Capital Campaign

History

In the summer of 1875, the first Mass of this parish was celebrated, and the first St. Patrick church was built in July 1877 in the same location that the church occupies today. This church was a small frame building with no seats of any kind and was actually named St. Joseph’s at that time. The area was populating quickly and they quickly outgrew the seating capacity of this 8 x 36 foot church. A second, more traditional, church was completed in 1882. Father Michael Francis Cassidy was appointed to St. Joseph’s Parish in 1886. He was born in Ireland and began his religious studies there, before continuing them in the United States and Canada. On November 9, 1886, Father Cassidy changed the name of the church to St. Patrick, in order to have an Irish saint for his parish, in honor of the Irish settlers of the area and, of course, his own heritage. St. Patrick Church was regularly incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska at Omaha.

On August 4, 1909, the cornerstone of the new St. Patrick church was laid in grand ceremony, and the current St. Patrick church building was dedicated on October 19, 1910. The windows, Stations of the Cross, and the pews are the same that are in the church today. Redecorations of the church interior took place over the years, with the major changes coming in 1968 with the Vatican II Council changes to the liturgy of the Catholic church. At this time, the altar was turned to face the congregation and a new pipe organ was installed in the front of the church necessitating a total reconstruction and dismantling of the old altar area, including removal of the two side altars and the placement of a false wall at the front of the church with the organ pipes being set in front of it. Other projects - from painting the interior to exterior masonry restoration - have taken place over the years including the installation of a new baptismal font and front entry re-flooring, installation of a new handicap ramp and grotto, and repairing and refurbishing the original stained glass windows of the church.

St. Mary's Academy was excavated in June of 1890, but on February 19, 1891, a fire burned down the entire building within 90 minutes. It was rebuilt and opened by the Sisters of St. Francis in late 1900. By the end of the first year, they had 210 day students and 20 boarders. In 1958, the Sisters of St. Francis were no longer able to meet the financial needs of St. Mary’s Academy and they turned over operation and ownership of the St. Mary’s Academy to St. Patrick Church. In 1961, St. Mary's no longer took boarders, and the cornerstone for a new St. Mary's High School was laid on January 24, 1962. On February 16, 1965, a mysterious fire destroyed St. Mary's Academy. Fortunately no one was harmed, but the beautiful Academy building was gone. Construction on the new elementary school began in September 1965 with it opening in September 1966, and a new addition was built onto the high school. In 1989, with the threat of the closing of St. Mary's due to financial difficulties, the Save Our School project began to raise funds to alleviate the deficit, help with long-term operating costs, and build up the endowment. In 2008, as part of the "Building Up Our Legacy Campaign", the high school underwent many renovations including locker rooms, offices, bathrooms, elevator, front commons addition, and new boilers, among many other things. In 2012, the St. Mary's Grade School had the roof and entryway repaired, the grade school boilers from 1965 were replaced, and an enclosed hallway was built to connect the high school and grade school. A new roof was put on St. Mary's High School in 2019.

Renovations

Throughout our history, both St. Patrick Church and St. Mary's School have undergone many exterior and interior changes. Renovation and updates made over the years at St. Patrick have left the building feeling stagnant and dull instead of inspirational. The church building also has critical maintenance issues that need to be addressed, some of which include large gaps between exterior bricks, aging and leaky tower windows, and peeling and flaking wall plaster. In addition the HVAC system needs to be upgraded for both the high school and grade school. The pipes, valves, and relays in the building are failing, causing (and putting us at risk for more) leaks in the classrooms, inefficient heating, and inconsistent temperature maintenance within the schools. The boilers will remain for hot water only but it is time to move to an HVAC system which provides more efficient heating as well as affords us the opportunity to install air conditioning.

Planning Study

At the beginning of 2024, we retained the services of the Steier Group, a Nebraska-based Catholic development consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive planning study. This study helped us determine whether there was sufficient support to move forward with a major fundraising effort to accomplish some, or all, of our goals. The St. Patrick and St. Mary’s community responded wonderfully, and the Steier Group presented their findings to the Parish Council and Finance Committee on February 13, 2024.

