St. James Parish Time Line

Mead, Nebraska 

1867 Four Catholic families, William Phelan, Fenton Phelan, John Holden, and Quinten McCarty, from Illinois settle south of Mead.    

1870 Five French Catholic families, Forgettes, Hawkins, Kanes, Ragoos, and Dwyers, arrived.

1877 Early settlers occasionally traveled to the new Catholic Church in Fremont.

1877 Father Longeran, from Fremont, sometimes offered Mass in the dugouts and sod homes.

1880 A new schoolhouse was built that was also used for Mass.

1880 Priests from Fremont celebrated Mass in the new schoolhouse until 1888.

1881 Joseph Harris donated land to the Omaha Diocese for the church cemetery.

1882 St. James Catholic Church was built in Mead.

1886 Lydia Ostenburg was the first baby baptized in St. James.

1887 St. James, Mead becomes part of the Lincoln Diocese.

1888 A rectory was built in Colon for a resident priest to serve Mead, Estina, Colon, and Cedar Bluffs.

1890 Edward Morrissey and Mary Dwyer were the first couple married in St. James.

1931 St. James was incorporated as a parish of Lincoln Diocese.

1936 St. James becomes a mission of St. Wenceslaus, Wahoo.

1942 The Ordinance Plant opened bringing many new families to St. James.

1949 St. James, Mead becomes a mission of St. Joseph Church, Colon.

1949 St. James Altar Society was organized.

1952 Father Trausch designed and constructed the stained glass windows, and repaired the altar, and had the statues repainted.

1955 A basement was dug under St. James Church and the sacristy and sanctuary remodeled.

1960 St. Theresa or Estina Catholic Church was destroyed by arsonists, therefore some of the parishioners joined St. James Catholic Church.

1963 St. James and ten other parishes established Bishop Neumann High School which opened in 1964.

1965 St. James became a mission of St. Wenceslaus, Wahoo.

1967 Msgr. Keenan became the first resident pastor of St. James.

1969 Father Phillip J. Rauth was assigned as pastor to St. James.

1974 The Parish Council was organized.

1978 The six PCCW Women’s Circles were formed and a new CCD program and Vacation Bible School started.

1980 Father Charles Rada was assigned as pastor to St. James for a short time.

1980 Father James Schrader was assigned as pastor to St. James.

1982 St. James Centennial Celebration was held June 6, 1982.

1983 The first Pancake Breakfast / Bazaar was held.

1985 Father Michael Christensen was assigned as pastor to St. James.

1993 The Rectory was purchased.

1995 Father Charles Townsend was assigned as pastor to St. James.

1996 The Friends of Catholic Education (FOCE) was organized.

1997 The Building committee was formed.

2000 The Ground Breaking ceremony was held for a new church on May 13, 2000.

2001 First Mass was held in the new St. James Catholic Church on January 7, 2001.

2001 St. James Catholic Church Dedication Ceremony held February 11, 2001.

 This history has been provided by St. James Catholic Church and was created to celebrate the construction of their new parish.  Please do not copy and reproduce these pages without permission of St. James Catholic Church, Mead, Nebraska 68041.     

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