St. Mary Catholic Church (Lincoln)

Parish History

Our building was initially built in 1888 as the First Christian Church. In March of 1904, it was bought by the first bishop of Lincoln (Bishop Bonacum) to become the first Cathedral for the Diocese of Lincoln.  Once the purchase of the building was settled, remodeling began in August of 1906, until it was engulfed in flames the morning of August XXXXXXX, 1906, and most of the building had to be rebuilt.  The building was finally dedicated as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1911.  Our church served as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Lincoln until 1965.  Since then, we have been known as St. Mary Catholic Church.

Bishop Kucera

Our 2026 Fundraising Projects Include:

1) Repair the exterior brick. Our restoration efforts are aimed towards the restoration of our Sanctuary. However, before we can restore the Sanctuary, we need to address the causes of its deterioration: water entry and trapped moisture. The interior walls and ceilings of our Sanctuary are visibly damaged due to faults in our exterior brick and mortar. By repairing the brick and mortar, we will prevent further moisture and water entry, which will protect and preserve the future restoration work we plan to do in the Sanctuary.  The North and West exteriors have been repaired.  The cost of the South and East exteriors will be $1,713,653.

Northwest CornerWest Side
South SideNortheast Corner

2) Support Pius X High School, Forward in Faith.  As part of the Pius X family of parishes, we are committed to supporting improvements at Pius X High School.  St. Mary’s assessed portion represents 3% of the parish phase of their campaign.  Currently, St. Mary has several parishioners in attendance at Pius X High School.  Our support will ensure the success of much-needed and long-overdue facility upgrades that will benefit current and future students. Our support of the Pius Campaign will be $319,354.

Some of the Catholic School Children we Support!

3) CCD curriculum and classroom updates.  Over the last year, we have nearly doubled our CCD enrollment (going from about 20 in 2024 students to nearly 40 students in 2025).  We are hoping to provide each child with their own personal Bible, as well as invest in other formation materials.  The projected cost towards material is $700.

Early Elementary CCD Students at the Prayer Table

4) Financial Support for Fr. XXXX.  A fourth priest will be welcomed to the rectory as the assistant pastor at St. Mary