Saint Margaret Mary Centennial 1919-2019

Saint Margaret Mary CENTENNIAL

1919 -2019

Saint Margaret Mary CENTENNIAL

1919 -2019

Above: South portal.

Title page: “The Canticle of the Sun� by artist Arturo Tomagnini.

Cover: View of St. Margaret Mary bell tower from Memorial Park.

Produced by The Omaha World-Herald.

Copyright 2019 St. Margaret Mary Parish. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior consent of the publisher, St. Margaret Mary Parish.

St. Margaret Mary Parish 6116 Dodge St. Omaha, NE 68132 www.smmomaha.org First Edition ISBN: 978-1-7322317-6-4 Printed by Walsworth Publishing Co.

TA B L E O F CO N T E N TS

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Prologue

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Introduction

Early History

10 11 12 14 16 18 22 23 24 26 34 36 40 44 47 50 52 54 58 60 62 63

Need to be a Parish First Baptism Rev. Leo Francis Patrick New Parish in Dundee First Building for School and Church Sisters of Mercy Church Boundaries Rev. Joseph Suneg Boys Town Connection Early Parishioners Enlisting the Women Patient Planning Suneg the Real Estate Investor Suneg the “Picker” The Green Man Suneg the Pastor Suneg the Naturalist Suneg the Artist Church Design Concepts Final Church Design Construction Leo A Daly

A New Church

66 68 72 75 76 82 85 88 92

Nave Design Enhancements Sanctuary Sirio Tonelli Muralist Stained Glass Windows The Choir Loft Music Ministry and Children’s Choir The Bell Tower and Chapel Adoration Chapel

St. Margaret Mary School

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The “New” School

104 Athletics

Priests 108 Suneg’s Later Years 110 Rev. Robert Garvey 112 Rev. Peter Dunne 113 Founders Day 115 Rev. Robert “Bob” J. Smith 116 Rev. Melvin Merwald 118 Uganda Outreach 120 Rev. Gregory Baxter

Parish Organizations

122 Guild and Circles 125 Legion of Mary 126 Knights of Columbus 127 Men’s Club 128 Parish Nurses 128 Prayer Shawl Ministry 129 Respect Life Ministry 129 Apostolic Oblates and Pro Sanctity 130 Liturgical Environment Committee 132 Garden and Grounds Committee 133 Senior Saints 134 Christmas Day Dinner 135 St. Vincent de Paul Society 135 Youth Group 136 100th Anniversary Celebration 142 First Class Relic St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 144

Closing

146

Parishioners

158

Acknowledgements

PROLOGUE

Dear Reader: I invite you to spend some quality time reminiscing and learning about St. Margaret Mary Parish as you go through this most magnificent publication. On behalf of the entire parish, I want to thank Nick Manhart, our historian and archivist; Aaron Filipi, our writer; Rita Hejkal, for copyediting; Bob Ervin, for the current photography; and to the staff at Omaha World-Herald Books for the design and the advice as the publication came together.

I know that you will agree with me that they have produced a quality history book of the first 100 years of St. Margaret Mary Parish.

We have been blessed throughout our centennial year with the opportunity to reflect with gratitude on the past and take lessons from what we learn to help us shape the future of the parish. From our first Mass celebrated Sept. 7, 1919 in Dundee Hall at 50th and Underwood to our Centennial Mass celebrated on Sept. 21, 2019 by Archbishop George Lucas, St. Margaret Mary Parish has been an integral part of the Archdiocese of Omaha in the Dundee — Fairacres — Memorial Park neighborhood. For one hundred years our people, priests, and deacons, inspired by faith and love for God in Jesus Christ His Son, have been worshiping God, baptizing new members into the life of His Son Jesus Christ, witnessing the marriages of our sons and daughters, educating our children, comforting the elderly, feeding the hungry, supporting the poor, and lifting up our beloved dead to the Lord.

The greatest strength of St. Margaret Mary Parish for the past century has been our people nourished by the Eucharist. The gift of the Body of Christ in Holy Communion has sustained this parish for one hundred years and will be the greatest source of nourishment and direction for the next one hundred years. With this in mind, and with hearts full of gratitude for what God is doing in our parish, let us enter together into our second century praying for all that is good and worthy for our future, and rejoice in what we have received from past generations.

As we look to the future let us recommit ourselves to the mission of Christ and lay a solid foundation for the generations to follow. May we face the challenges and opportunities of the next one hundred years with one clear goal: To continue to build a Christ-centered Eucharistic community that will strengthen our desire to allow Jesus to live and reign in our lives. As we strive to live this commitment to serve Christ and His Church we ask for the protection and intercession of our patroness, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. May her example and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus draw us ever closer to the Heart of our Lord.

May God’s blessing be with you and your families as we begin our second century as disciples in service to our Lord!

Sincerely,

Rev. Gregory P. Baxter Pastor

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Fr. Baxter shares a lighter moment with the altar servers prior to the Easter Vigil Mass in 2019.

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I N T R O D U CT I O N

The “New Parish in Dundee” began modestly, holding its first Mass in a second-floor dance hall. Twelve families, guided by a young pastor.

Their last names were Rourke, McManus, Muldoon, Molseed, Vaughn, Markle, Schneider, Monaghan, Coughlin, Kleyla, Sheehan and Rouse, and they were determined to become more than a small gathering. They raised money in creative ways and worked tirelessly to create a stable foundation for long-lasting growth.

Their efforts inspired others, who inspired others, and so on. For decades, under the direction of one visionary Pastor, and then other Pastors, the parish evolved. A church and school were built, and later a bigger, gorgeous church and sprawling school supplanted the originals — all during some of the most challenging years in our country’s history.

Today St. Margaret Mary Church holds an iconic place in Omaha, and its school boasts a long history of award-winning academic accomplishments.

With its first one hundred years behind it, St. Margaret Mary Parish continues to thrive with more than 1,500 families, and it’s worth pausing to acknowledge and celebrate our past.

Fr. Toby Letak lights the Easter candle at the Vigil Mass in 2019.

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I N T R O D U CT I O N

Many years have gone by and many things have changed ... yet some things have remained the same.

Facing page: The 6,052-pound bell was commissioned by the first bishop of Kansas, Ludwig Maria Fink, in 1885 for Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Leavenworth, Kansas. The bell was acquired by Monsignor Joseph Suneg in 1962.

We are still determined, generous, hard-working people, who are committed to Church teaching, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and educational excellence.

This book honors the faith, steadfastness, hope, and community spirit of St. Margaret Mary Parish by showcasing some of the many stories and faces that brought us to today.

First school building at 608 N. 50th St.

Look for love; for hospitality; for happiness; for charity; for vocations; for the influence of women; for the diversity of worship spaces developed to enhance our faith experiences; and for the many artistic and architectural expressions of faith.

Mostly, look for the faces that are our history — here in Omaha and abroad. Be mindful that those people play critical roles in an ongoing story. Your story.

Usher J.D. Mossberg welcomes all to St. Margaret Mary Parish.

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“Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, ignite our hearts with love for You.” — Inscription on St. Margaret Mary’s 6,052-pound bell

50th Street and Underwood Avenue, facing east, 1912.

The Need to be a Parish

Dundee Hall.

St. Margaret Mary Parish was established in 1919, when apples cost 11¢ per pound and the price of a first-class postage stamp rose by 50% — from 2¢ to 3¢.

Of more consequence were the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and President Woodrow Wilson’s massive stroke, which left him partially paralyzed and left our country without a president for nearly eighteen months.

And in July 29, 1919, arriving in Omaha was a U.S. Army-commissioned convoy of 300 men and 80 military vehicles crossing the United States following the Lincoln Highway in an effort to demonstrate the importance of paved roads to national security.

Other dramatic events included the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 from which tens of millions of people died across the globe; and race riots that erupted across our nation,

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spreading even to Omaha where the ugly lawlessness of lynching marred our community.

The growing meatpacking industry caused a surge in demand for housing mainly in South Omaha, but growth pushed westward as well. Omaha’s streetcar system — once ranked among the nation’s largest — carried thousands of commuters and shoppers to and from Florence, Benson, North Omaha, South Omaha, and Dundee — which was the westernmost suburb. Horse-drawn streetcars served Dundee as early as 1888, when the first six houses were built.

Neighborhood development proceeded slowly, though, until 1907, when real estate investors Charles C. and J. Edward George contracted nationally-prominent landscape architect George E. Kessler, based in Kansas City and St. Louis, to help develop the Fairacres area as an early automobile suburb

on the western reaches of the city. In basing his plan on City Beautiful ideals, which emphasized the social improvement of cities through beautification, Kessler designed a garden suburb which maximized the aesthetic qualities and functionality of the local topography.

Having been annexed in 1915 (residents fought annexation in court until 1917), Dundee was now part of Omaha. Village businesses included Ernest Buffett Grocer, Dundee Pharmacy, Louis Salerno Shoe Repair, and R.M. Scheffler’s Bakery.

With improved transportation came more people, which affected Omaha’s westernmost parish, St. Cecilia Cathedral. The population growth on the western side of Cathedral’s boundaries caught Bishop Jeremiah James Harty’s attention, inspiring him to begin planning a new parish in Dundee. What he didn’t know was that Dundee Catholics Walter Raymond Rouse and Richard J. O’Brien Sr. had begun a fundraising campaign in 1916, collecting 50-cent piece donations door to door in anticipation of what was informally called “The New Parish in Dundee.” You could call it the parish’s first capital campaign, held during the very uncertain time of World War I. A 27-year-old recently ordained priest from Lowell, Massachusetts, the Rev. Leo Francis Patrick, was named pastor of the new parish even though he had only been at his first assignment as an associate at St. Cecilia for less than a year, and even though at that point the “new parish” consisted of a good idea and little else.

Nonetheless on the Sunday morning of Sept. 7, 1919 at 8 a.m., Fr. Patrick celebrated the first parish Mass in the second-floor dance hall at the southwest corner of 50th Street and Underwood Avenue.

It’s unclear how many people showed up for Mass that day, and it’s equally unclear if they knew what they were starting.

The First Baptism The first baptism at St. Margaret Mary took place Nov. 2, 1919 — Arthur Francis Johnson. After graduating from Central High School in 1937, Arthur moved to Los Angeles. When war broke out in 1941, Arthur enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to the destroyer escort USS Frederick C. Davis patrolling the North Atlantic. On April 24, 1945, his vessel was torpedoed by a German U-boat, and it sank within 17 minutes. Of the 195 sailors aboard, only 82 survived, and Arthur was not among them. His family’s tragedy was compounded when just 13 days later Germany surrendered. The USS Frederick C. Davis was the last U.S. Naval vessel lost in the Battle of the Atlantic. Arthur’s name is inscribed on the World War II East Coast Memorial in New York City. He was survived by his wife, Ruth, son Arthur Jr. (4) and daughter Christina (2).

1940 Draft Registration.

Challenges of Priesthood A newly ordained priest is…new.

Parishioners still tend to see young priests as seasoned leaders, but the fact is, they aren’t. After years of seminary training, they’re well educated but new to the job and have a lot to learn. Nonetheless even a new diocesan priest is still responsible for ensuring that his parish thrives. Somehow he has to manage to hear confessions, prepare his homilies, make time for daily personal prayer, celebrate Mass, comfort and assist the dying and the grieving, counsel lost sheep, aid the poor, catechize, juggle administrative duties, set a good example, and be approachable and available. That’s a tall order, but it is possibly achievable in an established parish with space and schedules for all the activities, and with…parishioners.

Fr. Patrick had none of that.

The Rev. Leo Francis Patrick The Rev. Leo Francis Patrick was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, and attended seminary in Canada, first at St. Dunstan seminary on Prince Edward Island where he studied philosophy, and then at Holy Heart seminary in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he studied theology. He was recognized by fellow seminarians as being a conscientious student and a talented athlete, excelling in track and field.

Upon his ordination in 1918, Fr. Patrick’s first assignment was as an associate at St. Cecilia Parish in Omaha.

He spent less than a year there before being assigned by Bishop Jeremiah James Harty as pastor of the new parish in the recently annexed town of Dundee. Fr. Patrick served as pastor from 1919 to 1923, doing all he could to get the parish established. In 1923, when recently ordained Fr. Joseph Suneg was assigned as associate, Fr. Patrick left to serve at mission parishes on the remote high plains of eastern Colorado until relocating to West Point, Nebraska, in 1956.

Fr. Patrick worked well with the elderly and was well liked at this assignment. He died April 28, 1964 while serving as chaplain at St. Joe Retirement Home for the Aging.

He is buried at St. Michael Cemetery in West Point.

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The son of an immigrant weaver from Staffordshire, England, the Massachusetts native had little to no direction from the bishop, who was known as a hard-nosed leader. Thus Fr. Patrick navigated his way forward through a fog of uncertainty.

• When should Mass be?

• How might he identify and contact potential parishioners?

• How quickly should he expect the parish to grow?

• Who was going to help him pay bills and keep up with administrative obligations?

• Who was going to help him teach the children of the parish?

The list went on, but the young priest’s two greatest challenges were space and finances.

Fr. Leo Patrick’s graduation photo, 1914

Archbishop Jeremiah James Harty, 1916

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The “New Parish in Dundee” Getting a community excited about a new parish can be a challenge in the best of circumstances, but the task can be even more daunting when there’s no place to meet or worship. The sparsely populated neighborhood of Dundee was not especially

1918 Map of Dundee

promising. Based on 1920 U.S. Census data and City of Omaha ward maps, the population of Dundee around the time of its annexation in 1915 was about 8,000 residents. Since not all of Dundee was within the new parish’s boundaries, and not all the residents were Catholic, there were probably only a couple of hundred Catholics with a potential interest in the new parish in Dundee. The novice pastor got to work!

Businesses, buildings, and even people were in short supply, and the buildings that did exist were occupied. Fr. Patrick, however, knew the model for attracting families to a parish and then retaining them: educate the children! Along with the celebration of the Mass, schools were the lifeblood of most parishes. Eventually a temporary worship space became available — the Dundee Hall at 5001½ Underwood Ave. Ernest Buffett, who ran a grocery store located on the first floor, offered the second-floor space for Masses and student instruction.

Left: First parish house, 5002 California St. Below: Looking northeast from the roof of Dundee School in 1913. Dundee Hall is on the left.

It was May 12, 1920 when Pope Benedict XV canonized St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and that same day Bishop Harty picked her as the patroness of the new parish.

Having a patron saint matters. It was officially recognized by the diocese and

by Rome, and its popularity began to grow; St. Margaret Mary Parish was on the map.

The faithful continued to increase in number, quickly outgrowing Dundee Hall, which had been designed and built for retail shops on the first floor and entertainment purposes — specifically a dance hall — on the second-floor.

During the summer of 1920, Fr. Patrick took his first consequential step as pastor by purchasing a house and lot at 5002 California St. and using it for the church, school, and rectory.

The First Building for School and Church Over time it became clear that the parish house was inadequate. The St. Margaret Mary community needed a dedicated teaching space, a legitimate worship space, and a place for the nuns to live.

This newer part of town was taking shape.

Dundee Presbyterian Church had built a church at 4944 Underwood Ave., and had a growing congregation. Other businesses were popping up, so building a Catholic parish there was ambitious, enterprising, and far-sighted. Dundee served as a gateway to Omaha’s westward expansion, and St. Margaret Mary Parish was part of it.

Since he had already purchased both the land and the parish house, Fr. Patrick asked Bishop Harty for permission to immediately start construction of the new church and school. The Great War was over so there were plenty of laborers available, and ground was broken in the fall of 1921.

By June of the following summer, the new brick building was ready at 608 N. 50th St.

Church interior, 1923.

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The Revs. George M. Sipschen S.J. and Leo Patrick in 1923.

St. Margaret Mary at 608 N. 50th St. in 1923.

To fund the project, Fr. Patrick did what just about anyone in his shoes would have done: he borrowed money. Based on archival records, he borrowed more than $44,000 ($510,000 in 2019 dollars) from Peter’s National Bank. Bishop Harty likely co-signed the loan, and while the terms are not well documented, the debt burden the parish assumed to build 608 N. 50th St. is clear. Parishioners’ tithing was critical for the new parish to keep the lights on every month. Even more important was parishioner headcount, and that came down to the controversial parish boundaries.

Sisters of Mercy Meeting unmet needs has been the sisters’ goal since they first arrived in Omaha in the 1860s. Education and health care were among the order’s first ministries. The Mercy name is a familiar one in the area, and the order established such institutions as College of St. Mary, Mercy High School, Bergan Mercy Medical Center, Mercy Housing Inc., and Knowles Mercy Spirituality Center.

Sister Jean Marie Ward, principal, 1943-1958

According to an Oct. 23, 2014 Omaha World-Herald article, the sisters started and taught at 22 elementary schools in Omaha.

Sisters of Mercy worldwide trace their roots to founder Catherine McAuley, an Irish Catholic laywoman who spent her inheritance to open a home in Dublin in 1827 that sheltered and educated women and girls. The archbishop of Dublin advised her to establish a religious congregation, and in 1831 McAuley and two of her followers became the first Sisters of Mercy.

In October 1864, seven Sisters of Mercy stepped off the steamboat Montana onto the banks of the Missouri River in Omaha with instructions to provide formal education to the Catholic people of the city.

Sisters of Mercy who taught in the school in the late 1960s.

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The sisters were the first Catholic religious order to come to Nebraska. Within a month of their arrival, the sisters had established two schools. They soon discovered needs beyond education, though, and the sisters began helping the poor, the sick, the hungry and the homeless. At Fr. Patrick’s request, in September 1921 two Sisters of Mercy (Sister Mary Delores and Sister Mary Alice) began teaching grades one through four in the parish house. It was a humble setting, and they worked hard to create an academic environment. They used two makeshift classrooms to teach math, religion, reading, writing, science, and home economics to 40 children. The kids ate their lunch in the classrooms, and they played on the adjacent empty lot and on California Street for recess. It wasn’t a glamorous setting, but the kids and parents were content. Just having a parish and school west of Cathedral was a welcome development.

The Sisters of Mercy taught St. Margaret Mary students from 1921 to 1985.

Generations of students benefited from the sisters’ instruction, discipline, and faith formation. The longest serving principal during the Sisters of Mercy era was Sister Jean Marie Ward, who led the school from 1943 through 1958. Sister Jean Marie faced many challenges during her tenure, including shepherding the school through the stresses of World War II, safely evacuating all the students during a 1949 basement fire, and transitioning to the new school building in 1951. She was remembered by all for her bold personality, clear teaching, high standards, and exemplary behavior under all circumstances.

“The teaching I received there, especially

by Sister Jean Marie, gave me the structure and dedication to later use those basic skills acquired — writing, grammar, punctuation, spelling, English, reading, memorization —

in high school and the twelve years of my higher education as I prepared for my career in medicine,” remarked Dr. Leo McCarthy, a 1953 graduate of the school.

John Rush, a land appraiser who moved to Omaha in 1866 (when it was considered a boom town), captured the impact the Sisters of Mercy had on Nebraska in A Pioneer’s Reminiscences, a book he published later in life.

“Do the people of Omaha realize what the Sisters of Mercy have done for Nebraska?

They are the pioneer teachers of the state, the advance guard of pure and elevated womanhood, the self-sacrificing messengers of God, who give up earthly joys and pleasures to perform the duties assigned them by their Divine Master.”

Above: A 1931 classroom in the parish house. Below: Kindergarten graduates, 1947.

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S I ST E R S O F M E R C Y

Right: First grade, 1931.

Below: Kindergarteners in art class, 1944.

S I ST E R S O F M E R C Y

Above: First Communion class, 1936. Top: The Drum Corp, 1931.

