Polish Roman Catholic Churches in the Archdiocese of Omaha, NE

The Polish Catholic churches were identified based primarily on The Polish-American Parish published in 1963 by the Orchard Lake Schools, Henry P. Mucha, editor. One such church was St. Adalbert in Omaha (the city). Other sources say this was a Czech parish so it has been removed from further consideration here. St. Anthony Church in St. Charles, Cuming County had been listed but its origins predate most Polish immigration and cemetery records do not seem to include Poles. St. Boniface Church in Monterey nearby had some Poles in its cemetery but was not in the master list. Neither of these churches are included on the map for "lack of Polish character". Sacred Heart Church in Shelby, NE is in the Diocese of Lincoln but is included on the map below. The parish was founded in 1898 and Poles were among its parishioners. Without a more detailed history of the parish, it is hard to know if it was founded as a Polish parish or ever had a sizable Polish population.

There are three Polish parishes in Omaha that were begun as Polish immigrants settled there to work in the meat packing plants. Immaculate Conception was founded in 1898. St. Stanislaus was founded in 1919. I have not found when St. Francis of Assisi was founded.

Assumption BVM parish in Lynch, NE is now a part of Sacred Heart Parish of Boyd County, a combination of the churches in Lynch, Butte, and Spencer, NE. Assumption BVM was founded in 1892.

St. Stanislaus Parish in Duncan, NE had covered a larger area in its earlier years. Poles from Pilzno, Poland settled south of Duncan and named their community Pilzno as well. This new parish, St. Mary's, was formed from a part of St. Stanislaus Parish in 1891. Another parish, Ss. Peter & Paul, in Krakow was formed from division of St. Stanislaus in 1893. One source said the settlers were from Tarnów, Poland but there was already a Tarnov, NE so Krakow was chosen instead. St. Mary's in Pilzno is in the Diocese of Lincoln and is associated with Osceola, NE. St. Mary's is a mission church of St. Vincent in Osceola.

It almost goes without saying that Tarnov, NE is named after Tarnów in southern Poland. Many parish jubilee books focus on the clergy and neglect the parishioners who make up the congregation. The 125th anniversary album (2005) of St. Michael Church in Tarnov, NE is different. The jubilee book includes photos of current parishioners and a listing for marriages, baptisms, and deaths in the parish. So if you have ancestors who were in Tarnov, NE this is a good genealogical resource. It also includes sacramental listings for the closed St. Anthony of Padua Church which was nearby. You can purchase a copy from St. Michaels Historical Society.