
News
Church dedication marks a new era for a still-growing 157-year-old parish
June 5, 2025
St. Patrick Parish in Elkhorn has been on a long journey since it was founded by five Irish families back in 1868.
Together parishioners persevered in faith through fires, tornadoes and other challenges, as St. Patrick steadily grew – and grew.
The parish – now numbering more than 3,100 families – reached a new milestone with the June 5 dedication and consecration of its new church at 18602 West Maple Road.
Archbishop Michael G. McGovern celebrated the 6 p.m Mass. Concelebrating were Archbishop Emeritus George J. Lucas, Archbishop Emeritus Elden Francis Curtiss and Benedictine Abbot Michael Liebl of Mount Michael Abbey in Elkhorn.
Father Thomas Fangman, pastor, and dozens of other priests and deacons were part of the liturgy. More than 1,000 people were in attendance.
“With deep reverence, gratitude and joy, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Elkhorn marks a sacred milestone – the completion and blessing of its new $38 million church campus,” the parish said in a press release. “This extraordinary project, inspired by the rich Irish heritage of its patron, St. Patrick, and rooted in the timeless traditions of the Catholic faith, reflects the prayerful dedication of a growing and faithful parish community.
“The new church stands as a beacon of faith and welcome, designed to draw the faithful into communion with God and one another.”
The church has room for 1,300 worshipers. A chapel provides space for quiet prayer, Eucharistic Adoration and smaller liturgies, while the parish hall can accommodate up to 600 people for a variety of events.
Archbishop McGovern lauded the parish and its new church.
“The dedication of a new church building at St. Patrick is a great sign of the vitality of the Catholic community here,” he said in the press release. “We are all very proud this parish has joined together to create this beautiful new church for the glory of God. I congratulate all the people of the parish and their pastor in working together to arrive at this historic moment in the life of their parish. My hope is that this will be a place of worship for many generations of Catholics in Elkhorn.”
The parish will continue to use its existing campus to the west, at 204th and West Maple Road, where St. Patrick School is located. The school has more than 790 students in preschool through eighth grade. The parish’s Family Faith Formation program will also continue to be based there.
The church building located on the western campus was built in 1981 and could hold 650 people. However, as the Elkhorn area expanded, more room was needed.
St. Patrick Parish broke ground on its church in June 2023.
The former church building will serve as a chapel and gathering space for the school and the Family Faith Formation program.
Fundraising for the new building surpassed the $38 million cost, reaching $42.3 million, the parish said.
See the construction progress here.
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