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Church Boundaries

Parish boundaries: North: Blondo Street East: 50th Street South: Leavenworth Street West: 135th Street

Below: A 1924 map of the Happy Hollow, Dundee & Fairacres Developments.

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Flip through any parish directory today and you will find multiple zip codes. For most of the 20th century, though, Catholics were required to attend their geographic parish, which was defined by the parish boundaries.

Pastors were angry if they discovered in-boundary members were frequenting other parishes, and they didn’t like people from other parishes attending their Masses either.

People needed to be fully present in their neighborhood parish community or it would not survive, and the wandering parishioner’s faith was considered at risk as well.

People were fine with setting Blondo and Leavenworth Streets as the north and south boundaries, but Bishop Harty’s decision

about the line between Cathedral and the new parish proved controversial. A beltline railroad west of Saddle Creek Road appeared to be an obvious choice for St. Cecilia’s new western boundary, but it wasn’t chosen.

Legend has it that an affluent couple who wanted to remain part of Cathedral’s parish, but who lived west of the tracks, pressured the bishop to extend Cathedral’s western boundary to the east side of 50th Street.

It served the couple well; they got to stay in their preferred parish. Unfortunately for St. Margaret Mary Church, it eliminated several blocks that were natural parts of its neighborhood. Situated on 50th Street, the parish literally lived on its own eastern boundary.

Rev. Joseph Suneg the Formative Pastor Ordained June 11, 1923, the Rev. Joseph Suneg arrived at the Chancery at 2507 Cass St. expecting Archbishop Harty to assign him to Sacred Heart parish in Wynot, Nebraska, an ethnically German town.

Instead he was named an associate at St. Margaret Mary Parish.

Early in 1924 St. Margaret Mary’s first pastor, Fr. Leo Patrick, was transferred and Suneg quickly embraced his new role.

He began chipping away at the $60,000 debt. He lived frugally and managed without an associate priest, relying on part-time help — first from the Jesuits at Creighton University, and later from the priests at Boys Town. His mother and three sisters soon moved from Cleveland to Omaha to help as well.

Thriving communities are molded by the vision of their leaders. At a sturdy 5 feet 6 inches tall, Fr. Suneg worked tirelessly, selflessly, and single-heartedly for the good of his parish and the people. He was gentle and had a quiet, sometimes unexpected sense of humor. Long-time parishioners remember that he rarely talked about money, but somehow people knew what was needed and did everything they could to provide it because they loved and trusted him. Kimmy Hartigan said, “He was gentle, unassuming, and never pressured anybody.”

Mary Joy Anderson, Addie Hays, Madeleine Begley, and John Frenking all remember that Bert Murphy, who owned an automobile dealership, managed to get a nice car for their pastor at a time when the waiting list to get a car was years long. Even though it exasperated the donor, Fr. Suneg refused to drive it because he thought it was wrong for a priest to have what others couldn’t.

The Revs. Joseph Suneg, left, and Leo Patrick in 1923.

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The Boys Town Connection

Fr. Edward Flanagan

Until 1953, Boys Town was within the St. Margaret Mary boundaries, and Fr. Joseph Suneg, Saint Margaret Mary’s second pastor, maintained a close working relationship with Boys Town’s founder, the Rev. Edward Flanagan. As fellow European immigrants, they had some similar experiences and supported one another.

Suneg attended the dedication of Dowd Chapel at Boys Town, and they helped each other with funerals. They undertook one of their most important joint ventures during World War II. They worked together to free interned Japanese Americans by helping them relocate to Omaha — Fr. Flanagan providing housing when possible and Fr. Suneg securing jobs through his influential contacts.

In one documented example of their collaboration, Fr. Suneg worked closely with Fr. Flanagan to help Japanese Americans

A letter from Fr. Suneg to Fr. Flanagan:

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Raymond Uchiyamada and Barbara Saneto, both of whom had been interned at Camp Manzanar in California. When Barbara was released through Fr. Flanagan’s efforts, she became a parishioner at St. Margaret Mary and got a job in the office of James Donohoe, a federal judge and St. Margaret Mary parishioner.

When Raymond was released to Fr. Flanagan, he initially lived and worked at Boys Town, but later he, too, found a job in Donohoe’s office. About a year later Raymond and Barbara became engaged, and they wanted to be married at Boys Town. In a March 10, 1944 letter Fr. Suneg approved Fr. Flanagan’s request for their wedding at Boys Town's Immaculate Conception Church, an unusual exception which Fr. Flanagan acknowledged with gratitude in a letter written on the very day of the ceremony, March 14, 1944.

Fr. Flanagan’s response to Fr. Suneg:

Uchiyamada and Saneto wedding on March 14, 1944.

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Dedicated Early Parishioners The heart of a church is its people because they are the lifeblood of its formation, its sustainability, and its ministry. St. Margaret Mary Parish and School is no exception. Its growth during the formative years was defined by the commitment of its earliest parishioners.

H.A. and Georgia Jacobberger

Adolph and Mary (Hayden) Storz Mary Hayden graduated from Washington Convent of the Visitation High School in Washington D.C. in 1904. She later married Adoph Storz, president of Storz Brewing, and in 1917 Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Storz bought the Langan mansion at 6625 Dodge St. Mary was an active St Margaret Mary Guild member and graciously hosted many fundraising events at her home. She traveled extensively with her sister, Ophelia Hayden. Her son Adolph “Hayden” Storz was married at St. Margaret Mary in 1947, and Fr. Joseph Suneg officiated.

The Storz’s 17-room home on six acres was purchased by the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1970 and leveled to make room for their westward campus expansion.

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H.A. Jacobberger and his wife Georgia lived at 5110 Chicago St. He was the longtime owner and president of Kimball Laundry Co. He was also president of the Associated Retailers of Omaha, the Omaha Automobile Association, and the Omaha Manufacturers Association.

He served on the Board of Regents of the University of Omaha, and played a big part in planning the new Dodge Street campus and construction of the administration building.

In 1929, Jacobberger was named chairman of the St. Margaret Mary building committee.

The property transactions in 1934 serve as a shining example of Omaha residents’ trust in Fr. Suneg — made possible by a growing network of Omahans who believed in his vision and trusted his commitment to be a good steward of the land.

.

George and Mary Brandeis Mary and her husband George lived at 6412 Dodge St. George was president of J.L. Brandeis & Sons and a King of Ak-Sar-Ben. A native of Lieben, Austria, George came to Omaha in the early 1890s, and married Mary Rogers in 1905. Mary was a philanthropist, and was well-known for hosting teas in their home to raise money for various charities.

Even when she was quite elderly, Mary attended Mass, and her presence — along with the presence of her chauffeur-driven shiny black luxury car — always inspired awe in the schoolchildren. After Mary’s death in 1969, their home was sold and torn down to create the condominiums there today.

George Brandeis died in 1948 at the age of 78.

Above: George Brandeis in 1931 at the Aksarben field with his 9-year-old stallion, Twig.

Left: Mrs. George Brandeis with her niece, Miss Mary Virginia Louis, photographed on the Duchess of York as they sailed March 19, 1932 from New York City for Bermuda.

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E A R LY PA R I S H I O N E R S

William C. and Mabel Fraser

Edward McKim’s 1945 swearing in.

Edward and Mary McKim Edward and Mary McKim and their five children lived across the street from the parish rectory at 4923 California St. He was a trustee of the parish in 1931, and worked for Mutual of Omaha for 30 years, retiring in 1957 as a vice president.

As a young man, Edward served in the 139th Field Artillery under Capt. Harry S. Truman through the St. Mihiel and Argonne battles of World War I. The two remained close, and when Truman became president in April 1945, he called McKim to Washington D.C. to be his chief administrative assistant. Within months McKim was appointed deputy federal loan administrator. From 1951 to 1953, he served as a member of the board of directors of the Panama Canal Zone. Edward McKim died in 1969 at the age of 74. Ed and Mary’s daughter Kimmy Hotz Hartigan provided many of the memories contained in this book.

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William C. “W.C.” Fraser, was chairman of the parish finance committee in the early 1920s.

He established a trust in 1929 to organize the plats that made up Fairacres Lot 69, the current church property.

Fraser enjoyed many professional accomplishments over the course of his career, but one notable effort relates to the 1919 “Burney Bill” — a reaction to post-WWI concerns about the patriotism of parochial schools, many of which taught classes in German instead of English.

Before Nebraska’s legislature turned into a unicameral, the 1919 Nebraska House of Representatives passed the “Burney Bill” which required that all children attend public schools, thereby closing all private and parochial schools below the college level.

A group of Catholic laymen, including Fraser, persuaded the Nebraska Senate to amend the Burney Bill to regulate, but not abolish, private schools. The amended bill passed the Senate and then the House — but by only one vote!

Fraser’s efforts ultimately saved the parochial school system in Nebraska. He and his wife, Mabel, and their children lived at 674 N. 50th St., just inside the parish boundary.

John W. and Lucille Madden John W. Madden was born in Pennsylvania and graduated from Yale in 1907. He arrived in Omaha two years later to work for Joseph Cudahy at Cudahy Packing. He lasted three months before turning to the insurance business, later becoming president of the Baldrige-Madden Insurance Co. In 1910 he married Lucille Hayden, niece of brothers Edward and Joseph Hayden of Hayden Department Store fame. After the death of Joseph Hayden, Madden became actively involved with the Hayden store and was

named president in 1925. He was killed in a car accident in 1948 at the age of 64. Their son, Joseph Hayden Madden, married Mary Fraser, daughter of W.C. and Mabel Fraser.

Members of the Madden family lived at 123 South Elmwood Road until 1955, when it was sold to the parish and converted into a convent for the Sisters of Mercy who taught at the new school. This property served the nuns well until 1972, when the University of Nebraska at Omaha purchased the house for demolition and expansion of their campus.

Pictured from Left: John W. Madden, John W. Madden Jr., Joseph Hayden Madden and Mrs. John W. Madden.

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E A R LY PA R I S H I O N E R S

Ophelia Hayden Ophelia Hayden, an early and generous supporter of the new parish, was the daughter of Mary and Edward Hayden. Ophelia’s father and uncles had opened a general store in 1887, which later became known as Hayden’s Department Store at 16th and Dodge Streets.

Ophelia’s mother was a generous donor to religious charities and became one of the largest benefactors of the Good Shepherd Convent. Ophelia served as president of Hayden’s after her father’s death and was also elected president of the Good Shepherd auxiliary. The family home at 200 South Elmwood Road was donated to Duchesne after Ophelia’s death, and Duchesne leased it to Omaha University. Today the English Style Tudor home serves as UNO’s Welcome Center.

William and Laura Lane William Dennis Lane, born in 1885, quit old Cass School near Jefferson Square and started working as a grocery delivery boy at 13 years of age. In 1900 he became a factory worker at Eggerss-O’Flyng box plant; by 1932 he had climbed the ladder to become president until his retirement in 1953. Lane was a president of the Omaha Manufacturers Association and the Chamber of Commerce. He was named Ak-Sar-Ben King in 1948 and then served as president of Ak-Sar-Ben for several years.

He helped build the former Municipal Stadium, known later as Rosenblatt Stadium. He and his wife Laura lived at 656 N. 57th St., and were friends with George and Mary Brandeis.

Together they actively supported the effort to build the new church.

Left: Picture taken in 1932, the year Ophelia became president of the newly-organized Good Shepherd Auxiliary.

It was the same year she made local arrangements for the national “Repeal Week,” sponsored by the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform.

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E A R LY PA R I S H I O N E R S

Albert “Bert” Murphy Albert “Bert” Murphy ran one of the biggest automobile and truck agencies in the Midwest.

His father, Andrew, started the business Nov. 1, 1869 as a horseshoer and then expanded the operation to include the manufacturing of wagons and carriages. The business sold its first car in 1909, a Detroit Electric Car, and in 1924 it became a Chrysler dealership.

Bert joined the business and it became known as “Andrew Murphy & Son Murphy-Did-It.” Bert gave up the dealership in 1956. Bert loved baseball, boxing, and horses. As president of the Omaha Athletic Club, he sponsored baseball teams, promoted a number of boxing bouts, and owned a stable of fine harness racers. He was behind Ak-Sar-Ben’s decision to stage an annual rodeo and served as Ak-Sar-Ben King in 1936. He was an original member of the Municipal Stadium Committee and helped pick the site of what became Rosenblatt Stadium at 13th Street and Deer Park Boulevard. As a tribute to him, the City Council named the street leading to the new stadium after him. In 1940 Bert was one of the “generals” working to raise funds for the $150,000 drive to construct the new church for St. Margaret Mary. In 1951 Bert and his wife held a St. Margaret Mary’s benefit in their backyard for Circle 2 in order to “swell the coffers of the new school’s building fund,” as he put it. He and his family lived out west at 90th and Dodge Streets.

In 1950, Albert “Bert” Murphy and Val Peter were made Knights of St. Gregory the Great at St. Cecilia Cathedral by Archbishop Gerald T. Bergan. Pope Pius XII conferred the honor on them for “exemplary lives and services for the Catholic Church.”

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Frances and W.H. Schmitz, 1950.

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Dr. W.H. and Frances Schmitz

Richard J. and Geraldine O’Brien

Dr. W.H. Schmitz graduated in 1922 from Creighton Medical School. He practiced in Philadelphia for three years before returning to Omaha to set up practice with Dr. Charles Martin in the City National Bank Building.

He married Frances Dermody, and in 1934 their daughter, Marilyn, was born. In 1950 they moved to North 57th Street. He became an associate professor of urology at Creighton Medical School and was an active Creighton alumnus. He was an avid golfer winning many tournaments at the Omaha Country Club and Happy Hollow. Schmitz was called on frequently to take leadership roles in Ak-Sar-Ben membership drives and in fundraising efforts for organizations like the St. James Orphanage.

In 1940 he served as a “general” to raise funds for the $150,000 drive to construct the new St. Margaret Mary Church.

Richard O’Brien worked as a salesman in the 1920s for Foster-Barker Insurance Co. In 1930 he started his own insurance firm, the Richard J. O’Brien Co. Richard and his wife Geraldine lived at 5120 Cass St., and they had a son Richard Jr. and three daughters — Mary Louise, Geraldine, and Patricia. Mrs. O’Brien was a member of Circle 4 of the St. Margaret Mary Guild. Richard served as one of the “generals” to raise the $150,000 needed to construct the new St. Margaret Mary Church. He was an avid golfer, often partnering with W.C. Fraser to win local tournaments. In 1955 their daughter Mary Louise married Dr. Bulent Tunakan at St. Margaret Mary Parish with Fr. Suneg officiating.

E A R LY PA R I S H I O N E R S

Ludovic F. “L.F.” and Mary (Nash) Crofoot The former Mary Nash was the daughter of Edward W. and Catherine Nash and sister to Louis Nash. In 1896, she married Ludovic F. “L.F.” Crofoot, a prominent young lawyer.

Crofoot was an attorney for 50 years for the firm Crofoot, Fraser, Connolly and Stryker. He retired in 1945. Mary Nash Crofoot was considered one of Omaha’s most talented pianists.

She frequently hosted out-of-towner musicians in her home and organized the Tuesday Morning Musical Club and other musical events where people entertained in homes and recital halls. She played the organ at St. Cecilia’s and at the dedication of the new St. Bernard’s Church in Benson, Nebraska. In 1924 Mary met with members of the Women’s Division of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce to lay the foundation for a Symphony Orchestra. By 1928 donors formed the Omaha Symphony Orchestra Association, which continues today.

In 1928 the Crofoots bought a 20-acre tract of land in Fairacres just north of the George Brandeis’s home and built what is today a 17,000 square foot home at 412 N. Elmwood Road. In 1929, 450 guests attended a benefit bridge tournament at the Crofoot home.

The party was sponsored by the Women’s Division of St. Margaret Mary’s Parish.

May 19, 1929

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Enlisting the Women

The Sunega children in 1902, four years prior to immigration to the United States. After their arrival, the family dropped the “a” from their last name.

From his earliest days, Joseph Suneg relied on the women in his life, and they did not let him down. He faced the challenges of emigration to the United States sailing aboard the SS Zeeland in 1906 with his mother and three sisters. Living in Cleveland, his father died suddenly in 1919 while Joseph was attending the Pontifical College Josephinum — jeopardizing his education — so his two older sisters went to work as seamstresses to support the family and to fund his schooling. After ordination in 1923 and learning of the many challenges he was facing at his new assignment, his sisters and mother relocated to Omaha to manage the parish’s administrative duties and help him with daily household tasks.

By the late 1920s the Altar Society and mothers of the parish schoolchildren coalesced into a new group which Fr. Suneg designated as the Women’s Guild.

Their purpose was clear: “To lend aid to all parish activities both religious and social” and “to bring within closer social contact the women members of the parish at frequent intervals.” Almost immediately they got busy fundraising — holding 50-cent noon-day dinners; a country store; a “Japanese tea room;” book clubs; bazaars; card parties (bridge and high-five); bake sales; children’s clothing booths; horseshoe games; and more. In 1926 Anna Suneg organized Girl Scout Troop 3 at the school.

A parent-teacher association formed in 1930 to build up a cooperative school spirit in the parish. One of the fondest memories related by students of that era was when on the First Friday of each month (special day of reparation, begun by patron St. Margaret Mary), the mothers assumed the entire responsibility of serving a breakfast of buttered rolls and hot chocolate to the children after they had received Holy Communion at the 8 a.m. Mass.

1937 Guild Cook Book.

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Left: Guild luncheon, 1940s.

In his personal life, parishioner Betty Nolan was Fr. Suneg’s longtime financial advisor, and Arlene Reeson (with help from Gregory Gurnon and Jim Smith) was his caregiver for the last seven years of his life.

In late 1988, after he had sustained a couple of falls, Fr. Suneg was moved to Merrick Manor in Fremont, Nebraska. Wanting to provide him with dignified care during his last days, Arlene and her friend Evelyn Ament drove from Marianna, a retirement community Fr. Suneg had built near Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska, into town to feed him his meals. They did this twice a day for six months until he died.

Above: Guild women with Sister Mary Helen Carley in 1981.

Left: Betty Nolan.

Below: Arlene Reeson.

“I think the good mothers we have are not appreciated.”

— Fr. Joseph Suneg

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Patient Planning Even though the Great Depression coincided with the launch of the parish, the first ten years of Fr. Suneg’s ministry showed steady growth in tithing and community involvement. Everyone pitched in. As more and more people joined the parish, Fr. Suneg saved as much money as possible while paying down the debt from the original building. He seemed to understand the responsibility he assumed when he began to spend other people’s money. His steady fiscal conservatism was serving the parish well, and yet nothing paid greater returns than the long-term investments he was making in relationships with Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the community.

Below: Fairacres Lot 69, facing west in 1928.

The parish was gaining momentum. By 1926 the congregation had grown to 217 families, and it was evident that the temporary

worship space above the school would soon be inadequate. Fr. Suneg began planning for a new church even though the parish remained deeply in debt.

When six and a half acres near 62nd and Dodge Streets became available, Fr. Suneg envisioned it as the site of the parish’s forever home. He wanted to buy the property, but Bishop Joseph Rummel was hesitant, saying he didn’t think so much land was necessary.

By 1928, the year Fr. Suneg was officially named pastor, the parish had grown to 259 families. The mortgage on the temporary church had been reduced to $25,000, prompting Bishop Rummel to congratulate the pastor and the parish on their progress. In May 1929 a new church committee formed to plan their future.

On Oct. 29, 1929, the stock market crashed and sent Wall Street into a panic. This event resulted in the worst economic downturn in U.S. history.

The timing for the Great Depression adversely affected Fr. Suneg’s building plans, so in 1931 he considered selling off portions of Lot 69 to residential developers as a means to raise much needed funds.

Land Transaction Previous unsuccessful attempts to gain the bishop’s permission to buy property on Dodge Street simply led to more attempts.

