Groundbreaking set for Sept. 24 for new St. Wenceslaus Church

St. Wenceslaus Parish in Omaha will break ground on a new church Sept. 24 as part of its annual Vaclav Fall Festival, including noon Mass with Archbishop George J. Lucas.

The parish also is celebrating its 140th anniversary, and the archbishop will bless six classrooms added to the school this fall. A picnic lunch and carnival also will be held.

The new church is expected to seat about 1,400 people in the growing parish, compared with the current 850. It is being built with a $10 million gift from Wayne and the late Eileen Ryan, members of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Omaha who have supported other Catholic institutions.

The $2 million classroom addition is part of a $7.9 million fundraising effort the parish began in 2015 in conjunction with the archdiocese’s Ignite the Faith capital campaign. The effort also included money to repave and resurface the parish parking lot and build parish offices and meeting space with the new church.