New Pastor
The Saint Mary’s community received emotional news this week: Father Thomas Gallagher, who has served as pastor for twelve years, will be reassigned to a new parish this summer. The announcement, made at Sunday Mass, was met with a mixture of sadness, gratitude, and heartfelt applause. Father Thomas arrived at Saint Mary’s in 2014 and quickly […]
New Altar Servers
Saint Mary’s welcomed twelve new fifth‑grade altar servers during Friday morning Mass, marking an important milestone in the students’ faith formation. The commissioning ceremony, held before the entire school community, celebrated weeks of training and the beginning of a new chapter of service for the young parishioners. Deacon James, who oversees altar server formation, said the students have shown […]
Rome Pilgrimage
Excitement is building among Saint Mary’s junior high students as they prepare for the school’s summer pilgrimage to Rome, a tradition offered every three years to deepen students’ understanding of Catholic history and global faith. This year, 22 seventh and eighth graders will travel with teachers and chaperones to visit major basilicas, historical sites, and the […]
Heritage Field Trip
Saint Mary’s fourth graders stepped back in time this week during their annual Heritage Field Trip, a signature part of the school’s Nebraska history curriculum. The day‑long excursion took students to the State Historical Museum, the Pioneer Village outdoor exhibit, and the Immigrant Experience Center, offering a hands‑on look at the people and cultures that shaped the region. Fourth‑grade teacher Mrs. Karen […]
Science Fair
Saint Mary’s Catholic School held its annual K–8 Science Fair on Thursday, transforming the parish gym into a maze of tri‑fold boards, bubbling experiments, and students eager to explain their discoveries. The event, a long‑standing tradition at the school, drew families, parish members, and alumni. Principal Sister Margaret Donnelly said the fair is one of the most important academic events of […]
New Playground
For three years, the back field at St. Sebastian Catholic Middle School had contained, in the loosest sense, a playground. There was a rusted swing set from which one swing had been removed for safety reasons in 2019 and never replaced. There were two benches, a painted four-square grid that had faded to a suggestion […]
Coach Okafor
The previous P.E. teacher at St. Sebastian Catholic Middle School, Mr. Hennessy, had retired after twenty-two years with a legendary reputation for two things: dodgeball tournaments that bordered on theatrical, and a complete inability to remember anyone’s name after May. He called everyone “Sport” by June. He was beloved. His absence left a specific kind […]
Math Team
The St. Sebastian Math Team had never placed at the Diocesan Academic Invitational. This was not a secret. It was, in fact, listed as a fun fact in the school’s unofficial student almanac, a photocopied zine that circulated among eighth graders every September. “The math team has competed 11 times and placed 0 times,” it […]
Daily Mass
Every school day at St. Sebastian Catholic Middle School began the same way: at 7:45 in the morning, four hundred and twelve students filed into the Church of St. Sebastian the Martyr, which connected to the school through a covered walkway that smelled permanently of old stone and candle smoke. Morning Mass was not optional. […]
Rival Basketball Game
he gymnasium at St. Sebastian Catholic Middle School smelled like floor wax and nervous energy. Metal bleachers, filled with parents still wearing their work badges, rattled every time someone stomped their feet. The visiting team St. Ignatius Prep, undefeated in the diocesan league for three straight years warmed up at the far end of the […]