On June 4, 1929 the diocesan Board of Consultors finally gave the go-ahead — to spend $16,000. The effort was led by H.A. Jacobberger.

A contract was signed June 1, 1929 whereby Rock Island Railroad executive Henry L. Reed and his wife Lula C. Reed agreed to sell Fairacres Lot 69 (minus the north 50 feet) for $31,000, under the terms of a $4,000 down payment (provided by Frank McDevitt, H. A. Jacobberger, W.H. Schmitz, Fr. Suneg, John J. Mulvihill, and St. Margaret Mary Church), and annual $3,000 payments to be made through June 1, 1936.

June 16, 1929

On June 6, 1929 William C. Fraser signed a Declaration of Trust, whereby he would hold the assets in trust until the terms were met and the balance paid in full. The proposed plat allocations were as follows: 1. Lot A for St. Margaret Mary Church 2. Lot B for Joseph Suneg 3. Lot C for Frank McDevitt 4. Lot D for Dr. William H Schmitz 5. Lot E for John J. Mulvihill 6. Lot F for H.A. Jacobberger 7. Lot G for Joseph Suneg, Trustee Fraser held the contract’s annual payments in trust until July 31,1934, the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, when he paid Reed $31,000 two years earlier than the contract required. As part of the same transaction, Fraser “sold” Lot 69 back to St. Margaret Mary Church for $1. As a result, Lot 69 was released from the trust in 1934, and the parish owned the property at last.

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Fr. Suneg envisioned a boulevard running from Dodge Street to the front door of the new church, so before anything else was planned or implemented, he had the two lanes built leading up to a shrine he constructed in honor of the Blessed Virgin.

From the beginning, the young pastor wanted this parish to be under the loving protection of Mary. The boulevard concept did not materialize, but its remnant can be discerned in the current front parking lot layout.

Aerial photo of Dodge Street in 1937.

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Fr. Suneg’s Waldruh property on Bellevue Boulevard in Sarpy County, 1932.

Suneg the Real Estate Investor In 1931, which was shortly after Fr. Suneg had organized the land transaction for St. Margaret Mary Parish in 1929, he also purchased property on Bellevue Boulevard overlooking the Missouri River in Sarpy County. There he built a log cabin that he christened “Waldruh,” which is German for “wooded retreat.”

In 1935 he sold the cabin to Mr. and Mrs. Howard Day and on the same day bought 7 acres of land along with a small, rundown house on a commanding bluff overlooking the Missouri River, further north on Bellevue Boulevard, just south of the Douglas County line.

Waldruh fireplace mantel, 1932.

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This property he named “Lorelei” after a prominent rock outcrop on the Rhine River in Germany; it means “murmuring rock.”

He spent time there caring for the property, reading, and enjoying the solitude, though he never did retire there. He retained this property until 1982, when it was sold to its current owner.

After his mother and sisters settled in Omaha, the family regularly took Sunday drives in the country looking for suitable, retirement-friendly properties. The two he experimented with in Bellevue didn’t quite match his vision.

Right: Fr. Sueng’s mother, Mary, at Lorelei in 1935.

Below: Fr. Suneg’s Lorelei property in Sarpy County in 1935.

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S U N EG T H E R E A L E STAT E I N V E STO R

By 1936, they finally discovered an abandoned 160-acre farm near Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska.

With a superb vista above the Platte River, it reminded him of his childhood home along the Danube. The property was in foreclosure due to the Depression, so he purchased the farm at a land auction for $36.40 per acre, or a total of $5,824. He called this latest tract “Marianna,” after his mother and sister, Mary and Anna.

Suneg’s sisters, mother, brother-in-law, niece and nephew at Marianna, 1936.

In his “spare time” between 1936 and 1969, Fr. Suneg transformed the abandoned farm — replatting it for homes and hand-planting thousands of trees of various types so it would become the tranquil retirement village of his dreams. In 1969, at age 73 and after 46 years at St Margaret Mary, Fr. Suneg retired and began to enjoy the oasis he had created over the previous three decades.

Above: Parishioner Gregory Gurnon, left, is the great nephew of Fr. Suneg.

It was Gurnon’s 2015 donation of a collection of Fr. Suneg’s personal affects that was the seed material for this book.

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Suneg the “Picker”

Rheims cathedral bookends.

Fr. Suneg had an eye for finding utility in discarded “junk,” or at least what others might consider junk. Wherever he went, he kept his eyes open for items that might have a place at his parish. Among the discards he turned to ornamental purposes were chandeliers from the Burlington Station in Omaha; beautiful iron grillwork once part of the George W. Lininger Art Museum; and wooden slabs from a beer vat in the old Metz Brewery.

Below: The rectory at 4923 California St., 1935.

When parishioners were moving and throwing out unwanted items, they would

find Father at their door just in case they were getting rid of something he might be able to use. Most of the time there was something of interest to him. One woman sold him her mantel, fully expecting to see it in the sanctuary before long. Instead he gave it to another couple who admired it. It was his hobby and he did it well. He acquired another fireplace mantel from the owners of 105 N. 54th St., a house formerly owned by parishioner Dr. James William Martin (p. 46). This one Fr. Suneg kept and used in 1957 as the plinth for a large statue of Mary situated at the south end of the school.

In 1924 when rooms in the parish house on California St. became necessary for additional classroom space, Fr. Suneg purchased the house across the street at 4923 California St. for his home. As was his hobby, he completely renovated the former boarding house into an iconic Dundee landmark, featuring an ornate molded ceiling, marble steps in the sunroom, a carved fireplace, decorative wrought iron gates and custom built-in bookshelves.

Above: The Burlington train station chandelier, 1910.

Left: Salvaged chandelier finial now hanging in the St. Margaret Mary school auditorium.

“Do not wait until you have time to kill to follow your hobby,” he once said. “It will keep you mentally alert and physically fit.

Your chosen life’s work will not be a mere drudgery, a worrisome monotony.

You will find renewed interest, enthusiasm, and real joy in your daily occupation.”

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S U N EG T H E “ P I C K E R�

Salvaged fireplace mantel from Martin residence at 105 N. 54th St., 1949.

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Green Man The appearance of Green Men on Gothic churches occurred after the first millennium AD, particularly the 12th to 15th centuries.

From the 11th and 12th centuries onwards, Green Men are often seen incorporated as a carved decorative ornamentation on European churches and other buildings. There was a huge revival in ecclesiastical building during this period, in what was seen by many as a time of hope after the bleakness of the Dark Ages.

The intricate Romanesque and Gothic architecture of the High Middle Ages provided a perfect vehicle for the inclusion of all manner of oddities on church buildings.

Grotesques of many kinds were introduced to stand for passions and desires that pious men needed to overcome. Green Men were just one example of the mythical beasts,

demons and other pagan symbols which began to be used by church builders of the time.

The interwoven Romanesque leaf decorations easily linked such images, and some quite large-scale carvings of naked men and women caught up in tendrils of vegetation are found on major church buildings of the period.

St. Margaret Mary’s Green Man — acquired by Fr. Suneg — is located on the north side of the church.

Around the 13th century, the French style of foliate mask began to prevail, although the disgorging style of Green Man was more predominant in England. Both types flourished throughout France, Britain and Germany, though. Chartres Cathedral, widely considered one of the masterpieces of Western art, features up to 70 Green Men in a whole variety of different forms, including leaf masks, disgorgers of vegetation and human figures in the midst of plants and fruit.

(Source: “The Green Man” by Kathleen Basford, D.S. Brewer, 1978, reprinted 2002)

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Above: German to English translation: “Lord God abide with us.” Top: 4923 California St.

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S U N EG T H E “ P I C K E R”

Suneg’s personal touches.

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Fr. Suneg shares a lighter moment with his altar servers in 1957.

Suneg the Pastor The memories of those who knew Fr. Suneg have a common thread: he was a gentle but strong leader, and they loved him. Longtime parishioners Lou Finocchiaro and Madeleine Begley recalled joshing with Fr. Suneg, telling him that parishioners laughed at him for the easy penances he doled out in the confessional.

Fr. Suneg in 1948.

Facing page: Exposition of the Holy Eucharist in 1957.

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“It’s always three Hail Marys. No matter what the sins are, three Hail Marys!” Father shrugged and simply replied, “Don’t you know that if a man who has killed his parents is standing in line for confession but dies before he gets to me, God has already forgiven him? I’m not going to beat him up when he gets to me.”

They also recalled that he used to “surprise” the schoolchildren every year with a free day on the feast of St. Joseph. He visited the classrooms every week, asking the children one question from the catechism each time.

Every year on the last day of school, he handed out each child’s report card, announcing aloud his or her grade in “Deportment and Effort.” Sometimes the child earned a raised eyebrow from Fr. Suneg, but he never commented further.

“He was focused on whether or not we were trying and on our best behavior. The rest of our grades didn’t seem to matter to him,” said Madeleine Begley.

Creighton University bestowed upon Fr. Suneg the Honorary Alumnus Citation on Jan. 29, 1970. The award recognized him as the “Father” of one of Omaha’s largest parishes, and honored him for supervising the construction and development of both the church and school from the ground up. In 1923, he acquired a parish that was $60,000 in debt ($892,000 in 2019 dollars) and left it in 1969 with $100,000 in the bank ($1.5 million in 2019 dollars).

Suneg the Naturalist There are several accounts of Fr. Suneg’s monumental effort to personally transplant more than 30,000 trees, primarily from his Marianna retirement property. He began landscaping St. Margaret Mary’s property in 1931, ten years before construction began on the church building so the grounds would be mature by the time the church was built. He was often mistaken for the gardener when he was outside mowing the lawn or tending to the shrubs. He loved nature, once calling a fire “providential” after it destroyed many trees he had planted at Marianna because the fire cleared land he wanted for other uses later. “It was a tragedy, but…I could never cut down a living tree.”

Visiting Marianna in 1936.

A 1957 Fr. Suneg photograph showing the trees he planted in preparation for his early landscape plan from 1931.

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Suneg the Artist Most of the artwork in the parish was acquired by Fr. Suneg, not created by him.

His artistry, however, does indeed imbue the church and school.

• He hand-hammered the copper front doors.

• He made the mosaic backdrop behind the statue of Mary in the bell tower chapel.

• He took a simple crucifix from the old church space on 50th Street and enhanced it to make the beautiful scene currently hanging above the tabernacle.

• He carved the timbered ceiling beams in the school office and lobby.

• He spent many hours in the main body of the church using a burlap sack to texture the walls, creating a softer, warmer atmosphere.

• He painted the stairwell ceiling in the school.

• He built the maintenance garage north of the church.

Above: Fr. Suneg’s hand-carved ceiling timbers in the school Guild rooms.

Left: Fr. Suneg’s hand-built maintenance shed.

Right: Fr. Suneg’s mosaic backdrop in Our Lady of Peace Chapel.

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S U N EG T H E A RT I ST

Fr. Suneg’s ball peen hammer used to create the church door designs.

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S U N EG T H E A RT I ST

The high altar crucifix was transported from the original church at 608 N. 50th St. to the new church in 1942.

Fr. Suneg enhanced the scene by adding guilded trim as well as two figures in relief at the foot of the cross.

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Church Design Concepts Undeterred by the Great Depression, in 1932 Suneg released his first design concept for the new church. He had no training as an architect, but it was one of his hobbies.

The Art Deco movement was in full swing at this time and the Nebraska State Capitol, completed in 1932, also provided inspiration.

Fr. Suneg called his design “modified modernistic.” It is very similar to the 1939

Top right: Fr. Suneg’s Modernist Design.

Right: Bertram Goodhue’s design of the Nebraska State Capitol.

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design of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wilmette, Illinois, especially the clean, modern central ‘massing’ of the entrance doorway/arch much like the Nebraska State Capitol. The St. Margaret Mary Archives contain a letter dated Nov. 26, 1934 from Monsignor John Neumann, pastor of St. Joseph’s parish, asking Fr. Suneg to share his plans, which he evidently did.

The architects and engineers determined that the modernist design would be too expensive to implement, so Fr. Suneg moved on to his next idea. In February of 1939, Omaha’s main Post Office at 16th and Dodge streets was set to be razed and a new structure built. Fr. Suneg’s “junker” instincts took over, inspiring a new design for the church that would repurpose the Post Office’s granite.

This innovation captured the attention of editors of the monthly publication “BUILDING,” who asked to feature his design in one of their upcoming trade journals.

Top left: Fr. Suneg’s Post Office reclamation design.

Left: The United States Post Office in downtown Omaha.

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Final Church Design With tensions in Europe mounting and another war looming, Fr. Suneg realized that he needed to act fast if he wanted to get his church built.

Leo A. Daly design, 1941.

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In May 1941 Fr. Suneg finally settled on an Anglo-Saxon design, referred to as “rural gothic� in the original drawings. It offered a rusticated stone exterior, a steep pitched

roof, and an open nave emphasizing horizontality, simple lines, and fine proportions.

Indiana limestone was chosen as the structure’s exterior building material because it provided a combination of smooth and rough surfaces resulting in a pleasant mixture of light and shadows.

The interior is highlighted with a dark timbered ceiling that contrasts with the walls and arches of limestone. The use of soft lighting and the absence of bright metals (other than the gold tabernacle) is deliberate in setting the tone for quiet reflection. Flooring under the pews is terrazzo tile while the main aisles are slate.

The sanctuary floor is set off with a pattern of handmade Nemidji tiles. Fr. Suneg wanted the large pillars in the nave because he believed that, “sometimes people want to kneel or stand behind one to pray.�

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Construction Preliminary grading on Lot 69 began as early as 1934. Fr. Suneg ordered the construction company to not use a ditching machine to lay the sewer. He made this decision, he said, “...in order to afford work for more men” during the Depression. Aerial photos from 1937 (seen on page 39) taken of the nascent Omaha University (now University of Nebraska at Omaha) campus across Dodge Street also document how Suneg’s early landscaping plan and boulevard footprint took shape.

followed shortly afterwards in June, and

by September the building began to rise.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December, the United States would enter World War II and then the race would be on to complete the church before materials and labor became impossible to get.

After a dozen years of saving and planning, on May 12, 1941 Suneg signed a $110,666 contract with Parsons Construction Co. to begin work on the new church. Excavation

Letter of Congratulations from Omaha World-Herald publisher Henry Doorly, 1942.

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The cornerstone of St. Margaret Mary’s church.

St. Mary's Omaha (1949)

St Patrick’s, North Platte (1949)

St Ann’s, Vail, Iowa (1950)

The Right Architect

St Philip Neri, Omaha (1953)

Although he now had the land necessary to build a new parish and some preliminary design concepts, Fr. Suneg still needed the right architect to turn his vision into reality.

Architect Leo Daly was a parishioner and the president of his own firm, the Leo A. Daly Co., which operated out of two offices in downtown Omaha. Daly was ambitious and intent on growing his firm’s portfolio, so he took on this project even though churches Leo Daly weren’t his forte or preference. The Depression made any project a good project, and in the end, he must have felt fortunate that he’d gotten the job. After the church was completed, accolades poured in — along with numerous proposals for other churches.

Other churches whose designs were directly influenced by the Suneg / Daly edifice are shown at right.

St Paul’s Lutheran, Wisconsin (1955)

Cloisters on the Platte, Gretna (2018)

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A New Church On June 7, 1942, one week before the dedication Mass, a sacred concert was held in thanksgiving for the completion of the new church.

On June 14, 1942 Archbishop James Hugh Ryan dedicated the new church on Sunday in front of 800 attendees.

Monsignor Edward Hunkeler, pastor of St Cecilia’s Cathedral, celebrated the Mass assisted by the Rev. John O’Donovan of St. Columbans. The church choir was joined by choir members from St. John’s Church and St. Cecilia’s Cathedral to provide the music for the ceremony.

The total cost of the building was approximately $140,000.

Dedication Mass procession with Archbishop Ryan, June 14, 1942.

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West Transept and Marian Altar.

Nave “Nave” is a word derived from the Latin word navis, which means ship.

The nave of a Christian church is the central section where the congregation sits, and calling it a nave suggests the image of Noah’s ark as well as “St. Peter’s barque,” the ship of salvation. It extends from the entryway, or narthex, to the chancel, or sanctuary. Entry to St. Margaret Mary’s narthex is through the copper south doors, which Fr. Suneg personally crafted. Directly above those doors is a Gothic architectural feature — a triangular, decorative area of the outside wall called a “tympanum.”

In 1942 Fr. Suneg and architect Leo A. Daly designed the tympanum to include a carved image of the risen Christ in the center and seraphim on either side. Identical designs can be found at churches on various pilgrimage routes in Europe including at Santa Maria, a French Gothic monastery in Roncesvalles, Spain built in 1132.

Above: Entrance tympanum — Christ the Judge.

Right: Similar tympanum design at Santa Maria monastery, Roncesvalles, Spain (built in AD 1132).

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Design Enhancements St. Margaret Mary’s Anglo-Saxon architectural style includes early English Gothic period details. Consistent with this aesthetic, Fr. Suneg installed six heraldic banners depicting ecclesiastical symbols. Made in Switzerland, the banners were in storage for many years before being rehung in 2019. Imagery on the six banners includes:

A pelican offering its own blood to nourish its young symbolizing Christ sacrificing Himself for man.

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A scepter and orb signifying the authority of Christ’s Church.

A lamb symbolizing Christ, suffering and triumphant.

A deer drinking from a spring indicating piety and longing for God.

A dove representing the descent of the Holy Spirit.

An “M� and crown representing Mary, Our Mother and Queen.

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From left: St. Margaret Mary, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Bernadette, St. Francis, St. John Berchman and St. Anthony.

Statuary The six statues in the sanctuary were designed and carved in Italy by Rambusch of New York. They depict along the west wall Saints Margaret Mary; Ignatius Loyola; and Bernadette, who was canonized in 1933, thirteen years after St. Margaret Mary’s canonization; on the east side are Saints Francis of Assisi; young John Berchmans, patron saint of altar servers; and Anthony of Padua.

The crucifixion scene hanging above the entrance to the chancel, often thought to be Fr. Suneg’s creation, was a gift from the Guild. It, along with the fourteen oak Stations of the Cross, were purchased from E. Hackner Altar Co. of La Crosse, Wisconsin, which is no longer in business.

The large walnut cross and crucifixion scene on the reredos wall above the high altar tabernacle was transported from the original church at 608 N. 50th St. — and embellished with gold leaf and seraphim 70

reliefs by Fr. Suneg. Christ is flanked by His mother Mary and John, “the disciple whom He loved.”

The crucifix hanging on the east wall near Our Lady of Peace Chapel is an Italian masterpiece carved by Otto Comploj, a native of Ortisei, Italy. Crafted from chestnut wood, it won an award at the Art Gallery of Chiusa Val Gardena. It was one of Fr. Suneg’s favorite purchases for the church, and the parish has long used it as the Twelfth Station — Jesus Dies on the Cross — even though the oak Hackner set includes that Station as well.

Outside on the east lawn overlooking the grounds near the front drive off Dodge Street, Fr. Suneg installed the exuberant St. Francis statue titled, “Canticle of the Sun” in 1952. Arturo Tomagnini sculpted the work, and it won the grand prize Gold medal in the Fine Arts Exhibition of Turin, Italy, in 1927.

Above: Crucifix rood scene, donated by the Women’s Guild, 1943.

Below, from left: 12th Station by Otto Comploj, Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Joseph and St. Mary.

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Sanctuary Since the sanctuary was designed and constructed to conform to the style of the Liturgy in 1942, the high altar is the focal point. By the mid-1960s, with the introduction of the new rite after Vatican II, Fr. Suneg introduced the “Versus Populum� altar, a wooden console table he originally acquired for use in the narthex. After months of planning and modifications, the table became the new altar.