Capital Campaign

Based on your feedback and a thorough review of the study, parish leaders fully endorse moving forward with a capital campaign. We are currently in communication with the Archdiocese of Omaha to obtain permission to proceed. In the meantime, we are transitioning to prepare for a campaign. We will be working to recruit a volunteer team to assist with this effort as well as developing communication to ensure that everyone stays up to date with our progress.

Fact Sheet

Planning Study Results

Online Pledge Form

As of July 15, 2024:

Theme

The theme of our campaign On the Shoulders of Giants: Strengthening Our Legacy. We want to acknowledge those who have gone before us as we continue the work they started. 2027 will be the 150th anniversary of our parish’s founding, and we want to ensure our place in O’Neill for another 150 years!

Campaign Chairs

A special thank you to these volunteers who have agree to step up and help lead our campaign efforts!

Honorary Chairs

Mike and Deb Kelly

Mike and Deb have been members of St. Patrick Parish for over 35 years.  Mike is a past president of St. Mary's Catholic School Advisory Board; Deb is a lector and co-chair for the St. Mary's Red Carpet Gala. Their four grown children attended St. Mary's Schools, and six of their grandchildren currently attend.

Mr. Charles Molvig and Mrs. Coni Dowd-Molvig

Charles and Coni have been members of St. Patrick parish since 1976. Coni is a past member of St. Patrick’s Finance Committee and was a member of the Omaha Archdiocese Educational foundation for 30 years.

General Chairs

Ryan and Traci Berg

Ryan and Traci have been members of St. Patrick for 12 years. Traci is the Title 1 teacher at St. Mary's Grade School and is the head girl’s basketball coach at St. Mary's High School. Ryan is an EMHC, a member of the Knights of Columbus and serves on the Finance Committee. He is an alumnus of St. Mary's, and all four of their children attend as well.

M.J. and Jane Kersenbrock

M.J. and Jane have been members of St. Patrick parish for 42 years. M.J. has been a member of the Finance Committee since 1991; he is a deacon at St. Patrick and teaches Theology to St. Mary’s seniors. Jane is a lector and an EMHC for St. Patrick. Jane and M.J. both attended St. Mary’s. Their four children are also alumni, and they currently have grandchildren enrolled.

Chad and Amy KinKennon

Chad and Amy have been members of St. Patrick for 12 years. Amy helps teach classes for the St. Patrick’s Religious Education program. Chad is a member of the School Advisory Board, assists with Summer Grounds Keeping, and is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Their two children attend St. Mary’s School.

Frequently Asked Questions

During the recently completed campaign planning study, participants asked several questions relating to the parish projects. To provide clarity, a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and answers has been developed. This document provides key information regarding our projects, goals and the campaign process.

Kick Off!

After weeks of intensive preparation, we are officially kicking off our On the Shoulders of Giants: Strengthening Our Legacy Capital Campaign. Every family in the parish and school community will receive a packet of information, which includes a financial request and instructions on how to invest in the future of St. Patrick and St. Mary’s. The pioneer families who founded our parish and school sacrificed greatly to bring both faith and education to O’Neill and surrounding areas. They left us a legacy that we are supposed to hand on to future generations. We truly do stand “On the Shoulders of Giants!” Hopefully somewhere down the road future generations will be able to say the same of us!

What is being asked of our families?

Invitation not Expectation

Every family will be asked to consider a specific commitment to the campaign. Campaign Leadership has gone through an exhaustive process to determine an appropriate request for each family. That said, in some cases the request may be too high. In some cases, it may be too low. It is not an expectation. It is an invitation – and the starting point for your personal discernment. Ultimately, the parish and school will gratefully receive whatever gifts you may provide.

Reflect and Pray

In advance of the request, please spend some time reflecting on St. Patrick and St. Mary’s, our future, and how you can help. Pray and ask the Lord for guidance. Give in a way that represents the blessings that God has bestowed upon you.

Shared Responsibility

One family or a few families should not shoulder the responsibility of this campaign. The obligation rests with the entire parish and school community to ensure this effort is a success. That means generosity and sacrifice – and not just monetarily. We need gifts of time, talent and prayer too.

This is an exciting time for our parish and school, and we want you to be a part of something that will mean so much to the future of St. Patrick and St. Mary’s!

