Diocesan Appeal: Frequently Asked Questions How does the appeal support my local parish? • The Diocesan Appeal helps pay for the work of ministries that provide invaluable support to parishes like ours but also essential ministries throughout the Diocese that serve our youth, our young adults, our families, our seminarians, and our active and retired priests. In the last four years the diocese has helped secure over $250,000 in grants that directly benefited 12 parishes. How does...  continue reading

2024/2025 Annual Diocesan Appeal “Together on Mission” Commitment Weekend October 12/13, 2024 Last week you received a letter from Bishop Hanefeldt in the mail. This year’s appeal theme, “Together on Mission,” is very timely to our call as members of the body of Christ to come together and move the mission of our Church forward. The Diocese of Grand Island covers over 42,000 square miles in Central and Western Nebraska. It includes nearly 70 parishes, 8...  continue reading

Pope Francis’ Message for the Respect Life Month and Respect Life Sunday Every October, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October is designated as Respect Life Sunday. There is a Respect Life insert in this bulletin and a table with information from the Nebraska bishops about the upcoming ballot initiatives. A Community Panel Presentation on Defeating the Pro-Abortion Proposal, this Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 7:00...  continue reading

Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2024 “God walks with His people”, is the title chosen by Pope Francis the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR), this Sunday, September 29, 2024. In this message, the Holy Father reminds us that all of us, God’s people, are migrants on this earth, on our way to the “true homeland”, the Kingdom of Heaven. Migrants are a contemporary icon of this people on a journey, of the Church...  continue reading

Catechetical Sunday 2024: "Lord, when did we see you hungry" Matthew 25:37 Our theme reflects our call to missionary discipleship. As St John Paul II reminded us: The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission. We are called to be eucharist by word and action to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our times cry out for this kind of holiness, one inflamed by the ardent...  continue reading

I want to thank everyone for warmly welcoming Fr. Erlin Campos OFM from Franciscan Missions who made an appeal to support their mission work at all the Masses last weekend. Fr. Campos works in the Amazon region in Brazil. His primary ministry is with the indigenous people called Munduruku. A second collection was taken up at all the Masses and the total to date is $7,283. If you would still like to make a contribution, make it to St. James Parish and designate it to the Franciscan Missions...  continue reading

Fishing with the Missions and St. Elsewhere Fr. Erlin Campos OFM from Franciscan Missions will make an appeal to support their mission work at all the Masses next weekend. Fr. Campos works in the Amazon region in Brazil. His primary ministry is with the indigenous people called Munduruku. A second collection will be taken up at all the Masses. The following is from their website franciscanmissions.org. “As we carry out St. Francis’ legacy, our priority is always to aid the...  continue reading

You are invited to participate in St. James’ Oktoberfest on October 13, 2024. Please join in our annual fun and fundraising event. Enjoy a turkey dinner with delicious sides and deserts, children’s games, online auction, craft fair, bake sale, bingo and other activities. Oktoberfest is an annual community building event hosted by St. James Parish. Participating in events like this is important for the formation of our communal identity. Oktoberfest is a valuable and meaningful...  continue reading

The School Year Begins! Blessings and prayers for all the schools are beginning teacher in-services and classes in the coming weeks. Kearney Catholic High School (grades 6-12) begins on Monday with a teachers’ retreat. Principals Matt Rogers and John Vanderbeek will guide the teacher workdays on Tuesday and Wednesday. KCHS will welcome 346 students on Thursday morning and join the community for the Holy Day Mass at 12 noon. I am praying for a great school year for...  continue reading

Fishing with our Parish Leaders Kristin Ohri has accepted to serve on the Kearney Catholic School Board for St. James. The other representatives on the board from St. James are Mike Kathol and Mark McBride. Sara O’Hare is newly appointed to serve on the KCHS School Board for Prince of Peace. Other representatives for Prince of Peace are Joey Cochran and Carrie Rasmussen. I want to thank both Melinda Riedel (St. James) and Sara Homan (Prince of Peace) for their service on the school...  continue reading