Above and right: Versus populum altar.

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The floor in the sanctuary is handmade Nemadji tile from Moose Lake, Minnesota.

The lighter-colored tiles leading up to the tabernacle are intended to draw attention to the Eucharist.

Hanging on the decorative wall behind the high altar are figures of the four evangelists, and above them are the stylized symbols of each. Above the figure of St. Matthew is a representation of a winged young man denoting Jesus’ incarnation, God-madeMan, which Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes; above the figure of St. Mark is a winged lion because his Gospel reveals Christ’s power, royal dignity, and courage, and the reality of His resurrection; above St. Luke is a winged ox because his Gospel emphasizes Christ as sacrificial victim, and oxen were common sacrificial animals; and above St. John is an eagle symbolizing Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and His divine nature as well as John’s soaring, profound Christology.

Left and below: The refurbished tabernacle was dedicated in honor of Donald Schinzel, sacristan at the daily 6:30 a.m.

Mass since 1976.

From left: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John.

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The mural surrounding the rose window depicts prophets of the Old Testament and was painted by Sirio Tonelli in 1952. Not an original work of art, it is a reproduction of the famous John Singer Sargent mural “Frieze of the Prophets” on display in the Boston Public Library.

Amos, Nahum, Ezekiel and Daniel

Zephaniah, Joel, Hosea and Obadiah

Sirio Tonelli, Muralist Sirio Tonelli, born in 1922 in Sarzana, Italy, was an internationally renowned artist and master Byzantine iconographer. He came to the U.S. in 1948 on a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago.

Early in his career he lived in Omaha and worked in Catholic churches. His oil painting of Christ, featured on the front page of the Omaha World-Herald on Christmas Day 1953, launched his career. After that pivotal moment he went on to accomplish many things including: • Founding Tonelli Studios in 1954 and establishing himself in Pietra-santa, Italy, where his work continues under the direction of his son, John Tonelli. In the later 1950s he was awarded the Maltese Cross.

• His mosaics, frescoes, stained glass windows, and designs in marble, bronze and wood grace the interiors of over 100 churches around the U.S.

Zechariah, Micah, Haggai and Malachi

Jonah, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Habakuk

• He was commissioned to design the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Tonelli had many interests beyond art. He was a pilot, a soccer enthusiast, and an opera buff.

He converted to the Orthodox Church in the 1970s, and he passed away on June 3, 2019.

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Stained Glass Windows Charles J. Connick Studios of Boston designed and constructed all the windows except those in the choir loft.

Seven sets of windows adorn the walls of the nave, representing the seven sacraments. Donors for each window are listed.

EAST WINDOWS

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

RECONCILIATION

Mr. and Mrs. George Boland, Thomas S. McShane, Dr. J.G. Vetter

Ralph E. Stover Family, Joan McDevitt, Peter Mehrens Family

WEST WINDOWS

EUCHARIST

CONFIRMATION

BAPTISM

Ziesel Family

Edward J. Svoboda, Edward F. Morearty III, Michael and Mary A Lee

Michael J. Gardiner, James Remmington Smith Family, Watt Family

WINDOWS IN THE CHAPEL OF MARY, OUR LADY OF PEACE

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MATRIMONY

HOLY ORDERS

Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Hanighen Jr. and Family

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Webb

The nine-foot north window incorporates the best features of Gothic architectural design: brilliant colors, symbolic imagery and fine tracery (framework).

The window is dedicated to Our Lady and depicts her as the “Queen of Angels”.

The circumferential windows radiate from the center in multiples of eight. Within the context of God’s seven days of creation, the number eight is meant to represent the theological reality of “eternity”. So, from the moment of the Annunciation, Mary the mother of God bore the Savior from which our eternal salvation became possible.

EASTERN DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH

The east transept windows feature saints who made significant contributions to theology or doctrine:

ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

Bishop of Caesarea (southeastern Turkey); honored by Lutherans, Episcopalians, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholics

Bishop of Constantinople; patron saint of preachers, and orators

Michael Moulton Family, Elizabeth Molseed Family

ST. BASIL THE GREAT

ST. ATHANASIUS

Patron of Russia and of hospital administrators

Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt; patron saint of theologians Mr. and Mrs. T.F. Naughtin

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WESTERN DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH

The west transept windows feature saints who made significant contributions to theology or doctrine:

ST. JEROME

ST. AMBROSE

Patron saint of Biblical scholars, translators, and librarians

Bishop of Milan; patron saint of beekeepers, students, and pets

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Beselin, Mr. and Mrs. Vincent M Washington

ST. AUGUSTINE

POPE ST. GREGORY THE GREAT

Bishop of Hippo; patron saint of theologians, people with eye problems, and brewers

Bishop of Rome; patron of musicians, students, and teachers

Mr. and Mrs. Edward D. McKim

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The twelve windows lining the sides of the sanctuary illustrate the fruits of the Holy Spirit:

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CHALICE AND CROSS

DOVE

MARTYR’S PALMS

Faith

Mildness

Forbearance in suffering

LILY

PITCHER OF WATER

VIOLET

Chastity

Self-control

Modesty

CROWN

LAMB

OX

Goodness

Kindness

Patience

OLIVE BRANCH

BIRDS ON THE WING

FLAMING HEART

Peace

Joy

Charity

The choir loft windows were designed by muralist Sirio Tonelli.

They showcase St. Margaret Mary in the center, St. Ambrose with miter and crozier on the left, St. Jerome holding a Bible on the right and smaller representations of the Twelve Apostles in their midst.

The Choir Loft Ever since our church building was dedicated on June 13, 1942, St Margaret Mary has always featured an organ as its principal liturgical instrument. On Oct. 31, 1941, Fr. Suneg signed a $2,400 purchase agreement for a new organ from Reuter Organ Co. It was a providential decision because by May 1942, due to limitations imposed by the United States government during World War II, the entire pipe organ industry was completely prohibited from manufacturing organs. (Reuter Organ Co. manufactured metal ammunition boxes until the end of the war).

In 1954 Fr. Suneg commissioned Sirio Tonelli to create a choir loft mural depicting the chivalric virtues of hospitality, generosity, mercy, faith, and courtesy — represented through scenes from the legend of King

Tonelli’s choir loft mural, 1954.

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Arthur and his court. Also depicted is the story from Matthew’s Gospel when Christ speaks with the rich young man who wanted to serve God; the spirit of contemplation stands alongside of both.

The Reuter organ served the parish well until it failed in 1989 during the wedding of Don Schinzel’s daughter Denise. Fr. Peter Dunne, St. Margaret Mary’s pastor at the time, hired the Miller Organ Co. to rebuild and expand the organ to 21 ranks, while incorporating some of the original Reuter pipes in the new design. The Tonelli mural was removed during this process to accommodate the new organ pipes.

In 2008, a set of 25 Peterson Cathedral Chimes were added to complete the wonderful instrument used today.

Above: Music Director and Organist Peg Lacy in 2019.

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Music Ministry and Children’s Choir St. Margaret Mary Parish has always been blessed with talented, dedicated musicians. A choir and organist were the primary musicians for the Latin Masses.

With the changes in the liturgy following Vatican II, other instruments such as piano, keyboard, violin, flute and guitar found a place in church music.

The folk songs of Ray Repp and Joe Wise, such as “Shout from the Highest Mountain,” “Sons of God” and “Take Our Bread” filled the churches in the late 1960s and early ’70s. These eventually gave way to the songs written by the St. Louis Jesuits such as “Though the Mountains May Fall,” “City of God” and “Here I Am Lord.” In the 1970s and early ’80s, a vibrant ensemble introduced these new hymns to the parish and made a recording of songs in that style.

Phil Kenny and his long-time singing partner, Margaret Coyle, were essential in helping the parish move forward through these transitions while still retaining a respect for the past in such songs as “Ave Maria,” “Panis Angelicus” and “Pange Lingua.”

Music publishers caught up to what was happening in the churches and began to print hymnals in the 1980s that contained everything from chants, psalms, hymns, songs of the St. Louis Jesuits as well as music from other contemporary composers. These would include Michael Joncas (On Eagle’s Wings, I Have Loved You), Marty Haugen (Shepherd Me O God, Canticle of the Sun) and David Haas (You Are Mine, Blest Are They).

In the last few years, music from other composers have become part of these hymnals, including: Steve Angrisano (Go Make A Difference), Tom Booth (Sacred Silence), Jesse Manibusan (Open My Eyes) and Bernedette Farrell (Christ Be Our Light).

A children’s choir was formed in 1992 in order to teach young children the music of the liturgy and help form them in the faith. The parish continues to have an active adult choir and small ensembles. In addition, there is a women’s group and a men’s group, mothers who sing with their daughters, and fathers who sing with their sons, siblings who sing together, trios, duets and individual cantors. The parish has gracefully moved through one hundred years of song. When gathered to worship God, the St. Margaret Mary Church is filled with music that is “ever ancient and ever new.”

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M U S I C M I N I ST RY

Left: Children’s Choir Director Marilyn Hansen in 2018.

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The Bell Tower and Chapel

“Though not every parish church can look just like Rheims Cathedral, the church deserves effort in that direction.”

Even though the Gothic bell tower is unusually large for a church of this size, St. Margaret Mary’s 112-foot bell tower was part of the original design. Because of the cost, however, it wasn’t built until 1962 when Louise Gross, the widow of Daniel J. Gross, donated the money for its construction in memory of her husband.

Despite her generous gift, there was still some controversy because the entire church had been built for $140,000, and the bell tower’s tab was $200,000. Archbishop Gerald Thomas Bergan dedicated it in 1963.

“The scale of the tower, at over 60% of the width of the nave, and approximately 36 by 36 feet in plan, makes it substantially large,” said Chris Johnson, vice president and

managing principal for Leo A Daly, the Omaha architectural/engineering firm responsible for the design of both the church and the bell tower.

“The functional intent of the main floor of the tower was a cry room, which required the tower footprint to be larger than a typical bell tower. Usually the only functional program of the tower is to raise the bells in the air for better sound transmittance of a call to prayer,” Johnson continued. “The St. Margaret Mary’s bell tower, however, has become an iconic structure in Omaha, built within a beautiful setting of the church, school, and Omaha’s Memorial Park, as well as its significant gesture to the heavens.”

— Fr. Suneg, Feb. 12, 1958

Bell tower dedication with Archbishop Gerald Bergan, Jan. 6, 1963.

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Our Lady of Peace Chapel.

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The Story of the Bells There are four bells in the tower. Two of them were cast by Petit & Fritsen Bellfoundry, located in the Netherlands. Dr. Joseph Pleiss donated the money for them in memory of his wife, Ida M. Pleiss. These two bells — Tone “E” at 3,300 pounds and Tone “F” at 1,910 pounds — are inscribed with this information.

The largest of the four bells, Tone “B flat,” weighs 6,052 pounds and was acquired by Fr. Suneg in 1962 from Immaculate Conception Parish in Leavenworth, Kansas. This McShane Bell Foundry bell was commissioned in 1885 by the first bishop of the Leavenworth Diocese, Louis Mary Fink, O.S.B., as a gift to the recently constructed Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. By 1947 the Leavenworth Diocese had been assumed into the larger Kansas City Diocese, which obviously affected the status of the cathedral in Leavenworth. Following a 1961 fire that destroyed the old cathedral, the parish replaced it with a smaller church lacking space for the large bell.

Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Edward Hunkeler, who had been Fr. Suneg’s classmate at the Josephinum, likely facilitated St. Margaret Mary’s acquisition of the McShane bell shortly thereafter. There is a Latin inscription which translated, reads: “Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, ignite our hearts with love for You. Given as a gift by Ludwig Maria Fink Bishop Leavenworth 1885”.

The fourth and smallest bell at 600 pounds, Tone “B,” was also from the McShane Bell foundry, and cast in 1962.

The Leo A. Daly architecture firm submitted its design for the St. Margaret Mary bell tower in January 1961. It was completed in the spring of 1962 and dedicated on Jan. 5, 1963. The set of four bells was installed in 1965. Midtown residents have enjoyed the daily peal of these bells for over fifty years.

The Chapel itself is dedicated to Mary, Our Lady of Peace. All of its artwork, including the glass tile behind the statue of Mary, came from Fr. Suneg’s personal collection. The chapel was built in memory of William Foxley.

Original bell tower blueprints.

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Adoration Chapel In 2017, through the generosity of anonymous donors, the former baptistery and Seton Library was converted into a secure and intimate Eucharistic adoration chapel, accessible during regular parish hours.

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Care was taken to maintain in the new chapel the Eucharistic ambiance of the nave.

This was done in part by replicating the Eucharistic imagery carved on the pews, and by the exquisite tabernacle and ostensorium.

The “New” School The 30-year-old combo school/church structure at 608 N 50th St. was never intended to be a long-term solution for the parish. With the new church completed and the parish continuing to flourish, Fr. Suneg began fundraising in earnest for the new school on March 27, 1950 by hosting a large gala and fashion show at the Blackstone Hotel.

Once again Fr. Suneg turned to Leo A. Daly to design the school, which he modeled after the Cotswolds, an area in south central England with rolling hills rising from the meadows of the upper Thames. Fr. Suneg insisted that sidewalk placement be determined by the children; paving was delayed until they had worn paths in the grass indicating their preferred routes.

St. Margaret Mary Parish’s new school hosted its first academic year in September of 1951.

After forty years of continuous use, a 2½ year renovation and expansion project began in 1996 with school improvements including mechanical and electrical renovation. The project added an elevator, administrative offices, two computer labs, a new resource library, a music room, a science lab, and made accommodations for handicap accessibility.

Above: The Guild’s Blackstone fashion show fundraiser, 1950.

Right: School auditorium.

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The paths children created in the grass dictated where the sidewalks were poured, 1952.

ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY S C H O O L

In 2007 a geothermal heating and air conditioning system, plus new thermal paned windows were added to the school building to improve energy efficiency.

During the summer of 2018, the front school offices were renovated to make a dedicated space for an assistant principal.

Fr. Suneg’s hand-carved woodwork from the front lobby area was meticulously saved and replaced on the new walls. Framed collaborative works created by St. Margaret Mary seventh- and eighth-graders, depicting Mary, Jesus, and the Sacred Heart, adorn the walls.

Over the 2018 summer, the former 96

apartment space on the 2nd level (which originally provided housing for nuns who taught at the school) was transformed into an art room. Students of all grades enjoy the new space which offers natural light from the east and the west for their art class every week.

In 2019 St. Margaret Mary is one of 28 elementary metropolitan schools of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, serving the needs of 535 students from its location in the central part of the city. It is the mission of St. Margaret Mary School to form young people in faith, conscience, scholarship, and service in the Catholic tradition.

ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY S C H O O L

ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY S C H O O L

The Catholic faith is paramount in our school day. Religion is taught and incorporated into all subjects. The Church’s position on the sanctity of human life, social justice, human sexuality, chastity, and other such issues are taught in an age-appropriate way in the school, both through direct instruction and when such topics arise.

for their first Confession and first Communion and for Confirmation.

Day school students and religious education students and their families celebrate these momentous occasions together. Children being home schooled may also celebrate with the parish group or they may have a more individualized ceremony.

The associate pastor regularly visits the classrooms. By engaging with the students, by offering instruction and guidance, and simply by being present he strengthens their knowledge and Catholic identity.

Students, parents, and the DRE all work together to ensure that this crucial Sacramental preparation touches both mind and heart. First Reconciliation and first Communion are received in the second grade; preparation for Confirmation begins in seventh grade and is received the next year.

Under the leadership of the Director of Religious Education (DRE), the classroom teachers help parents prepare their children 98

ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY S C H O O L

Reception of the Eucharist and Reconciliation are regularly available to students throughout the school year.

Time dedicated to these sacraments is essential to the religious mission of the school.

As St. Margaret Mary enters its second century of education, the school takes seriously the charge of producing students who will be equipped to work and live in a global society that will demand much from them. They will need to be members of the Body of Christ who are spiritually, emotionally, morally, intellectually, physically, socially and technologically equipped to live their lives based on Gospel values and the Catholic faith.

ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY S C H O O L

Below: The 50th anniversary and restoration of the Dodge Street Overpass, Sept. 21, 2017.

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ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY S C H O O L

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ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY S C H O O L

Principals 1921-1924 Sister Mary Delores Brennan 1924-1927 Sister Mary Elizabeth Howley 1927-1936 Sister Mary Beatrice Larken 1936-1938 Sister Mary Fides Mahoney 1938-1943 Sister Mary Callista Takes 1943-1958 Sister Jean Marie Ward 1958-1964 Sister Mary Terecita Carley (Sister Helen) 1964-1966 Sister Jacinta Burkhardt (Sister Mary Ann) 1966-1968 Sister Mary Yvonne Kopp 1968-1970 Sister David Marie de Bock 1970-1973 Sister Mary Sharon Ekler 1973-1981 Sister Mary Helen Carley 1981-1984 Sister Carolyn Coffey 1984-1992 Mr. Kevin Ingemansen 1992-1998 Mr. James Andrews 1998-2018 Mrs. Peggy Grennan 2018-Present Mrs. Maureen Berg

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Children on playground in 1931.

Athletics The St. Margaret Mary athletic program has provided thousands of students and families an opportunity to develop friendships and skills. In the early days at the old school, organized sports teams were not widespread.

Athletic participation often consisted of lunch hour ballgames with a thick red round 8 to 12 inch ball.

School football team, 1952.

According to 1953 graduate Dr. Leo McCarthy, “The ‘batter’ hit the ball underhanded with his fist, usually out to California Street, then ran around the bases to get home, like baseball.”

As many kids played that could. “You would only get to ‘bat’ if you had caught the ball on the fly or threw the runner out between bases. Enjoyable and fun to watch.”

Over time, as children’s sports became more organized, St. Margaret Mary Parish wanted to provide enjoyable sporting activities to all students, both elite athletes and children who wished to play at a noncompetitive level. This has translated into a high participation rate for kids in grades three through eight in the more family-friendly PAL and CYO leagues in football and baseball for boys, volleyball for girls, and basketball, track and soccer for both boys and girls.

Parish sports operated under the direction of Athletic Director Dennis “Denny” Mailliard from 1972 to 2019. Coach Mailliard served as head coach of the eighth grade boys’ football and basketball teams during the entirety of his 47 years at St. Margaret Mary, and some years he was also head coach of the school baseball and track teams. St. Margaret Mary teams won more than 100 PAL and CYO championships during Coach Mailliard’s tenure, and many of the athletes went on to play at higher

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levels including Division I football, basketball, and NFL football. Rather than focusing on wins and losses, though, Coach Mailliard formed an Athletic Committee comprised of parishioners dedicated to advancing the principles of hard work and self-improvement.

For many years indoor games and tournaments took place in the “undersized� school gym. In 1998 the newly-constructed Raynor Center provided one of the finest indoor facilities for PAL and CYO events in Omaha. St. Margaret Mary became known as the home of the end-of-season eighth grade boys basketball tournament, drawing more than 20 teams annually.

Above: 1974 SMM cheerleaders. Below: Eighth-grade boys basketball team in 1998.

ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY AT H L ET I C S

Right: Fourth-grade girls volleyball in 2018.

Below: Last school football team, 2018.

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Above: Girls soccer in 2016.

Left: Girls basketball in 2019.

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Fr. Suneg’s Later Years His humility came to the fore again when Fr. Suneg was elevated to a “Domestic Prelate” in 1957 and received the title of Monsignor. He preferred that people continue to call him Father, which was fitting since he was a true spiritual father to all. His modest ways and tireless spirit inspired those whose lives he touched.

In 1969 he retired to Marianna — his wooded retreat of 160 acres near Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska. He decided he would share his property with other retired priests throughout the country and invited interested priests to build homes there.

