Don’t pass up pilgrimage site’s charms, surprises

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church might not immediately grab your attention when you drive into the town of Lynch.

The church seems small, quiet and unassuming.

It looks like a typical country church, said Father Bernard Starman, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Boyd County, which encompasses Assumption Church. He is also pastor of several other parishes in the northwest corner of the archdiocese.

Despite its modesty, Assumption – with its unique charms and surprises – shouldn’t be overlooked, especially during the 2025 Jubilee Year.

The church is one of eight pilgrimage sites the archdiocese has designated for the Jubilee Year, which began Christmas Eve 2024 and concludes Jan. 6, 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

Other archdiocese pilgrimage sites are St. Augustine Indian Mission Church in Winnebago, Immaculate Conception Church in Saint Helena, St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, St. Anthony Church in Cedar Rapids, Holy Family Shrine in Gretna, Immaculata Monastery in Norfolk and the St. Benedict Center in Schuyler.

Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence by prayerfully visiting the sites.

One of Father Starman’s favorite aspects of Assumption is its stained glass windows, especially two that have a coat of arms tucked into the image. Both represent a little bit of archdiocese history.

The windows were installed in 1966, said Marge Nolan, office manager for Sacred Heart Parish, who is familiar with Assumption’s history.

Near the altar, a stained glass window of St. Patrick includes the coat of arms for the leader of the archdiocese at the time, Archbishop Gerald T. Bergan.

On the other side of the church, farther back, is a window depicting Daniel of the Old Testament, complete with the lions that left him unharmed. There another coat of arms can be found, that of then-Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Sheehan, who would later become archbishop.

An old confessional in the back of the church is another element at Assumption that Nolan likes to highlight. The confessional is no longer in use, having been replaced by a more modern, soundproof place for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Colorful pendant lights that adorn the church are another favorite, she said.

For Nolan, Assumption Church represents the resiliency and toughness of its parishioners throughout the congregation’s 133-year history.

“I love that little church,” she said.

The mission parish was founded in 1892, shortly after the town’s Catholic founder, John A. Lynch Sr., and his family settled in Nebraska.

The congregation’s first church building was constructed in 1899-1900. A couple years later the building had to be moved, using horses and rollers, to make way for a railroad depot in Lynch.

In the 1940s, parishioners began raising money for the current church, built without accumulating debt and dedicated in 1960. It sits on land donated by Benedictine sisters who had operated a hospital nearby.

In 2019, ice jams and a flooding Niobrara River caused the Spencer Dam to collapse, devastating the area. Flood water filled Assumption’s basement and battered a grotto and other structures.

The ensuing COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage of building materials delayed the restoration. But the facilities in the basement were back to full use by summer 2024.

Less than a year later, Assumption was named a Jubilee pilgrimage site, drawing in both visitors and parishioners for worship.

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