
Parish property north of the railroad tracks included a church, rectory and parish hall with a bowling alley in the basement.
In 1950, a Catholic resident offered the parish one city block of land south of the railroad tracks. Father Ignatius Spenner became the pastor and under his guidance a new rectory was built in 1951.
The parish purchased a metal building to be used as a parish hall, which was used as a church until 1967. Father Spenner celebrated the first Mass there April 19, 1953.
The parish hall was dedicated as St. Michael Church May 26, 1953.
Eventually the parish sold the church north of the tracks and it was torn down. The parish also sold the old rectory, which is still standing and in use.
Under the guidance of Father Leo Kuhn, the present brick church was built. Archbishop Daniel E. Sheehan officiated at the blessing and dedication of the cornerstone for the new St. Michael Church Nov. 27, 1966. Solemn blessing and dedication of the new church took place May 25, 1967, on the feast of Corpus Christi.
A ceremony to bless the ground for a new addition to St. Michael's parish hall - the metal building - was held in 1990. In 1991, during Father Carl Sodoro's tenure, the new addition of a hallway and five religious education classrooms was built. At that time the stage area, which was also the altar area when it was used as the church, was removed and the kitchen was enlarged and renovated.
Dedication of the new addition was May 2, 1991, with Archbishop Sheehan officiating.
When Msgr. Nelson Newman came to the parish in 1993, the parish used the east half of the block. Neighborhood children played ball on the other half.
In 1996, Archbishop Curtiss gave Msgr. Newman permission to subdivide and sell of the rest of the property as building lots. Four building lots were sold and the money collected went into the parish endowment fund.
Unique aspects of the parish: Three permanent deacons serve the parish - Bob Flesch, Rick Larson and Don Placke; the parish serves people from four counties - Merritt, Hamilton, Polk and Nance; religious education classes are held every Wednesday night for students in grades K-12; and Msgr. Newman, 81, is the oldest pastor serving in the archdiocese.