Fr. Suneg’s 40th anniversary of ordination, 1963.

Below: Fr. Suneg at Marianna in 1973.

During his tenure as pastor of St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Joseph Suneg had devoted many years of service to the building board of the Omaha Archdiocese. After 46 years of pastoral responsibilities, he continued to labor on behalf of the priests of the Archdiocese of Omaha.

Less than one year before his death, during a June 1988 interview looking back on his long and fruitful priesthood, Fr. Suneg remarked, “The sacrifice of the Mass is the biggest thing in my life. There is nothing else to take its place.�

Above: Fr. Suneg and Fr. Andrew Meister at Marianna, 1987.

Top: Fr. Suneg in 1973.

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The Rev. Robert Garvey 1969-1972

The Rev. Robert Garvey became the third pastor of St. Margaret Mary in 1969, following the retirement of Fr. Suneg. He received his education at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis as well as the Gregorian University in Rome. Fr. Garvey was the first St. Margaret Mary parishioner to become a priest.

Ordained on May 23, 1942 he celebrated his first Mass at the Chapel of Mary Immaculate at Boys Town. During his priestly career Fr. Garvey served in a variety of special positions including the Archdiocesan Director of the Legion of Mary and chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission on the Liturgy. He was a regular guest on “Radio Church,” an ecumenical program broadcast on WOWRadio, and he was an ardent promoter of perpetual adoration. He served as founding pastor of St. Mary Parish in Bellevue for 20 years before coming to St. Margaret Mary.

Fr. Garvey at St. Mary’s in Bellevue, 1950s.

Fr. Garvey had a “tough act to follow.” Fr. Joseph Suneg was beloved and respected

by all, and had led the parish for nearly half a century. Being his successor would have presented challenges for any priest at any time, but the late 1960s and early 1970s added to the complexity of the situation.

In 1969, the Catholic Church was still processing Vatican II, which had ended only four years earlier. As in many parishes, the upheaval caused much pain and division at St. Margaret Mary. Was the new pastor changing things to suit himself, or were these changes actually mandated by Rome?

Confusion and misunderstanding were common in every parish, and the situation could only be exacerbated by throwing a new pastor into the mix.

While his tenure at St. Margaret Mary was brief, Fr. Garvey is credited with starting the popular and longstanding tradition of serving luncheons after funerals. Prior to his appointment here, friends would deliver food to the family of the bereaved, but

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Fr. Garvey was concerned about those who did not have such a network of friends.

As time went on, these modest gatherings became more substantial, largely due to the dedication of the Guild members involved.

Fr. Garvey was also instrumental in establishing Perpetual Adoration here as he had done at his former assignment.

The bell tower chapel became the adoration chapel, and through his encouragement and support, and the work of the Legion of Mary, at least two parishioners were praying in front of the Holy Eucharist every hour of every day for as long as Fr. Garvey was pastor.

The next pastor, Fr. Peter Dunne, continued to heartily support the effort, which succeeded for the duration of his tenure.

In 1972, Fr. Garvey transferred to St. Francis Borgia parish in Blair, Nebraska. Shortly after the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in January 1973, Fr. Garvey joined

Above: Frs. Dunne and Garvey attend an audience with Pope Pius XII, 1958.

Left: Fr. Garvey at the pulpit, 1970.

many other clergy in speaking out publicly against the ruling. He continued his dedicated service to the Church at several other parishes in the archdiocese until his untimely death on June 30, 1984 at the age of 68.

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The Rev. Peter Dunne 1972-1989

The Rev. Peter Dunne became the fourth pastor of St. Margaret Mary in 1972.

Ordained in 1944, his first assignment had been at Boys Town, where he stayed until 1958. After that he pastored at a variety of rural Nebraska parishes in the Omaha Archdiocese — in Dixon, Pierce, Norfolk, and O’Neill — eventually moving to St. Margaret Mary. “When he got here,” a long-time parishioner recalled, “he just loved us until we healed. Then he began to challenge us with the Gospel; but the first year and a half or so, he just loved us.”

During his 17 years at St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Dunne’s joy and faithfulness were

palpable. He was a dynamic preacher and widely known for his involvement in the Charismatic Renewal movement. He was also attracted to the Pro Sanctity Movement with its emphasis on “maximalism” rather than the lukewarm minimalism exhibited by so many Christians. Fr. Dunne himself was wholehearted about his faith, so it was natural that he would want to bring maximalism to the parish he loved so much.

In 1974 he brought the Apostolic Oblates and the Pro Sanctity Movement to the parish to help re-ignite and invigorate the faith. In later years Fr. Dunne would often say that he had been “in desperate need of help” for

the parish, and that the Oblates were the perfect solution. The means to bring them here, though, were non-existent. Fr. Dunne turned to prayer, and divine Providence intervened. Before long Fr. Dunne called the Oblates in California and said he had just received a large donation from a few parishioners who told him not to use the money for the parish directly but for whatever he wanted. He wanted to bring the Oblates here.

“The Oblates were there when I needed them,” Fr. Dunne later remarked. “[Their] basic charism is what we needed — stabilizing, energizing — the true faith lived! There was a ‘simulated Christianity’ in many groups…” but it was authentic with the Oblates. They played pivotal roles in the faith formation of the parish throughout his tenure as pastor.

In 1982 he personally recruited the Rev. William Whelan to be his associate pastor, saying he wanted the holiest priest in the archdiocese at the helm with him. Fr. Whelan served for six years, and it was a time many people regard as the parish’s “Golden Era.” Fr. Dunne was a regular voice on KVSS Catholic Radio, the station he helped found.

He was a faithful confessor, a counselor to fellow priests, and a resource for first-person history of his mentor, Boys Town’s Father Flanagan. He also was a cancer survivor, having beaten colon cancer a dozen years before his death.

Other career highlights include: • Board member of Roncalli Catholic High School • Director of the Archdiocesan Cursillo movement

Founder’s Day It was a nostalgic evening in 1984 as St. Margaret Mary parishioners gathered for their first annual Founders’ Day Dinner at the Mutual of Omaha Dome. It was a time of looking back at a productive past, counting the blessings of the present, and planning for the future. Honored at the dinner were the retired pastor who built the parish church in the early 1940s, Monsignor Joseph Suneg, and then-current pastor, the Rev. Peter Dunne. The evening marked the 65th Anniversary of the founding of the parish, the 65th birthday of Fr. Dunne, and the 64th anniversary of the canonization of the parish patron, St. Margaret Mary.

Today the annual event continues to draw large gatherings of parishioners for fun and fellowship.

• Pro-Synodal Judge for the Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal • Spiritual guide on innumerable pilgrimages throughout the world • Consecrated priest in the Institute of the Apostolic Sodales; Leader of a local Cenacle for brother priests.

2017 Founder's Day

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Fr. Dunne waits for the Archdiocese of Omaha Eucharistic Congress Mass to start at the Civic Auditorium in 2003.

In 1989 at age 70, Fr. Dunne “retired” to Boys Town, although he kept working at KVSS; remained active in the Pro Life cause; maintained his active association with the Apostolic Sodales and the Pro Sanctity Movement; became a trusted and invaluable assistant at Boys Town, interviewing and helping orient new students; and continued to fully live his priestly vocation at Dowd Chapel. In 1995 he was honored with the title “monsignor.”

During an interview Fr. Dunne once reflected, “My most urgent task (as pastor) is to bolster the spiritual development of the parish, to nurture vitalization through growth of the people...building the body of Christ.”

In 2005 Boys Town hosted a special dinner honoring Fr. Dunne on the 60th anniversary of his ordination. He said, “Sometimes

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people ask me if I’m not sorry I didn’t marry and have a family.” With a sweep of his arm indicating the giant crowd in front of him, he joyfully asserted, “Here’s my family!

You can’t beat this!” A year before his death, at the age of 96, he celebrated his 70th anniversary at a Mass at Christ the King Church; it was standing-room-only.

After retirement he often remarked that a parishioner from St. Margaret Mary was the “best friend [he’d] ever had.” “When I got to know him, I said to myself, ‘Pete, that man doesn’t have the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders like you do, yet he’s way ahead of you on the path to holiness.’ Trying to catch up with him made me the priest I am today.” Humble, kind, consciously striving for sanctity, Fr. Dunne also left his indelible mark on the parish.

The Rev. Robert “Bob” J. Smith 1989-1994

The Rev. Robert “Bob” J. Smith followed as the fifth pastor of St. Margaret Mary in 1989. He was born on a farm north of Elgin, Nebraska, on Christmas day 1929. Growing up he wanted to be either a cowboy or a priest. Fr. Smith completed minor seminary and four years of philosophy in 1951 at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Conception, Missouri. He was ordained by Archbishop Bergan on May 21, 1955.

Fr. Smith’s first two assignments were at St. Ludger in Creighton, Nebraska, and Our Lady of Lourdes in Omaha. Then in 1964, to help the Diocese evangelize in Latin America, he served at St. Cecilia Parish in Talcahuano, Chile, an experience that affected him deeply.

Upon his return to Omaha, he continued his

priestly assignments in Albion, Nebraska, and then at Omaha’s Holy Angels until its closing in 1979. Next was St. Richard Parish in north Omaha. When Fr. Smith became the pastor of St. Margaret Mary parish he, like Fr. Garvey, had a “tough act to follow.”

While he found the parish to be welcoming and generous, Fr. Smith requested a transfer in 1994 to St. John’s in Valley, Nebraska, — stating his age and personality were more suited to a small, rural parish.

His parting advice to St. Margaret Mary parishioners is timeless — “Please accept the new pastor with open arms... He will be a good person who has dedicated his life to God and to serve God’s family, you…

Show him that you love him for who he is, one who brings God to you in a special way.”

New lights illuminate the bell tower July 9, 1989 thanks to a generous donation.

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The Rev. Melvin Merwald 1994-2006

The Rev. Melvin Merwald succeeded Fr. Smith to become the sixth pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish from 1994 to 2006. He attended St. John Seminary and Mount St. Bernard College and Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, as well as Creighton University. He was ordained in 1971.

Fr. Merwald’s many talents included finances and operational management. He served as executive director of Catholic Charities in Omaha from 1982 to 1990. Other priestly assignments included St. Thomas More, St. Bernard, and St. James parishes, all in Omaha; St. Bonaventure Parish in Columbus, Nebraska; and Sacred Heart Parish in Norfolk.

In 1995 Fr. Merwald initiated the Cycle of Life Campaign as an opportunity to identify areas of parish concern and create a plan of action. The consensus at that time was that we needed to address the inadequacy of the school gymnasium and other school facilities, the lack of meeting space, and parking and traffic issues. The school building, constructed in 1951 and expanded in both 1953 and 1957, required upgrading to add computer classrooms, a new science lab, and an expanded library. An elevator was also needed to assist those with physical disabilities. Following a coordinated parish-wide funding campaign, in 1996 the school updates were completed.

In 1997 construction began on the new building attached to the church. It serves as a parish center with a regulation-sized gymnasium equipped with a concession stand, seating for spectators, and a kitchen, all on the lower level. On the church level are parish offices, a new foyer, an accessible bathroom, and meeting space. The new parish center was dedicated in memory of Dennis Raynor, the architect whose untimely death occurred shortly before its completion.

Despite his reputation as an astute businessman, Fr. Merwald had a fun sense of humor and a love for jokes and good stories. He was also filled with compassion, especially for the bereaved.

Fr. Merwald reads a blessing before construction of the Raynor Center.

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“As I made visits to parishioners who had suffered the loss of a loved one, I heard over and over again how faithful he was in visiting people in all stages of their illnesses from diagnosis to death, and what a tremendous support he had been to their family in such trying and agonizing times,” commented parishioner Barb Baxter.

The Raynor Center in 2019.

Director of social services for the Catholic Diocese in Kiyinda-Mityana, Uganda, and a longtime friend, the Rev. Michael Mukasa reflected on Merwald’s impact. “I got the opportunity to meet Fr. Mel in 1995.

Monsignor Blase Cupich (now Cardinal Cupich) who was our rector at the Pontifical College Josephinum saw it fitting that as a new deacon preparing to become a priest, I needed a little bit of pastoral experience other than working with the kids at Boys Town. So he made a phone call to his friend, Fr. Mel, telling him that he should allow me to serve as a deacon at St. Margaret Mary. One lesson Fr. Mel taught me was that we are pastors of all the people in the parish, and we will continue to be that come rain or come shine. Boy, was that a wonderful lesson.”

Fr. Merwald left St. Margaret Mary in 2006 because of health issues that defied diagnosis. Unable to find an answer here, he took a medical leave from St. Margaret Mary and went to California hoping to at least learn what the problem was. Eventually he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and began therapy in Omaha. With high hopes Fr. Merwald took the reins at St. Wenceslaus, but he continued to deteriorate until he had to retire in 2010. Even after he retired and had trouble walking, families still asked him to conduct the funerals of loved ones because they found him to be truly consoling. In 2012 he entered hospice and died on March 26. He was 66 years old.

Fr. Michael Mukasa

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Uganda Outreach As a young and newly-ordained deacon working at a summer job at Boys Town, Ugandan seminarian Michael Mukasa was introduced to Fr. Merwald in 1995. Their friendship flourished, and even after Mukasa returned to Uganda, he visited Omaha every summer to be with Fr. Merwald and to maintain the many strong relationships he had established in Omaha.

In 2002 parishioners Len and Rita Higgins were inspired by the Holy Spirit to establish the “Father Mike Mukasa Education Fund,� which is supported solely by the generous contributions of parishioners.

The mission of the fund is to support the

academic and spiritual development of young Ugandans so they can develop into responsible, holy individuals. A committee distributes funds to select students who demonstrate the willingness and ability to fulfill the educational requirements of their particular course of study. It is a unique program since students are supported financially and spiritually from grade school through college or other post-high school training.

Fr. Mukasa visits Omaha regularly to keep everyone up-to-date, and several parishioners frequently go to Uganda to visit him and the children. Sponsors and students correspond with, pray for, and encourage one another.

Above: St. John Bosco students in Uganda, 2019.

Left: Fr. Michael Mukasa, center, with two seminary students.

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The Rev. Gregory Baxter 2006-present

The Rev. Gregory Baxter, St. Margaret Mary’s seventh pastor, was born in Omaha and grew up in St. Cecilia Cathedral Parish where he attended grade school and high school. After graduating from Creighton University, he entered the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he received a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Theology from the College of St. Thomas.

After being ordained by Archbishop Daniel Sheehan in 1988, Fr. Baxter served as associate pastor of St. Mary Parish in West Point, Nebraska, followed by an assignment as the associate pastor of St. Cecilia Cathedral. Fr. Baxter’s first pastorate was at St. Wenceslaus Parish in Verdigre, Nebraska, along with the mission of St. William in Niobrara. He then went on to Rome where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontificia Università San Tommaso d’Aquino in Urbe, also known as the Angelicum.

Following his return from Rome, Fr. Baxter served the Archdiocese as vocation director followed by an appointment as Chancellor of the Archdiocese and Moderator of the Curia.

In 2006 Fr. Baxter was named the seventh pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish following Fr. Merwald. His early years as pastor were quite busy as he continued his work in the Chancery until 2010. After his initial years of observation and engagement in the pastoral life at his new assignment, Fr. Baxter and the Parish Council began to make plans for the parish’s future pastoral needs. A two-year study was initiated involving the Council and 80 parishioners serving on five committees. The study was completed in May 2014 with the publication of a five-year pastoral plan that was intended to guide the parish for the final five years of its first century. The parish began implementing the plan that same month.

In addition to tending to the spiritual needs of his flock, Fr. Baxter’s years as pastor saw improvements to the infrastructure of the parish with the installation of a 110 well geothermal heating and cooling system for the parish plant; a new slate roof for the church; the addition of a Eucharistic Chapel; and a capital campaign that increased the parish and school endowment from $2 million to $6 million dollars.

Fr. Baxter with members of the Hauser family in 2019.

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In 2019 he oversaw the addition of 2 acres to the parish campus with the purchase of the former Archdiocesan Chancery building and Archbishop’s residence on the west side of 62nd Street. This was the first addition to the parish property since the late 1940s, when Fr. Suneg acquired additional property east of Fairacres Lot 69 for the construction of the new school building.

Fr. Baxter’s kindly demeanor put parishioners of all ages at ease, but especially the children. “He’s very good with families, and he understands children,” one young parishioner recently observed. His parishioners say they experience Jesus’ mercy through the sensitivity and guidance that he offers in the sacrament of Confession.

In addition to being a trusted confessor, Fr. Baxter has a gift for preaching. His homilies address the real world and real questions that his parishioners face in their daily lives.

Several years ago when the Vatican mandated changes to the Roman Missal, Fr. Baxter proactively began a parish-wide catechesis on the changes and other related issues many months in advance. Like a loving father, he’s made difficult decisions when the good of the parish demanded them.

Being kind and humble has not stopped him from being strong and steadfast.

When Francis Cardinal Arinze of Nigeria visited Omaha, Fr. Baxter welcomed him with open arms and put the parish resources at his disposal. A year later as the Cardinal reflected on his time here, he remarked that he was especially impressed by two people from Omaha — the Apostolic Oblate Franca Salvo and Father Greg Baxter.

The Dendinger family intermittently cares for a fifty-year-old woman with profound mental handicaps and some physical disabilities as well. “The first time we brought her to Mass, Fr. Baxter made a point of coming over to her to introduce himself and welcome her,” said Anna Dendinger. “Subsequent Sundays when she’s been with us, he’s always made an effort to talk to her rather than ignoring her and us.” Fr. Baxter lives his faith and leads by example.

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Nikki Boulay Cripe and Margy Smith provide vocal accompaniment, 2018.

Guilds and Circles The St. Margaret Mary Ladies Guild has been ministering to the parish and community since the 1920s. The goals of the Guild are to foster a spirit of Christian fellowship among its members and to work for the material needs of the parish.

The Ladies Guild holds service, social, and spiritual events for its members as well, building a strong bond among its members and strengthening their faith.

Krista Anderson gives her witness at the Guild Women’s Adoration, 2018.

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During the early years, the Guild raised money to help get the new parish on its feet. By 1938 the Guild took on its present system of Circles. Today ten circles provide something for everyone. Circles provide social activities as well as helping with a variety of ministries including the Pro-Life Committee, the Funeral Courtesy, Operation Concern, The Marthas, and the Veronicas.

Left: Past President’s Tea. Below: St. Margaret Mary Grand Slam, 1971.

ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY G U I L D

Presidents 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937

1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961

Mrs. Pauline White Mrs. Frances Schmitz Mrs. Ray Corby Mrs. J. Sidney Schall Mrs. George Bohman Mrs. T. J. Schleir Mrs. Cella Wachter and Mrs. Gertrude Adams Mrs. Richard Bartmettler Mrs. Winifred Cassem Mrs. Maurice Howard Mrs. John Jamieson Mrs. Charles Seitz Mrs. Madge Walsh Mrs. Ted Emerson Mrs. Paul Burke Mrs. Ambrose Seitz Mrs. Betty Sheehan Mrs. Natalie Brown Mrs. Mabel Fraser Mrs. Estelle English Mrs. John Hirons Mrs. Ruth Schutz Mrs. Ione Markel Mrs. Esther Stryker Mrs. Clarence Kirkland Mrs. Arthur Storm Mrs. W. D. Eck Mrs. Ed C. Whelan Mrs. T. T. Smith Mrs. Mary Cavel Mrs. Sheila Brownrigg

Women’s Guild past presidents, 2019.

