Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha

The Archdiocese of Omaha (Latin: Archidioecesis Omahensis) is Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its current archbishop, George Joseph Lucas, was installed in Omaha on July 22, 2009. The archdiocese serves more than 230,000 Catholics in approximately 140 parishes and missions. [1] It includes 23 counties in northeast Nebraska: Boyd, Holt, Merrick, Nance, Boone, Antelope, Knox, Pierce, Madison, Platte, Colfax, Stanton, Wayne, Cedar, Dixon, Dakota, Thurston, Cuming, Dodge, Burt, Washington, Douglas, and Sarpy.[2]

Archdiocese of Omaha

Archidioecesis Omahensis
St. Cecilia Cathedral
Coat of Arms of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Location
CountryUnited States
Territory23 counties in eastern Nebraska
Ecclesiastical provinceOmaha
Statistics
Area14,051 sq mi (36,390 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2016)
975,301
234,254 (24%)
Parishes125
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJanuary 6, 1857 (166 years ago)
CathedralSt. Cecilia Cathedral
Patron saintSaint Cecilia
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopGeorge Joseph Lucas
Bishops emeritusElden Francis Curtiss
Map
Website
archomaha.org

History

On January 6, 1857 Pope Pius IX established the Apostolic Vicariate of Nebraska from the Apostolic Vicariate of Indian Territory (East of the Rocky Mountains). The Rev. James Myles O'Gorman, O.C.S.O., from New Melleray Monastery near Dubuque, Iowa, was named the Apostolic Vicar on January 28, 1859.[3] The Vicariate lost territory when the Apostolic Vicariate of Montana was created in 1883. (This later developed as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena.)

The Nebraska vicariate was elevated to a diocese and renamed as the Diocese of Omaha by Pope Leo XIII on October 2, 1885. Reverend James O'Connor was appointed as its first bishop. At the time, the diocese included all of Nebraska and Wyoming. It lost territory on August 2, 1887 when the dioceses of Cheyenne and Lincoln were established.

The diocese lost territory two more times: to the Diocese of Kearney in 1912 when it was created, and again in 1916. Omaha was elevated to an archdiocese by Pope Pius XII on August 10, 1945.[4][5]

Sexual abuse scandal of 20th and 21st centuries

The Archdiocese of Omaha has been implicated in the widespread scandal of sexual abuse by clergy in the Catholic church in the United States and earlier institutional coverups of actions. In 2018, the Archdiocese of Omaha released the names of 38 priests and other clergy members who have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct, an action requested by the state’s top prosecutor.[6] At least two men on the list had been convicted and served prison sentences for molesting children.[6]

Among those listed was Daniel Herek, a former Omaha priest who was defrocked, convicted and sentenced to prison in 1999 for sexually assaulting and videotaping a 14-year-old boy.[6] He also served jail time several years later for exposing himself in an Omaha parking lot.[6] John Fiala, who left the Omaha Archdiocese in 1996, was among those listed.[6] Fiala died in 2017 in a Texas prison after being convicted of sexually abusing a teenage boy and of trying to hire a hit man to kill the victim.[6]

Though the earliest incident of abuse on record was alleged to have happened in 1956, the Archdiocese of Omaha has acknowledged that it did not record reports of sexual abuse until 1978.[6] In a written statement published together with the list of accused clergy, Omaha Archbishop George Joseph Lucas wrote,

"We acknowledge this report with sorrow, and know that it will cause a great deal of pain.”[6] He continued, "We’re deeply saddened so many innocent minors and young adults were harmed by the church’s ministers. To victims and their families, I am sorry for the pain, betrayal and suffering you have experienced in the church.”[6]

Bishops

Bishops of Omaha
  1. James Myles O'Gorman (1859-1874)
  2. James O.Connor (1876–1890)
  3. Richard Scannell (1891–1916)
  4. Jeremiah James Harty (1916–1927), Archbishop (personal title)
  5. Joseph Francis Rummel (1928–1935), appointed Archbishop of New Orleans

Archbishops of Omaha
  1. James Hugh Ryan (1935–1947)
  2. Gerald Thomas Bergan (1947–1969)
  3. Daniel E. Sheehan (1969–1993)
  4. Elden Francis Curtiss (1993–2009)
  5. George Joseph Lucas (2009–present)

Auxiliary bishops
  1. Daniel E. Sheehan (1964–1969), appointed Archbishop here
  2. Anthony Michael Milone (1981–1987), appointed Bishop of Great Falls-Billings

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
  1. Blase Joseph Cupich, appointed Bishop of Rapid City in 1998; future Cardinal
  2. William Joseph Dendinger, appointed Bishop of Grand Island in 2004
  3. Joseph Gerard Hanefeldt, appointed Bishop of Grand Island in 2015
  4. Edward Joseph Hunkeler, appointed Bishop of Grand Island in 1945
  5. Patrick Aloysius Alphonsus McGovern, appointed Bishop of Cheyenne in 1912
  6. John Linus Paschang, appointed Bishop of Grand Island in 1951