Volunteers

Many thanks to our volunteers for their diligent work in getting us to this point. Thanks also to our donors for their generosity. While there is much to celebrate, much work remains to be done.

In the coming weeks, volunteers will reach out individually to members of our parish and school. Please keep in mind the following:

Volunteers – Dual Donation

Our volunteers are just that – volunteers. They graciously agreed to donate their time and talent for the betterment of St. Patrick and St. Mary’s. They are serving in this role because they believe in our parish and school and are passionate about their future. Please treat them with respect and thank them for helping our community in this important capacity.

Personal Touch

Our volunteers will personally meet with members of our community. If you receive a call, please:

Take the call or return the message. Don’t avoid talking to our volunteers. It makes their job more difficult and puts them in a position where they must keep calling in an attempt to reach you.
Meet face-to-face. If you are asked to meet, please give our volunteers 15 minutes of your time. They are not trying to twist your arm. They just want to briefly explain the campaign goals, answer your questions and receive a decision about your participation.

Have your pledge card? Return It!

If you received a pledge card inside your packet of materials, you likely will not receive a call from a campaign volunteer. Please discern your involvement in the campaign, complete the card and return it in the envelope provided.

Your Gift Matters!

Remember, the letter you received from Father Starman includes a financial request. It is not an expectation. It is an invitation. Please pray about this campaign and our parish. You may not be able to give what was asked. You may be able to give more than asked. Whatever your decision, please know that we deeply appreciate your commitment. It is a true blessing to our parish and school, and so are you!

Great News!

Great News! We’ve surpassed the Victory Goal for our On the Shoulders of Giants campaign! As of June 5, our campaign has raised $2,486,912!

That’s 197% of our Celebration Goal (which matched the Lavigne Family grant and will fund the church preservation projects)
It’s 102% of our Victory Goal (which will install HVAC in our grade school)!
AND
We are 85% of the way toward our Challenge Goal (which will provide the first step toward the restoration of the church interior)

We are still attempting to reach parish and school families. If a volunteer is trying to reach you, please make time to meet with them; if you have a pledge card, please complete it and return it to the parish office. Thank you for your cooperation, your consideration and your support of St. Patrick Catholic Church and St. Mary Catholic School!

Excellent News!

We’ve surpassed the Challenge Goal for our On the Shoulders of Giants campaign!

As of July 10, our campaign has raised $3,265,864!

That’s 258% of our Celebration Goal (which matched the Lavigne Family grant and will fund the church preservation projects)
It’s 134% of our Victory Goal (which will install HVAC in our grade school)!
AND
111% of our Challenge Goal (which will provide the first step toward the restoration of the church interior)

What now? Most of you know that construction projects rarely go as planned. Extra money we raise will be set aside for additional expenses incurred during any of our projects. Any money above and beyond that will go toward our next big project on the long-term list: the HVAC system for the high school.

If you have yet to join our cause, I invite you to make your commitment today by going to www.stpatoneill.org/capital-campaign or by scanning the QR code in the sidebar.

Thank you for your cooperation, your consideration and your support of St. Patrick Catholic Church and St. Mary Catholic School!

Thank you!

THANK YOU to everyone who has helped to make our On the Shoulders of Giants campaign a resounding success!

As of July 15, our campaign has raised $3,381,064!

We have raised…

267% of the Celebration Goal ($1.26 million)
139% of the Victory Goal ($2.43 million)
115% of the Challenge Goal ($2.94 million)

Who did money come from?

72% of funding from parishioners
12% of funding from alumni
3% of funding from “other” (visitors, past parishioners, etc.)
4% of funding from businesses
7% of funding from foundations
2% of funding from matching gifts

THANK YOU to all the campaign volunteers! This success would not be possible without hundreds of donated volunteer hours. WE APPRECIATE YOU!

Do you still want to donate?

Call Jennifer Wallwey at 402-336-1602 or scan the QR code with your cell phone camera to give online.

Do you have questions about payments?

If you indicated you would like to make regular payments, you should receive a reminder in the mail. If you have questions about your payments, feel free to call Jennifer Wallwey at 402-336-1602 or email her at jmwallwey@archomaha.org.