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1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Mrs. Catherine Kirchner Mrs. Marie Johnson Mrs. Toni Bogard Mrs. Irene Laier, Jr. Mrs. Jan Cleary Mrs. Mary Grier Mrs. Peggy Borghoff Mrs. Marylois Skochdopole Mrs. Helen Johnson Mrs. Jane Strattan Sketch Mrs. Madeleine Begley Mrs. Renee O’Brien Mrs. Grace Rehmann Mrs. Arlene Schlader Mrs. Rita Higgins Mrs. Pat Allen Mrs. Jeanne Salerno Mrs. Lynn Uhl Mrs. Linda Knox Mrs. Mary JoyAnderson Mrs. Rosalie Stormberg Mrs. Joan Belitz Mrs. Fran Bushey Mrs. Mary Ellen O’Connell Mrs. Joan Hills Mrs. Barbara Johnson Mrs. Harriet Mullin Mrs. Carole Sopcich Mrs. Karen Rozmarin Mrs. Patty Neppl Mrs. Therese Rudersdorf Mrs. Linda Stryker Mrs. Joani Mullin Ms. Lisa Finocchiaro Mrs. Mary Beth Sullivan Mrs. Barb Mattia Mrs. Marianne Holland Mrs. Amy Rouse Mrs. Cathy Bosiljevac Mrs. Mary Pat Paul Mrs. Mari Rensch Mrs. Nene De Roos Mrs. Jennifer Varner Mrs. Marcia Jones Mrs. Mary Rommelfanger Mrs. Julie Kenney Mrs. Jen Bettger Ms. Marjie Ducey Mrs. Chris Flaxbeard Mrs. Cathy Hausman Mrs. Maureen Mayer Dr. Ann Marie Bausch Mrs. Jennifer Manhart Mrs. Lisa Hobday Mrs. Anne Specht Mrs. Megan Filipi Mrs. Cindy Tooher Mrs. Amy Roland Mrs. Krista Anderson

Legion of Mary The Legion of Mary is a lay apostolate of millions of Catholic men and women worldwide. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, in 1921 by Servant of God Frank Duff, and was established at St. Margaret Mary Parish in 1955.

Through a balanced program of prayer, sacraments, and the Spiritual Works of Mercy, members are engaged in the mission of evangelization — bringing Christ to people and people to Christ.

The spirituality of the Legion of Mary is based on St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s “Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.”

“When I joined the group in 1989, the Legion of Mary was headed by Winton R. Redding and his wife Dorothy,” said Daphne Patil, long-time parishioner. “They were devoted pioneers who inspired four different Legion groups including a Korean one. Our pastor was the Rev. Peter Dunne, who ‘sent’ us disciples to be his heart and his hands, participating in the life of the parish by going door-to-door throughout the parish boundaries visiting every family, Catholic or not. We brought Holy Communion to the sick in their homes, hospitals or nursing homes, and we performed other works of mercy.”

They still do.

• Serving on the funeral committee, the Women’s Guild, and the prayer shawl ministry.

They’ve tried new forms of ministry as well, piloting the parish’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, which is a Montessoribased approach to religious formation for children ages 3 to 6. In 2012 they formed a junior Legion of Mary group for children ages 10 to 18 years of age under the title Mary, Star of Evangelization. The group meets during the school year and is led by high school senior members.

“Our vision for the next 100 years is that the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as revealed to St. Margaret Mary, will reign forever in our hearts and homes,” continued Daphne.

The goal is simple: be instrumental in a community that’s “fully alive in the Sacred Heart of the Risen Christ.”

Today, both active and auxiliary members — who provide prayer support — bring Christ to people and people to Christ in numerous ways: • Coordinating adoration in St. Margaret Mary Eucharistic Chapel • Praying the rosary and the Divine Office • Distributing religious literature, scapulars, miraculous medals and other sacramentals • Sponsoring people going through the RCIA program • Participating in pro-life activities • Promoting priestly vocations 125

Knights of Columbus Above: Tom Gouttierre promotes soccer through the Nebraska National Guard stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2005. Below: Pasta dinner fundraiser.

The Knights of Columbus Chapter 652 at St. Margaret Mary is a Catholic men’s fraternal organization bound by faith and committed to charity. It formed at the parish level in the late 1990s. Group membership now exceeds 100 men.

— all centered around the core principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.

Over the years St. Margaret Mary Knights have promoted and conducted educational, charitable, religious and social welfare works

• Parish pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners

The Knights host and sponsor a number of activities to raise money and support the larger community:

• An annual family picnic • An annual free throw contest • A soccer challenge for kids • Selling religious-themed Christmas cards to keep Christ the focus of the season • Selling Tootsie Rolls to support Pro Life initiatives In addition to supporting the community and various charities, St. Margaret Mary Knights provide financial assistance for the grade school and parish. They award one eighthgrade student a scholarship every year, and they support priests and seminarians from the Omaha Archdiocese.

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Men’s Club The Men’s Club formed in 1953 in conjunction with The Holy Name Society, which promoted respect for God’s sacred name. The purpose of the club at its foundation was to broaden men’s social activities — hosting entertainment, speakers, and more. Meetings were held on the second Tuesday of the month and dues were $2.00. A parish-wide community of sons, brothers, husbands and fathers, today this diverse group strives to live out what it means to be Catholic in today’s secular world. The goal of the Men’s Club is to support its members through friendship and prayer. Monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month.

Trivia Night, 2019.

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Parish Nurses Volunteer parish nurses have assisted St. Margaret Mary Parish for many years, caring for the needs of the sick and promoting health and wellness.

Currently parish nursing assists with monthly blood pressure checks on Donut Sunday and staffing the first aid station during the September Fall Festival. They make home visits to ailing parishioners when they realize they are needed or when someone requests help. “When my Dad, Win Redding, heard that the parish nurses were coming to his home to see how he was, his face lit up with joy,” said his daughter Rita. “He hadn’t been able to get to church for a couple of months, and he felt cut off from everyone. Their attention to him reminded him that he truly had a parish family who hadn’t forgotten him.”

Prayer Shawl Ministry The Prayer Shawl Ministry began in 2009 as an offshoot of Parish Nursing. At home or during their monthly meetings, members crochet or knit shawls for those in need of comfort and prayers in times of illness or stress. Prayer shawls are blessed at the end of a specific Mass and distributed by the Prayer Shawl Ministry team at no charge.

The ministry was so well received that it grew beyond the parish boundaries and beyond shawls. Handmade shawls are now provided to homeless women on retreat through the Ignatian Spirituality Program at Creighton University, and to military personnel at the Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day Masses. The parish Bereavement Committee gifts shawls to those grieving a loss. Hats and scarves are made for the Advent Tree, and baby hats and blankets are made for Fr. Vincent Sunguti’s village hospital in Kenya.

Lucretia Danielson administers monthly blood pressure checks.

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Apostolic Oblates and Pro Sanctity When the Apostolic Oblates and the Pro Sanctity Movement came to Omaha and St. Margaret Mary Parish in 1974, “I needed the Oblates’ support,” Fr. Dunne later said. “We began to develop what the Lord wanted — one mind and one heart.”

Pro Sanctity’s mission is to help ordinary people become saints through their ordinary circumstances in a family-friendly way. The movement aims to feed the mind with knowledge of God, warm the heart with a deep, meaningful spirituality and prayer life, and spur the hands to serve the Lord’s people. Their hallmark is maximalism — responding to God’s infinite love wholeheartedly. Their motto is: All saints!

All brothers and sisters!

Respect Life Ministry The goal of the Respect Life Ministry is to promote respect for human life throughout the parish and greater community through prayer, education, and action. St. Margaret Mary participates in local pro-life events such as the annual Life Chain, the 40 Days for Life prayer campaigns each fall and spring, and the National Night of Prayer for Life. The ministry also educates parishioners on legislative action that concerns life issues and sponsors events such as talks, movie screenings, and book discussions.

Until 2019 the Apostolic Oblates themselves have been members of the parish, but because of the shifting needs of the Institute itself, all the Nebraska-based Oblates have moved to their Elkhorn residence, which is called a Bethany.

Nevertheless their presence and the presence of the Pro Sanctity Movement will continue at St. Margaret Mary.

Apostolic Oblate Palmira Tafani and Fr. Dunne.

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New nativity scene, 2018.

Liturgical Environment Committee Environment has always been important at St. Margaret Mary, literally and figuratively, and the Liturgical Environment Committee is responsible for upholding this tradition and standards inside the church.

The committee’s basic assignment is to provide a suitable environment in the

church for liturgies and other prayer services. Through the use of flowers, drapery, color, candles, and more, the sacred space of our church is beautified in a manner designed to draw people more deeply into their relationship with God and more deeply into their relationship with their fellow-worshipers. Rather than being a distraction, every enhancement is meant to help the congregation worship God. The Church’s liturgical colors set the tone.

The priest’s vestments, for example, during Ordinary Time are green; purple during the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent; white for Christmas, Easter, and many other solemnities; red for Palm Sunday, Pentecost, and the feasts of Martyrs.

Fresh greens, flowers, and branches are arranged by professional floral designers, but parishioners do the heavy and sometimes intricate labor inside the church.

It is a hidden but crucial service requiring much time, dedication, and skill.

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Many different touches aid our worship on special days and celebrations. For example: • St. Margaret Mary’s statue is draped and her heart is encircled with a rose wreath on her feast day.

• The statues of the saints are draped in white stoles for All Saints Day. • In November the Book of the Dead is set on a side altar, which is also graced with candles in honor of each parishioner who passed away the preceding year.

Highlights of St. Margaret Mary’s liturgical environment include the large 6 foot hanging Advent wreath filled with fresh greens and refreshed before Christmas; and the crèche, unveiled on Christmas Eve, which now features 27-inch Fontanini figures in front of a starry background enhanced with greenery. Until recently a more elaborate

and fascinating manger scene with a multitude of figurines was used for many years. It was an Italian custom brought by the Apostolic Oblates when they first arrived at our parish.

Paul and Mary Stultz.

Denise Robb, Nancy Lund and Sheila Fitzgerald prepare the Advent wreath, 2018.

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Gardens and Grounds Committee

Right: Bronze statue in the prayer garden.

Below: School butterfly garden in 2019.

St. Margaret Mary’s gardens and grounds are also maintained in a manner consistent with Fr. Joseph Suneg’s legacy. The committee plants and maintains all gardens on the grounds, pruning and shaping the trees and bushes to maintain the original appearance and preserve the landscaping vision of Fr. Suneg. Annual spring and autumn clean-up events are a fun tradition that bring parishioners together, strengthening not only our sense of community but also our sense of responsibility for our parish.

Senior Saints

Volunteers Amy Peyton, Katie Drelicharz, Jeana Slagle, Regina Boulay, Jamie Manley and Priya Hoffman.

One of a parish’s defining characteristics is its treatment of its elder members.

At St. Margaret Mary we make a point of providing our seniors with a place to nourish their bodies and spirits because we want them to know they are important and valued. Lunch is provided six times a year, encouraging fellowship among our “senior saints” while they enjoy good food, entertainment, and a spiritual boost. This is another initiative started by the Apostolic Oblates when they came to our parish.

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Christmas Day Dinner Every year on Christmas Day, St. Margaret Mary Parish opens its doors to the elderly for dinner.

Many people attend who would otherwise have no place to go or people to be with. Initially sponsored by Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly, St. Margaret Mary continued the tradition once the Little Brothers organization closed its Omaha branch.

“Host parishioners” provide transportation for “guest parishioners,” and they dine together, enjoying one another’s company. Every year without fail, the conversations and new relationships end up being as delightful as the meal.

The dining room is decorated by parishioners with a Christmas tree, a crèche, and centerpieces, which are often handmade by families. The food is served hot; vocal and instrumental music is provided by parishioners; and each guest is given a gift bag before being chauffeured home.

Parishioners also deliver hot meals and gift bags to homebound elders, often spending quality time with them as they enjoy their dinners.

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St. Vincent de Paul Society

Youth Group

Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international parishbased Catholic volunteer organization dedicated to helping all people in need. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Archdiocesan Council of Omaha serves individuals and families in need throughout the city. St. Margaret Mary volunteers visit people in their homes, providing person-to-person services regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or age.

Our Youth Ministry, relatively new as a parish outreach, has nonetheless taken a variety of forms over the years. Sometimes it has been led by amazing volunteers, but over the past few decades paid staff have helped give it stability and direction. Currently it is a comprehensive program for junior high and high school youth designed to foster spiritual growth; a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith; and to recognize and put into action the baptismal call with regards to social justice in the community as well as the global church. The youth build relationships through the spiritual, service, and social opportunities available each month.

Living Nativity during Advent in 1997.

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ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY 100 T H A N N I V E R S A RY C E L E B R AT I O N

Centennial Weekend The parish officially marked the 100 year anniversary of its founding Sept. 21-22, 2019.

The commemoration began with a 4 p.m.

Mass on Saturday evening celebrated by Archbishop George Lucas, Fr. Baxter, Fr. Letak and several former associate pastors. Before the final blessing, Archbishop Lucas consecrated the recently acquired relic of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. A dinner for more than 500 parishioners followed the Mass in the Raynor Center. On Sunday after the noon Mass, beautiful fall weather amplified the enjoyment of hundreds attending the annual parish festival — featuring music, games, food, and fellowship.

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First Class Relic of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque In the early 1990s, while working as an editor at Liturgy Training Publications, Chicago resident David Philippart was offered a first-class relic of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque by his coworker, Mary Bowers. Her father had been cleaning out a room at his parish at St. Mary’s in Evanston, Illinois and he discovered the relic there. At the time, Philippart edited and wrote about church architecture and art, so Mary Bowers assumed that he would know what to do with the relic.

Although no papers accompanied it, Philippart had no doubt that it was genuine, having seen numerous relics encased in the same manner.

One such relic, at the University of Dayton, is accompanied by a March 26, 1955 document of authenticity signed by the Chaplain of the Visitation of St. Mary at Paray-le-Monial, Diocese of Autun, France, where “the body of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin, a professed of this Monastery, rests.”

Artist Maureen Beat, 2019.

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By virtue of the special authorization granted by the Bishop of Autun, Chalon and Mâcon, it certifies that authentic parcels of the ashes of St. Margaret Mary have been deposited and enshrined with respect in silver reliquaries.

They are described as being adorned with a metal crown of thorns, round in shape, with a glass on its anterior face, closed with cords of red silk and sealed with the seal of the monastery affixed with red wax.

Philippart safely stored the relic for many years until April 2019. That is when a 1982 graduate of St. Margaret Mary School, Anna Manhart, who is an associate of Philippart’s, told him about the 100-year anniversary of her former parish in Omaha. Philippart decided our church should have the relic!

Earlier he had considered approaching St. Margaret Mary Church in Chicago but never had a contact there. He then approached a religious congregation descended from the Sisters of the Visitation, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s order, but they declined the offer.

That is how, nearly 100 years after her canonization on May 13, 1920 the first-class relic of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque made its way to the parish where it is permanently ensconced in a reliquary at the base of the statue bearing her likeness, which is adjacent to the west altar rail.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French nun and mystic who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Between 1673 and 1675 Jesus appeared to her and made twelve promises to all those who venerate His Sacred Heart.

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.

2. I will establish peace in their families.

3. I will comfort them in their trials.

4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and, above all, in death.

5. I will shed abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners will find in My Heart an infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Lukewarm souls will become fervent.

8. Fervent souls will rapidly grow in holiness and perfection.

9. I will bless every place where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.

10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. The names of those who promote this devotion will be written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.

12. I promise thee, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

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Closing Have you ever spent time in St. Margaret Mary’s prayer garden? You should, if you haven’t. It’s just one of the many inspiring worship spaces on the campus, and it’s a powerful one.

The Stations of the Cross are profound in their natural, outdoor setting. But the statue of the open-armed Jesus visually articulates our parish story. As the pages of this book testify, we have been open to His will, and He has shown us His embracing love. Sit on the bench next to the tree and let Him see into your heart. Let yourself be seen.

Over the last 100 years, we as a parish have overcome many challenges while celebrating life in its many stages. We’ve triumphed and we’ve mourned many times over, but only because we’ve allowed ourselves to be vulnerable ... to be servant participants.

Thank you for reading this book, which honors the past and the life-giving power of unwavering servanthood.

As we move into the next 100 years, consider honoring St. Margaret Mary’s past by serving the needs of others. Embolden your heart through prayer in one of the many worship spaces at 62nd Street and Dodge, and then take action.

Thank you for your participation.

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2019 ST. M A R G A R ET M A RY PA R I S H I O N E R S

Kristen Abbondante Valerie Abbott J.J. & Elizabeth Abrams/Cooke Chuck & Susan Adams Cathie Adams W. Greg Adams Charles & Frances Addy Sam & Megan Addy Jan Agosta Tim & Pattie Ahlgren Virginia Aita Michael Albanese Ida Alexander Hannah Alexander John Aliano Christine Allen Arturo Alonso & Sonia Alvarez Mike & Kelly Alvano Steve & Andra Alvine Pat & Mallory Anderl Mary Joy Anderson Mickey & Krista Anderson Craig & Carol Anderson Nadine Anderson Dennis & Teresa Anderson Mark & Melissa Anderson Julie Anderson Lisa Anderson Katie Anderson & Alexander Fink Nicholas & Gabrielle Anderson / Dalton Sylvia Angel Patrick & Marisol Angel Sr Marie Angele Jim Antczak Gary & Annlouise Anthone Joseph & Jennifer Anthone Chad & AnnMarie Anthony Ricardo & Natalia Aparicio Franca Apostolic Oblates Matthew & Margo Appenzeller John Arkfeld Chris & Paula Arnold Dennis & Suzanne Aron Andy & Anne Arther Michael & Danielle Ash Jeremy & Gwenn Aspen Adam & Aimee Assman Bob & Molly Atherton Matthew & Ashley Aubry Kevin & Amy Augustyn Ronald & Rose Marie Baker Joseph & Roxanne Baker Jabriel & Meagan Bakhit Hannah Baldridge Christopher & Teresa Balfour Yvonne Ballard Pam Baltzer Bill Barna Ronald & Joan Barnett Mary Beth Barone Tom & Sally Barrett Ana Barrios

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Mickey Barry Glenn & Cece Bartek-Miller Patrick & Natalie Bartman George & Megan Barton Paul & Kay Bashus Mary Batenhorst Ash & Jody Batheja Ben & Tara Batley Trent & Ann Marie Bausch Tim & Barb Baxter Fr Greg Baxter Helen Baye Lorraine Beacom Dave & Maureen Beat Drew & Sally Becerra John & Terri Beck Jon & Sabrina Beck Todd & Amy Becker Madeleine Begley Mary Jo Begley Anne Begley Tim & Val Begley Toyi & Margaret Beguedou Nicole Behm Lowell Behrens Margaret Beitenman Judith Belitz Michele Bell Brent & Emily Beller Jean Bellinghausen Jackie Bender Tracy & Ricky Bender Kevin & Christine Benedix Mary Clare Beninato, Jr Jeffrey & Kristin Berg Paul & Maureen Berg Tom & Ann Marie Berger John & Mary Berigan Jack Bernard John & Alison Bernholt Taylor & Whitney Bessmer Rick & Jennifer Bettger Neil & Lauren Bhogal Tom & Amy Bielewicz Sam & Maureen Billig Joe & Carol Bilunas Jim Bishop Dominic & Stephanie Black Daniel & Katie Blackledge Mary Ann Blair Bill & Betty Blake Liz Blake Rick & Mary Blanchard Yuri & Michelle Blazauskas George & Donna Blazek Richard & Annie Bode Benjamin Boeckman Marian Bogard Matt & Anne Bogard Max & Michele Bogard Jocelyn Bogdanoff Matt & Paula Boggust Rita Bohlim

Marisa Bohlim Brad & Lisa Bohnert Andy & Christina Boje Luke & Shannon Bolin Melissa Bonitz Ida Bonofede Jim & Mandy Bopp Tim & Marilou Bormann Michael & Kristin Bosilevac Kristin Bosilevac Ray & Cathy Bosiljevac Alan & Lisa Bost Joe & Rachel Bost Scott & Ashley Bougger Jerry & Michaeleen Boulay James & Regina Boulay Joan Boulay Kara Bousquet Kathryn Bowler Patrick Boylan Mike & Dana Boyle, Jr Mike & Mandy Boyle Leo & Joan Brachtenbach Dana & Patricia Bradford, III Dana & Danielle Bradford Duke Bradford Lawrence Bradshaw Denise Bradshaw Mike & Katrina Bramhall Angela Brammer Connor Branick Ursula Brannan Michael & Janet Brannen Alexander & Beiqing Braun Bob & Mary Braun, Jr Joe & Emily Braun Steve & Jill Brayfield Ben & Caitlin Brayfield/Sikola Fred S Breci, Jr Craig & Kathy Brehm Bill & Bernie Bresnahan Jeff & Diane Briggs Kevin & Alison Britt Kathleen Broderick Linda Broghammer Matthew & Christine Broghammer Phillip & Keri Brooking Dennis & Bev Brown Rose Brown Dean & Kate Brown Mary Brown Jesse & Allison Brown Brian & Kate Brownrigg Stephen & Anne Bruckner Joe & Patty Brudney Adam & Megan Brudney/Fritz Michael & Jana Brueggemann Ross & Alexandra Bruening Helmut & Maggie Brugman John & Jessica Brumbach Luca & Francesca Brunelli Mike & Rachelle Bruning Patty Buckley

Easter Vigil, 2019.

