One Church: Communities unite at St. Bernard

A version of this story originally appeared in the Summer 2026 edition of The True Voice magazine. Copies of the magazine can be found at parishes across the archdiocese.

In the wooden pew on a recent Sunday, a young mother sat, looking a bit frazzled.

Her six children squirmed as the Mass neared the end.

The mom, Nya Sunday, 30, was born and raised Catholic in South Sudan. On this morning, she worshiped in Omaha.

“Children are a blessing,” she said after Mass.

Turns out, her children are also a blessing for the historically white parish she attends, St. Bernard in Omaha.

Sunday is one of many black African immigrants who have found a home in St. Bernard, boosting attendance and injecting a young and fresh, if unfamiliar, new vibe.

Three years ago, the archdiocese’s Journey of Faith pastoral plan brought together members of St. Bernard and two communities of Africans – Our Lady of Africa Chaplaincy and St. Michael the Archangel French Community.

The union not only rejuvenated the north Omaha parish but fostered greater understanding between the black and white communities.

“It’s a blessing to see people of different cultures come together and rejoice, praising the Lord, and find joy in being with each other as children of God,” Sunday said. “I think that’s the purpose of Christ” to “put us together in this world to enjoy one another and live a life of togetherness.”

JOE DEJKA

One big lesson is already learned, said Father Michael Gadache, a missionary priest from Nigeria who pastors the parish.

“The one thing we have learned so far is the fact that we are one Church,” Gadache said. “No matter where you come from, one Church, one Christ.”
At the beginning, that wasn’t clear for everyone, he said.

“I had different groups trying to do their own thing and insisting on their own way or style,” he said. “But that has changed now, and the majority of what we do now is together – mostly.”

A recent 10:30 a.m. Mass overflowed with the African influence.

The lector delivered the second Bible reading in French, a nod to the immigrants from French-speaking African countries. Djebi Koffi led musicians and singers in the choir loft.

Their bold, energetic voices, along with an electric guitar, electric piano and a drum kit, filled the church. A drum kit might raise eyebrows in some other Catholic churches, but not here.

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“We are originally from Africa, most of us,” said Koffi, 41, who was born and raised Catholic in Ivory Coast.

“So in the way we worship, the drum is a part of it. It’s our identity. It’s hard for us to praise or worship without using drums.”

Exposure to African Catholic culture has been good for the parish, said Deacon Tim McNeil, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Omaha who ministers at St. Bernard.

Through their respectful dress at Mass, their heartfelt music and steadfast reverence, “they really bear witness to worship,” Deacon McNeil said.

After Mass, 10 parishioners – four white and six black – gathered around a table in a room adjacent to the church.

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This faith-sharing group meets regularly to discuss the Gospel, trading insights, asking questions – and fortifying each other’s faith.

Parishioner Angela Lewis said she was inspired by God to create the group. Colette Kuegah, president of the African community, was instrumental in setting it up.

Lewis, an Omaha Public Schools teacher and member of St. Bernard since 1989, saw great potential with the blending of the communities.

“I have a lot of students who are immigrants,” she said. “So when Our Lady of Africa came here, I was so excited because I knew what immigrants add. There’s a deep faith in people who are immigrants.”

The 10:30 Mass is “absolutely beautiful,” she said.

“I love all the children there because our parish is older. … It gives me lots of hope for the future.”

Kuegah came here in 2005 from Togo.

“We integrated this community, St. Bernard, but every community has still its own culture,” she said. “We are trying by the love of Christ to love each other, come together and become one people.”

“At St. Bernard,” she said, “we feel at home.”

JOE DEJKA

JOE DEJKA

JOE DEJKA

JOE DEJKA

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