Parishes
Omaha parishes of the Archdiocese of Omaha[7]
Assumption Parish (1894) 5434 S 22nd St. Czech
Blessed Sacrament Parish (1919) 3020 Curtis Ave.
Christ the King Parish (1953) 654 S 86th St.
Holy Cross Parish (1922) 4803 William St.
Holy Family Parish (1876) 1715 Izard St.
Holy Ghost Parish (1918) 5219 S 53rd St.
Holy Name Parish (1917) 2901 Fontenelle Blvd.
Immaculate Conception Parish (1897) 2708 S 24th St. Polish Heritage & Tridentine (Latin) Masses
Mary Our Queen Parish (1963) 3535 S 119th St.
Mother of Perpetual Help Parish (1975) 5215 Seward St. Church of the Deaf
Our Lady of Fatima Parish 709 S 28th St.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish (1927) 2310 O St. Spanish
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (1917) 2110 S 32nd Ave.
Sacred Heart Parish - Omaha (1890) 2218 Binney St.
Sacred Heart Parish - Norfolk (1881) 200 S 5th St, Norfolk, NE Spanish/English
St. Adalbert Parish (1916) 2617 S 31st St. Czech/Korean
St. Agnes Parish (1889) 2215 Q St. Irish/Spanish
St. Anthony Parish (1907) 5401 S 33rd St. Lithuanian
St. Benedict of Moor Parish (1919) 2423 Grant St. African American
St. Bernard Parish (1905) 3601 N 65th St.
St. Bernadette Church 7600 So. 42 Street, Bellevue, NE 68147
St. Bridget Parish (1887) 4112 S 26th St. Irish
St. Cecilia Cathedral (1888) 715 N 40th St.
St. Charles Borromeo (2005) 7790 South 192nd St. Gretna
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish (1981) 5419 N 114th St.
St. Frances Cabrini Parish (1868) 1334 S 9th St.
St. Francis Assisi Parish 4521 S 32nd St. Polish/Spanish
St. Gerald Parish (1962) 9602 Q St Lakeview Chapel - 7859 Lakeview St, Ralston
St. James Parish (1963) 9025 Larimore Ave.
St. Joan of Arc Parish (1955) 3122 S 74th St.
St. John Parish (1897) 2500 California St. Creighton University
St. John Paul II Newman Center 1221 S. 71st St. University of Nebraska - Omaha
St. John Vianney Parish (1974) 5801 Oak Hills Dr.
St. Joseph Parish (1887) 1723 S 17th St.
St. Leo the Great Parish (1978) 1920 N 102nd St.
St. Margaret Mary Parish (1919) 6116 Dodge St.
St. Mary Parish (1902) 3529 Q St.
St. Mary Parish 2302 Crawford Street Bellevue, NE 68005
St. Mary Magdalene Parish (1868) 109 S 19th St.
St. Matthew Parish 12210 So. 36 Street Bellevue, NE 68123
St. Bernadette Church 7600 So. 42 St. Bellevue, NE 68147
St. Patrick Parish, Elkhorn (1868) 204th & Maple St.
St. Patrick Parish, Omaha (1883) 1404 Castelar St.
St. Peter Parish 709 S 28th St.
St. Philip Neri Parish (1904) 8200 N 30th St.
St. Pius X Parish (1954) 6905 Blondo St.
St. Richard Parish (1963) 4320 Fort St.
St. Robert Bellarmine Parish (1966) 11802 Pacific St.
St. Rose of Lima Parish (1919) 4102 S 13th St.
St. Stanislaus Parish (1919) 4002 J St. Polish
St. Stephen the Martyr Parish (1989) 16701 S St.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish (1918) 2423 Grant St.
St. Thomas More Parish (1958) 4804 Grover St.
St. Vincent de Paul Parish (1991) 14330 Eagle Run Dr.
St. Wenceslaus Parish (1877) 15353 Pacific St. Czech
Sts. Peter and Paul Parish (1917) 5912 S 36th St. Lithuanian, Croatian, Slovenian, and Hungarian [8]

Omaha Catholic schools

The Omaha Catholic Schools is a school district in and around Omaha which is part of the Archdiocese of Omaha. All schools are accredited or approved by the state of Nebraska. The school district is composed of 54 elementary schools, one private 4th-8th grade school, four corporation high schools, three K-12th grade schools, one special needs K-12th grade school, and ten private high schools. Over 20,000 students attend Omaha Catholic Schools each year.

Catholic secondary schools in the Omaha area
School name Type City Address Date of founding
All Saints Catholic School K-8 Omaha 1335 S. 10th St.
Archbishop Bergan High School 6-12 Fremont 1950
Cedar Catholic High School Rural Hartington
Central Catholic High School Rural West Point
Creighton Preparatory School All boys Omaha 7400 Western Ave. 1878
Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School Private Bellevue 1968
Duchesne Academy All girls Omaha 3601 Burt St. 1881
Holy Family High School K-12 Lindsay
Marian High School All girls Omaha 7400 Military Ave. 1955
Mercy High School All girls Omaha
Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey and High School All boys Omaha 1953
Norfolk Catholic High School Rural Norfolk 1926
Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School Rural Elgin 1967
Roncalli Catholic High School Private Omaha 6401 Sorensen Parkway 1974
St. Francis High School K-12 Humphrey
St. Mary's High School K-12 O'Neill 1900
St. Peter Claver Cristo Rey Catholic High School Corporation Omaha 2007
Scotus Central Catholic High School Rural Columbus 1889
V. J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School Private Omaha 3131 S. 156th Street 1993

Suffragan sees
Ecclesiastical Province of Omaha

See also
Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Diocese of Omaha.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha.

References
  1. "Infographic". Archdiocese of Omaha. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  2. "About Us".
  3. "Prelate History". Archdiocese of Omaha. Archived from the original on 2014-02-20. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  4. "Archdiocese of Omaha". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  5. "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  6. "Omaha archdiocese: 38 clergy accused of sex abuse since '78". AP NEWS. Nov 30, 2018. Retrieved Apr 5, 2021.
  7. Official Catholic Directory Anno Domini 2006. National Register Publishing, 2006
  8. "Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church - St Marys Catholic Church - Omaha, Nebraska". Sts. Peter and Paul Church. Retrieved Apr 5, 2021.
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