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Jim & Linda Buckley William & Janet Buckley Lucille Buda Tony & Jennifer Buda Geraldine Budny Mike & Kate Bullerdick Rob Burbach Max & Sue Burbach Andrew & Chelsea Burdic Donald & Jennifer Buresh Michael & Jaime Burke Jim & Peggy Burnett Meghan Burns Jenn Burrows Mark & Miranda Burt Tyler & Brianna Busboom Kevin & Kelly Buscher Fran Bushey Franklin & Shiu Mei Buttler Jason & Amanda Buzzell Tom & Jody Byam Theresa Byrne-Sain Richard & Patti Cacioppo Clint & Erika Cadwallader Mike & Kristine Cain James & Margaret Callaghan & Bumann Mike & Rogene Calvet Patrick & Amy Campbell David & Lana Candler Jeremy & Jacqui Caniglia Lou & Ali Caniglia Jon Caniglia Jorge & Sarah Cano Jameson & Erin Cantwell Jay & Kasey Cappellano Jose Cardona Flores & Esmerelda Xoquic Mary Carlson San Carlson John & Diane Carlson Jay & Becky Carney Jack & Mary Carpenter John & Amy Carson Gilbert Carstens Mary Carter Doug & Jane Ann Carter Michael & Kimberly Carter Arrow & Stephanie Caryl Joe & Nancy Casey, Jr Joe Casey, Sr Joe Casey Ginny Casey Dan & Toni Casey Cheri Cavanagh Patrick & Audra Cavanaugh John & Kakie Cavanaugh Jim & Joan Chambers Greg & Laura Chambers Kenny & Trisha Champoux Gizelle Chandran Ed & Marie Chapman Joel & Nicole Charlson Margie Chartrand Ed & Michelle Chartrand

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Ron & Betty Cheffer Georgianna Chen David & Martha Chevalier Brian & Connie Chisholm Brian Choquette Joe & Meredith Choquette Marc & Katie Choquette Adam & Jacque Christensen Cody Christensen Dave & Cathy Ciaccio Marion Cimino Louise Cimino Mike & Jill Cimino Nick & Jane Ciummo Melvin & Deb Clark Keith & Michelle Clark James & Mary Classe Steve & Debbie Clayton John & Janice Cleary Dave & Katie Cleveland Dan & Kathryn Clifford Colin & Cheryl Clifford Robert & Kourtney Clines Corey Cloyed Tracy Coates Frank & Terri Codr Ray & Patricia Coenen John & Gina Coffey Allen & Jordan Cogswell Greg & Sheri Cohen-Vollmer Mark & Suzi Collier Charlie & Kara Collins Helen Collins Kenneth & Marisol Comfort Mike & Toni Compton, II Thomas Comstock Paul & Jane Conley, Jr Joe & Pam Conley Miah & Aasta Connor Tom & Diane Constantino Tony & Dana Constantino Carrie Conway Sean & Jill Conway Mike & Valerie Conzett Roger & CharLayne Cook Jennifer Cooke-Yin & Charles Yin Theresa Copenhaver Dan & Carrie Corcoran Chris & Rebecca Corder Kevin Corley Jeff & Audrey Cosgrove Alex & Kate Covalt Joe & Elizabeth Cox Don & Rita Cox Loni Craft Joe & Kim Craig Jon & Martha Crane David & Nikki Cripe Walter & Victoria Cronin Richard & Georgia Cronin Dave & Becky Crotzer Tim & Celann Crowley Tom & Dede Crowley Joe & Allison Cullan

Lynette Cullen Deb Cunningham Rich & Diana Cupich Jennifer Cyr Keith & Sharon Cyr Phil & Kate Cyr Armand Dadioari Dorothy Daeges Jeanette Dahlem Jim & Nancy Dahlgren Peter Daiker Bob & Mary Dailey Dan Daly Mark & Linda Daly Joe & Candace Daly Don & Molly Daly Mary Alice Daly Lucretia Danielson Nicholas & Katie Danielson Dave & Jean Dare Matthew & Sara Darnell Mary Daub Kurt & Mary Davey Virginia Davidsaver Steve & Sandra Davidson Sharon Davison Patrick & Amy Day Sylvia de Anda Nene De Roos Jeff & Joan Dean Steven & Kristen Deane Carole DeBuse Tim & Lindsey DeGeorge August & Marlene Delisi, Jr. Mike & Kris Demman Jeff & Lisa Dempsey Chantel Dempsey Corey & Tiffany Dencklau Garret & Anna Dendinger Chase Dendinger Charles & Wilma Denton Dick & Nanette Denton Chris & Michele DeSmet Britt & Cathy DeWeese Zach & Tina Dice Peter & Sue Diego Sarah Diego Suzanne Diers Tom & Kit Diesing Judy DiGiacomo Gary & Cecilia DiMasi Nick & Stephanie Dininger James & Jessica DiPrima Dale & Billie Dixon Pam Dobles Chad & Holly Doerneman Kathleen Doig Daniel & Sara Dolezal Dan & Monique Donahoe Patrick & Dede Donahue Steven & Rachel Donahue Dan & Melissa Donnelly Andrew & Amanda Dopheide

Steve & Sharon Doran Paul & Madeline Doran Patsy Dougherty Duane & Fran Dowd Matthew & Mary Dowd Jessica Dowd Joe & Megan Drapa Don & Dawn Drazdys Mike & Katie Drelicharz Alison Drey Sophia Drzaic John & Ann Ducey Marjie Ducey Pat Duda Judy Duffy Patrick & Melissa Duffy Thomas & Deborah Dugdale Nick & Rizz Dunbar Kevin & Colleen Duncan Timothy Dunne & Susan Schaefer Phil & Megan Durham Ryan & Mary Dvorak Gus & Carol Dworak Patrick & Rene Dytrych Jim & Denise Easton Eric & Cathy Ebers Joe & Debbie Eby Gary & Rhonda Eby David Eckel Greg & Molly Eckert Patricia Edick Jean Efferding Joyce Egan Beatrice Egboh Jean Egermayer Bob Egermayer Mike & Mary Egger Nathan Egger Michael & Emily Ehle Helen Ehrenberg Mark & Brenda Ehrhart Mark & Lindsay Eichten Chris & Leslie Eiland Margaret Einstein Lucia Ejoh Jerry & Mary Elbert Tony & Carrie Ellis Mark & Annie Emig Mitchell & Francesca Endorf Jon & Megan Enenbach Richard & Sam Engel Greg & Deb Engler Steven & Maureen Ereckson Thomas & Janine Erickson Steve & Lauren Erickson Dave & Donna Erker Loretta Ervin Tom & Julie Ervin Christian & Anne Espinosa O’Hara Adam & Katie Estes Larry & Ann Etienne Joe & Sarah Evans Joshua & Jordan Eveloff

Julian & Connie Fabry Elizabeth Fagerland Diana Failla Thomas & Patricia Failla John & Joan Fangman Terry & Toni Fangman Scott & Anne Fangman Micah & Karen Fannin Seth & Ruth Farrington Eric Faurote Mike & Margie Fecci George & Carol Ferguson Tom & Janet Ferlic Ken & Susan Ferrarini Jeff & Molly Ferris Grace Ferris John Ferry Aaron & Megan Filipi Mike & Casey Findley Teresia Fink Peter & Carolyn Fink Ben & Sam Fisher Roger & Joyce Fitch Barb Fitzgerald Tom & Marilyn Fitzgerald Kathy Fitzgerald-Grandsaert Tim & Therese Fitzgibbons Jeremy & Brooke Fitzpatrick Donald Flaxbeard Gary & Christine Flaxbeard Mike & Alice Fleming Pat & Betsy Flood Edward Flood Jane Flood Mary Flores Roberto Flores & Blanca Vasquez Ben & Suzie Fogarty Thomas & Tamara Foley Bob & Shelby Foral, Jr Bob & Donna Forbes Richard & Ivy Forbes Steve & Carol Foreman Jenne Forman Deb Forsman Mark Forster Joe & Mary Sue Fortner Jimmie & Shannon Foster Bob & Jackie Foster Brian & Jen Fox Chad & Wendy Fox Charlie & Beth Fox Elizabeth Foxley John & Lisa Foy Julia Fredrickson Mike & Kiley Freeman Adam & Jayne Freese Evan & Candace Freilich Toni Freilich John & Noreen Frenking Dave & Nonnie Frenzer Chris & Dee Frerich Nancy Friedlander Jerry & Deb Friedrichsen

Nick & Farah Friedrichsen Charles Friel Brenden & Melissa Fritz Fredericka Fry Florian & Kim Fuerstenau Gregg & Liz Fuesel Nancy Fullwood Rose Gabrielle Todd & Whitney Gaddie Dan & Melissa Gaffney Steve & Laurie Galeski Jason & Jenny Galley Jonathan & Amy Gapp Edwin & Angela Garcia Sam & Nicole Garden William & Mary Lou Garnett James & Molly Garriott Rene Garvey Tom & Jenni Garvey Molly Gatz Joan Gatz Michael & Margaret Gaughan David & Alexandra Gaupp John & Kim Gawecki Mike & Ginny Geis Helen Geisler Ron & Joan Gentzler Bruce & Michelle Gerhardt Ray & Kelly Gering Bronson & Mary Lou Gerken Ray & Judy Germonprez Jim & Margaret Gerner Jim Gerner, II Pauline Gerweck Terry & Teresa Gerweck Dick & Linda Gibb Armand & Mary Rae Gibbons Carol Gibilisco Nathan & Caroline Gibilisco Robert & Karolyne Gibson Ryan & Brady Gibson Rob & Jen Gibson Marge Giesler Jason & Jennifer Gilbreath Michael & Amy Gillaspie Marjorie Gillen Scott & Rachel Gilliland Rich & Kate Gilloon Will & Annette Gilner Steve & Michele Gleason Kyle & Nicole Glore Josh & Alyson Goedken Cindy Goering Kenneth Goering Joe & Nichole Gold Robert Gollner Jerry & Betty Golmanavich Martin & Joan Gomez Betty Goodwin Ronald & Sherrie Goorahoo Corey & Emily Gorden Luke & Kathleen Gorringe Greg & Pat Gorski

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Carol Gotch Tom & Marylu Gouttierre Adam & Abbie Gouttierre Jim & Kitty Grace Kevin & Catherine Grace Neil & Stephanie Graham Dean & Jessica Graham John & Shari Grant Matt & Lisa Gravelle Dale & Kelly Graves John & Mary Beth Green Mary Kay Greenberg George & Christine Greene Josephine Gregory Terry & Peggy Grennan Bobby & Allison Grennan Michael & Sarah Greteman Nathan Greteman Susan Grier Mary Griffin Pat & Karen Griffin Meegan Griggs Charlie & Kellee Grimes Jeff & Peggy Grimm Jordan Groebli Chrissy Grogan Joe & Suzanne Gross, Jr Stephan & Morgan Grot Kyle & Kayla Grove William & Sarah Gudeman Joel & Katie Guenther Peter & Julie Guile Bob & Mary Jo Guinan Kaylie Guinan Dan Guinan Dan & Heather Gunn Michaela Gunter Russ & Susan Gurciullo Lori Gurciullo Greg Gurnon Bryan & Steph Guy Scott & Stephanie Haag Philip & LesLee Hacker Ed & Ann Haddad Tom & Vicki Hageman Jerry & Joan Hahn Christopher & Lindsay Halbkat/Lundholm Andy & Bridget Hale Clifford & Amber Hall Dale & Debbie Hallock Mellissa Halmann Rodney & Kathleen Hamblin Thomas & Teri Hamburger Tim & Diane Hancock Terry Haney Steve & Cathy Haney Michael & Alyson Hanish Marla Hannigan Rob & Marilyn Hansen Andrew & Alyssa Hansen P. J. Harding Kenisha Harding

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Kari Harding Ashley Harlow Theresa Harper Bill & Jan Harris Lori Harris Bob Harris Jane Harris Ken Harris Robert & Rose Harrison M. J. Harvey, Jr Mark & Jane Hasebroock Edward & Norma Hasenjager Chris & Gabrielle Hasiak Karoline Haskell John Haskell Tracy & Tami Hauser Jeff & Cathy Hausman Matthew & Trish Haverman Mary Jo Havlicek David & Megan Hawk Jackie Hawthorne Scott Hawthorne Michael & Erin Hayes Addie Hays Steven & Lauren Haywood Jim & Carol Healy Marcus & Regan Hebert John & Peggy Heck Jeannie Heckman Greg Heckman Justin & Allison Hedrick Bob & Lol Heenan Scott Heese Rachel Heese Brett & Deb Heimes Greg & Margret Heine Nick & Rachel Heiser Tom & Rita Hejkal Jim & Kathy Helget Nancy Heller Jay & Sarah Helzner Lupe Hemenway Ron & Christine Henderson Osa & Diane Hendricks Celeste Hendricks Trevor & Jacki Henery Tom & Della Henriksen David & Lisa Henry Doris Henvey Kathy Henvey Adam & Shannon Herink Eli & Carey Hernandez Carlos & Kellie Hernandez Hernan & Melissa Hernandez Ruben & Cristina Hernandez/Bueno Francisco & Jackie Herrera Lonnie Hertzel Peter & Stacy Hess Gerald & Mary Kay Hetmanek Jeffrey & Karen Hicks Rita Higgins John & Carol Higgins William Higgins & Johanna Taylor

Margarita Higgs Frances Hindt Mike & Cathy Hinrichs Jim & Courtney Hinrichs Becky Hippen Jeremy & Elizabeth Hix Fergus & Orna Hoban Greg & Lisa Hobday Harry & Maureen Hoch, III Don & Ann Marie Hoeft Doug & Priya Hoffman Amy Hoffman Genevieve Hogan Erik & Amee Hoiekvam Bruce & Linda Holcomb John & Lynne Holdenried Jake & Jessica Holdenried Mike & Marianne Holland Catherine Holland Josiah & Megan Hollibaugh Marissa Holmes Edna Holzman Rorak & Alicia Hooten Tom & Brenda Hoover Mike & Tressa Hoover Barry & Sandra Hoover Dillon & Marissa Horak Ed & Trish Hotz Jim & Judy Hough Patty Hough Florence Hough Tom & Ellen Houston Jennifer & Omar Hrbek/Serghini Jeff Huber Nick & Brook Hudson Lynn Huerta Jim & Shirley Huerter Tom & Chris Huerter Tom & Bernadette Hupp Mike & Peg Huss Phil & Anne Huston Phil & Joan Huston Grant & Katie Hutchins Kevin & Jacqueline Hytrek Alison Ingunza Jim & Cindy Irvine Randa Jaber Claire Jackson Chris Jaeger Adam Jaime & Cortney Sells Robert & Rosemary Janousek Tom & Christi Janssen Michelle Jareske Barry & Paula Javadzadeh Tony & Martie Jaworski Tim & Jenny Jeffrey Dick Jeffries Rick Jeffries John & Carrie Jenkins Tom & Gerianne Jensen Tim Jensen

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R.J. & Kyla Jerrick Pat Jesse James & Ida Jessen Mike & Emily Jetter Mark & Vanessa Jewell Ryan & Sara Jochim Scott & Michelle Jochim Pat Johns Will & Dede Johnson Marie Johnson Howard & Barbara Johnson Jim & Bev Johnson Rob & Lisa Johnson George & Margaret Johnson Chris Johnson Eric Johnson Judy Johnson Jeff & Mitzi Johnson Jim & Marcia Jones Sanju & Navya Joy Steven & Carolyn Joyce Skip & Katy Joyce Brent & Kristy Juenemann Anthony & Heidi Jung Joyce Juracek Greg & Barbara Kadrlik Steven & Sammi Kaiser Steve & Michele Kalhorn Ben & Meghan Kalhorn Don & Donna Kallhoff John & Erin Kamp Zachary & Natalie Kamtz Kenneth & Sheri Kanger Bruce & Ellen Karsk Bob & Ellen Kassmeier Callie Kathol Joe & Lynn Kathrein Nate & Ashley Kaufman Jack & Mary Kawa Jim & Marianne Keating Anthony Keber A & N Keber/Knowles Todd & Hannah Keeling Irene Keenan Ruth Keene Anthony & Jaesse Kellen Craig & Kerry Kelley Mike & Joan Kelley Paul & Mary Kelly Joe & Catherine Kelly Emily Kemp Andrew & Sarah Kemp Ron & Natalie Kenkel Mark & Teresa Kennedy Steve & Julie Kenney Patrick Kenney Tom & Danielle Kenny Anne Marie Kenny Craig & Christie Keplinger Drew & Mandi Kern Joe & Lisa Kerrigan Elena Kerwin Robin Kessler

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Bill & Maureen Kessler Brian & Emilie Key Ken & Dianne Kielniarz Jeff & Laura Kilborn Tim & Marilyn Kingston Jon & Jane Kinney Kathy Kirby Sheri Kirk Bob & Tonda Kizer Angie Kizer Matt & Julie Kizer Chaz & Jeannie Kline Jo Anne Klosner Thomas Kluge Rick & Sandy Kmiecik, Jr Drew & Sarah Kneeland Corey & Kimberly Kneifl Beth Knott Pat & Joanie Knowles Lynn & Maria Knudtson Owen & Jocelyn Kobes Scot & Jolie Koesters Zita Kohanek Karen Kojdecki Randy & Connie Kollasch Maddy Korth Janet Koslaphirom Nathan & Brittany Kotera Rick & Meredith Koubsky Kyle & Tracey Kovar Bill & MiMi Kovar Len & JoAnn Kozeny Chaz & Amy Koziol Mike & Emily Kozlik Eric & Brandi Krakowski Leo & Marj Kramer David & Beth Kramer Paul & Miki Kramper Chris & Jillyn Kratochvil Alexis Krehbiel Mary Ellen Kreifels Bj & Kelly Kreikemeier Michael & Jessicca Krell Larry Krell Harold Kreski Joe & Susan Kreski Phil & Denise Kreski Laura Kriegshauser Martha Krings Aaron & Katie Krovance Chad & Maria Kruse Matt & Ann Kubat Kate Kucera Tom & Terese Kudrna Jerad & Margaret Kuhl Alex & Suzanne Kuklinski Terrence & Ainsley Kumar, II Ryan & Laura Kunhart Tom & Geri Kunkel Sherri Kunz Jeffrey & Melissa Kuskie Steve & Carol Kuzelka James & Hannah Kuzelka

Giovanni & Ana La Fata Brian & Therese LaBarr LaVern Labenz Rudy & Carol Lackner Dan & Peg Lacy Bobbie LaFollette-Shuey Jim LaHood Ben & Cher Lane George Lang Jeff & Janice Lang Jake & Meghan Langel John & Brielle Langley Glenda Lanoha Larry & Dorothy Lanphier, Jr Celianne LaRosa Eric & Jen Larsen Denise Larson Deanna Larson Scott & Katie Lauer Mark & Terri Laughlin Mark & Toni Laux Pat & Lora Lawrence Hoisannaw Lazuk & Senghkam Lahpai Pat & Cara Lazure Roy & Sandra Lehn Erik & Mary Lemke Pat Lenaghan Nathan & Meghan Leon Melissa Leon Mary Jo Lesch Nick & Lauren Lesiak Patricia Leuschen Randy & Dawna Lewis Meghan Lewis John & Sage Lewis Greg & Stacey Lickteig Mike & Kathleen Lighthart Stephen & Carol Lim Steve & Amy Lindsay Shannon Lofdahl-Reddy Mike Loftus Kathleen Lomax Richard & Carol Lomneth Mark & Monica London Marilou Lonergan Robert & Katy Long Leah Michelle Longmore Terry & Amanda Longwell Kathleen Loomis Dan & Theresa Loughran Matt & Laura Low Tim & Karen Lowe Carter & Cecily Lowman Peg Lowndes Zach & Haley Lubeck Edward & Phyllis Lueninghoener Joan Lukas Charlie & Mary Ann Luke Mark & Paula Lukowski Tom & Nancy Lund Anthony & Lisa Lupo Mike Luth Colleen Lynch

Salman & Mary Maaiah Daniel & Tonya Maca Mike & Suzanne Macaulay Stephen Maderak & Margaret Doig Deepak & Kiely Madhavan Anand & Jocelyn Madhavan Brian Magee Rich Maher Kim Mahoney Marilyn Mailliard Jim & Katie Maliszewski Mark & Tami Malmstrom Kevin & Lisa Malone Alexandra Malouf Kathy Maly Greg & Monica Mancewicz Bob & Vania Mancuso, Jr Ben & Kerry Mancuso Don & Sue Mandel Nick Mandel Lisa Mandolfo Mary Manhart Hugh & Eileen Manhart Bill & Nicki Manhart Nick & Carolyn Manhart Peter & Jennifer Manhart Mary Judith Manhart Tom & Jamie Manley Russell & Laura Mann Dave & Lisa Manning Jeff & Carol Marcuzzo Louis & Trish Marcuzzo Adam & Teri Marek Andy & Susan Marino John & Suzanne Markus Doug & Pat Marshall/Fornes Jane Martin Juan & Jeni Martinez Steve & Stefanie Martinez Mario & Cheryl Martinez Erick & Alexis Martinez/Hoshor Colleen Mason Connor Mason Grant & Ginny Mathey Tom & Madeleine Matthews John & Amanda Matthews Pascual Mauricio Travis & Jennifer May Rob & Maureen Mayer Germain Mba Nguema nsa David & Dixie McBreen Jayne McBride Matthew & Janel McCan Kevin McCann Marlene McCann Blane & Marie McCann Pat & Maggie McCarthy, Jr Molly McCarthy Dan & Alicia McCarthy Mike & Julia McCarville Marty & Maggie McCaslin Kathy McClellan Bill & Michaela McColgan Shannon & Jane McComas

Bob McCormack Philip & Stephanie McCormick Ryan & Becky McCreery Joan McCullough Bernadette McCullough Tom & Barb McCusker Phil & Deborah McDermott Jason & Nicole McDermott Drew & Leah McEleney Jena McFadden John & Alison McFarland Sean & Amy McGarry Shaun & Amy McGaughey Doug & Pam McGeary James & Ann McGill Jack & Gretchen McGill Dan McGill Dillon & Angel McGrath Mary McKeon Tom & Sara McKeon John & Eileen McKinstra Danny & Megan McKinzie Tom McLaughlin Peter & Carol McLeay Tom & Colleen McLeay A J & Nikki McLeay Jim & Aneetha McLellan Matt & Ashley McMahon Phil & Kathy McMillan Stuart & Clancy McNally Bryan & Mary McPadden David & Kirstin McPherson Sherry Mead Mary Jane Meehan Terry & Roberta Megel Susan Meginnis Bernie Meier Mike & Rene Meier Craig & Heather Meier Mike & Carrie Meisenheimer Kirk & Rose Meisinger James Melady, Jr Steve & Jill Melkus Amy Messbarger Russ & Gina Messerley, Jr Anthony & Diane Metz Patrick & Molly Meyer John Meyer Rich & Carol Meyer Clint & Sarah Meyers Jason & Joanna Meysenburg Sister Marie Micheletto Alex & Meghan Michelic Greg & Janie Mikuls Joey & Kellee Mikuls Robert & Jessica Miller Paul & Lynne Miller Susan Miller David & Bridget Miller Willa Milone Tom Milone Jay & Maureen Minnick Mike & Jessica Mogis Jeff & Emily Mohs

Jim & Abby Mohs Dian Monahan Julie Montag Mary Moore Rosemarie Moore Macey Morgan Larry & Mary Morong Laurie Morris Peter Morris Berniece Morrissey Roger & Cindy Morrissey Daniel & Kathryn Morrissey Brian & Judy Mosher Doug & Ann Mossberg J.D. Mossberg Kenneth & Mary Moy Bob & Diane Muelleman Chris & Lauren Mueller Mary Ellen Mulcahy Ryan & Andrea Muldoon Sean & Pier Mulhall Martin & Vicky Muli Paul & Karen Mullen Theresa Mulligan Harriet Mullin Mike & Joani Mullin Bob & Sue Mullin, Jr Dave & Shilee Mullin David & Seraphim Mullins Stephanie Mumm Joe & Carolyn Murnan Richard & Mary Murphy Kevin & Nancy Murphy Spencer & Elizabeth Murphy Joe & Nicole Naatz Joe & Barb Nabity Anselme & Genevieve Nassa Andrew & Mandi Nauenburg Keith & Alison Navratil Owen & Betty Neary Dan & Shirley Neary Ellen Neary Michaela Neary John J & Pat Neary R.J. & Liz Neary Nancy Neary Bryan & Amy Neary Jim Nebel Joseph Nebel Ryon & Nichole Nemec Dave & Lori Neubauer Nick Nevole John & Melissa Nguyen Quynh Nguyen Edward & Marles Nicholls Bill Nicol Chris & M.J. Nielsen Rich & Denise Niemann James Nigro Mary Nista Chris & Dawn Nizzi Shirley Noar Mike & Jodie Nolan

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Michael & Lindsey Noonan Harold Norman Katie Norton Bridget Norton Josh & Adriana Norton Kris Norton Megan Norton Joe & Carrie Novotny Elizabeth Nowaczyk Mike Nuschy Joe & Sue Nuss Dave & Heather Nutsch Mark & Julie Oberlies Thomas J & Laura O’Brien Mary O’Brien Bill & Mary Ochsner Bo & Beth Ochsner Matt & Heidi O’Connell Christopher & Kitty O’Kane Stephanie O’Keefe, III Nikki O’Keeffe Kathleen O’Konski Jim & Ce O’Laughlin Rodney & Sharon Olden Brooke Olmer Mattie Olsen Jamie Olsen Dan & Julie O’Neill Charles & Sally O’Rourke Jim & Maria Ortman Robert & Tonya Ortman Stacie Ortmeier Kenneth & Sandra Ostrand Jan Otepka Cris & Noelle Otepka Bryant & Patrice Ott Arnie & Emily Ovalles Tyler & Lisa Owen Mike & Amy Owens Sky & Sarah Padgett Wayne Padrnos Jeffrey & Sara Paesl Jeff & Ellen Pagett John & Maria Palmtag Jay & Mary Palu John Pantalone Mary Pape Dan & Kate Parker Jacob Parriott Angelo & Daphne Patil Jay & Theresa Patil Daniel & Francine Patten Scott & Mary Pat Paul Victor & Linda Paul Ron Pecha Stephen & Emily Pedersen Clint & Kara Pella Sr Anne Pellegrino Rsm David & Christine Penrice Ed & Laurie Pentis Travis & Shana Peper

154

Joe & Beth Pepitone Margarita Perez Sergio & Ashley Perez/Honeycutt Chris & Courtney Perrero Michael Petak Dave & Jan Peters Doug & Lauren Peters Lisa Peters Wayne & Suzy Peterson Eileen Peterson Nick & Julie Peterson Josh & Jamie Peterson Adam & Andrea Peterson Lauren Petty Kurt & Amy Peyton Lois Pfeister Julie Pham Curt & Tammy Phillips Joe Phillips Matt & Amy Pick Mark & Suzanne Pieper Bimbo & Diane Pietro Ronald & Kathleen Pilege Fred & Jean Pisasale Phil & Teresa Pisasale Mary Pistek Susan Pistek John & Sam Pitnick Warren & Jackie Pletan Elizabeth Pokorny Mark & Danielle Pokorny Brian & Jill Poole Jen Pottebaum Cathy Potter Julie Poulos Jim & Mary Powers Marie Powers Todd & Anna Prauner Bill Preston Julianne Pribyl Joann Pribyl Frances Prier Angela Procopio Mark & Emily Puccioni Lee Ann Purcell-Kirchner Tom & Beth Pusic Jeff & Suzanne Putnam Gary & Jean Putrino Karen Queen Lexi Quick Jim & Betty Quinn Mike & Kimberly Quinn Aaron & Francesca Quinn Scott & Madeline Quinn Larry & Carmen Quint Fausto & Christina Ramon, Jr Jake & Katie Ramsbottom Bill & Julie Randby Adrian & Michelle Randolph Ed & Jo Rasmussen Bill & Paula Rasmussen

Tom & Bobbie Rawley Bill & Chelsey Rawley Rick & Sarah Rawley Traci Rawlinson Tyler Ray & Nichole Schultes Anne Raynor Steve & Anne Raynor Patrick & Bess Raynor Jordan & Maureen Raynor John & Linda Rebrovic Bob & Beth Recker Troy & Abigail Reding John Reed, Sr John & Torey Reed Jake & Sharon Reefe, Jr John & Amy Reefe, III Kevin & Tiffany Regan Norma Reh David & Etta Reicks Kevin & Kim Reiner Dan Reitz Ryan & Alex Renner Jeff & Mari Rensch Bethany Renz Mike & Mary Lou Reynolds Russ & Theresa Reynolds Matt & Kate Rezac Michael & Jenni Rhoades Joseph & Lois Ricceri Rip & Mary Ellen Rice Michael & Kadie Richman Dana & Heather Richter-Egger Pete & Susanne Ricketts Joe & Marlene Ricketts Ann Rindone Patrick Rinn Jon & Ela Ripp Margaret Ritter Kris & Jon Ritterling Joe & Karla Rizzo Frank & Jeri Rizzuto Torrey & Denise Robb Marilyn Rochford Dan & Susan Rock Marilyn Rock Sham & Angela Rock Mike & Jill Rogers John & Susie Rogers Larry & Amy Roland Jill Rolf Ryan & Heidi Rolf Dan & Mary Rommelfanger Shannon Ronhovde Emmet & Fran Root Terry & Kim Root Jay & Kate Root Mike & Carole Rose Clark & Susan Rosenlof Gary & Patti Rosholm Jerry Ross Justin & Angela Rossitto Tom & Jeanne Roubidoux Jon & Amy Rouse

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Tom & Elaine Rouse Tom & Meghan Rowen Kathy Rowen Jeff & Shannon Royal Ralph & Jo Roza, Jr Rich Rozgay Nena Rozmajzl William Rucker Thomas & Therese Rudersdorf Pat & Liz Rudersdorf Tom & Jenni Rudersdorf Bob Ruetz Kevin & Heather Ruff Patrick Ruggeri Elaine Russell Greg & Lisa Russell James & Kathleen Russell Nancy Ryan Jim & Margaret Ryan Dan & Karen Ryan Kevin Ryan Joe & Elaine Ryberg Sheila Rynaski Pat & Jeanne Salerno Jaymes & Christine Salestrom Jim & Chris Salhany Rick & Val Sampson Mark & Kim Samuelson Michael Sanchez Tina Santos Ryan & Maryl Sattler Todd & Megann Sauer Kevin & Emma Savory Mike & Kris Scahill Mike & Connie Scasny, Jr Susan Schall Therese Schall-Pritchard Kristine Schanbacher Donna Schatz Monte & Mary Jo Schatz Don & Sue Schinzel Dan & Kim Schinzel Brian & Meghan Schlattmann Sarah Schlotfeld Jean Schmitz, Jr Alan & Erin Schmitz Ed Schnase Terry & Jean Schnauber Eric & Jacqueline Scholar Brian & Kathy Scholl David & Ellen Scholl Joseph & Mary Scholl Dale Schooley Jamie & Megan Schrage Kent & Morgan Schreiner Toby & Molly Schropp Robert & Louann Schropp Doug & Traci Schumacher Lolita Schumacher Matt & Amy Schuman Shane Schutt Gerrit & Aubrey Schuurmans Avery & Marilyn Schwer

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Cindy Sechser Mark & Kathryn Seeman Tony & Mary Seina Jeannie Seitzer Julie Self Steve & Sue Seline Kevin Selting Ralph & Barb Setter Sam Setter Peter Setter Tony & Julie Sgroi Yves & Elodie Shamavu Karen Shanahan Tim Shanahan Nicholas Shawhan Vince & Cathy Shay Judd & Leslie Shea Joe & Inna Shea Dillon & Leigh Shea Andrew & Olivia Shearer Tim & Mary Sheehan John Sheehan Suzanne Shehan Joe & Nadla Shehan Henry & Michelle Shields Don & Kelly Shimmin Brent & Rachel Shirk Michael & Samantha Sholes Tom & Lori Shomaker Chris & Sarah Short Therese Shramek Jim Shramek Karen Shramek Spaustat Alex Shull Steven & Magally Shultz Ernie & Shelly Shwidelson Mike & Ruth Sibilia Konrad Siebert & Anna Jurgens Tiernan Siems Robert & Jean Sigler Mary Simerly Kirby & Megan Simmering Tom & Jennifer Simmons Nick & Lexxi Simon Quinn & Colette Siner Bill & Lynn Singer Sr Jean Sitter Rsm Adam & Megan Sitzmann Jim & Judy Skinner David & Erica Skinner Corey & Andrea Skradski Gary L. & Leslie D. Skybo Bart & Lora Sladovnik Jay & Jeana Slagle Robert & Colleen Sledge Bob & Jane Slezak Bob & Karen Slovek John & Shannon Slowiaczek Cece Smith Marty & Alice Smith Gary & Joan Smith Tommy & Michele Smith Frank & Margy Smith Jim & Melanie Smith

Colin & Jeanne Smith Suzanna Smith Wayne & Pat Smith Lana Smith Michael & Sarah Smith Bob & Pat Snipp Karen Snyder Tom & Jayne Soener Rob & Kristi Soener Joe & Carole Sopcich Joseph & Jennifer Sopcich Josh & Jenna Souchek Bill & Dorothy Soukup Patrick & Anne Specht Stephanie Spelic Robb & Jeanne Spence Sarah Spencer Joe & Kara Spitzenberger Laverna Spitzenberger Chris & Kelly Spurgeon Kevin & Marie Stamm Kyle & Anne Stanley Jim & Laura Stannard Bethany Steadman Andrew & Cassy Steinbaugh Jeff & Rachel Steiner Chris & Michelle Stephens Sister Maryanne Stevens Don Stevens, Jr Mary Claire Stevens Pat & Monica Stibbs Matthew & Trisha Stierman Cara Stirts John & Marylee Stobbe Mike & Kristin Stolarskyj Robert Stolinski & Melisa Monical Robert Stone Jen Stone Norene Stoolman Dave & Brooke Storm Janine Storm Donald & Rosalie Stormberg Kent & Mary Stormberg Don Stormberg Paul & Alison Stormberg Darian & Melynda Stout Sara Strattan Cara Struebing Erin Strunk Lisa Strunk George & Linda Stryker Paul & Mary Stultz Rahul & Abbey Sualy Sally Suder Don & Melissa Suh Richard & JoAnn Sullinger Elizabeth Sullivan Ed & Elaine Svoboda Tom & Carol Svolos Jeff & Liz Swantek Tom & Caroline Swartz Bruce & Claire Swett Stephen & Sara Sykes Annamarie Szalewski Adelaide Szynskie

Carmen Tabor Adam & Julie Tabor Bill & Andrea Talbot Ellis & Bernadette Tate Paul & Jeanne Taylor Shane Taylor Mike & Kathy Test-Havranek Chad & Lindsay Tettenborn Tim & Daena Thalken Rick & Marla Theobald Lisa Thibodeau Geoff & Jessica Thomas Michael & Diana Thomas Ty & Meg Thomas Joshua & Sam Thomas Gary Thompson Barbara Thompson Steve & Amy Thompson Ann Thompson Sam & Joan Thompson Ben & Christina Thompson Margaret Thomson David & Joan Thrash Ann Marie Thurmond John & Nan Tiedeman, Jr Tim & Emily Tiensvold Joe & Cecilia Timperley Mark & Kathleen Tims Fred & Mary Lee Tisdale Kevin Titalom-Kamseu Kurt & Ann Tjaden Connie Tooher Matt & Jean Tooher Mark & Cindy Tooher Michael & Susan Toohey Chris & Cristina Toth Nicholas & Katherine Townley Don & Kathy Tracy Erin Tracy Kevin & Courtney Tracy Duy & Nicole Tran Ed & Sandy Trandahl Bill & Jane Trexler Scott & Jennifer Tricker Seema & Kirti Trivedi Anne Troia/Wilson Tim & Jeanne Tse Peter Tucci Kris & Kelly Turner Maryam Udangal Larry & Heather Uhl Monica Umhoefer Ann Underriner Theresa Underriner Janice Underriner Anne Upp Charlie & Linda Vacanti Tony & Alecia Vacanti Jason & Erica Valasek Rafael & Gaby Valdes Diego & Anna Valencia Nicholas & Rachel Valente

Daniel & Marni Valerio-Boster Scott & Margaret Van Winkle Nathan & Anne Van Winkle Jeff & Lacey VanRoy James & Jennifer Varner John & Jill Vawter Molly Verble Rosemary Verzani Maureen Vesely Kendall Victor Matt & Margaret Villier Oleg Vinokurov Maureen Vinton Victoria Vinton Lou & CydMarie Violi Bill & Laura Vodvarka Joe & Anne Vogel Dennis & Christy Vogel Jim & Liz Vokal Chad & Allison Vokoun Sarah Volkmer Bruce & Susan Vosburg Steve & Rose Vrbanac Bob Wachter Sara Wachter Mike & Deb Wade William Wadginski Dennis & Jessica Wager Paul & Kayla Wahlmeier Mitch & Jayna Waite Dave & Debi Walker Chris & Alison Walker Rob & Donna Walker Emily Walla Lowell & Kathleen Wallace Mary Ann Waller Andrew & Suzanne Walsh James & Susan Walsh Elizabeth Walsh Marty Walsh Shannon Walsh Ted & Trish Walz Joe & Helen Wardian Rachel Wardian Chris & Ann Warner Dave & Janelle Warren Mike & Alice Wasser Ruth Wassom-Glaze David & Susan Waters Jeanne Weaver Lynece Webb Daiker Jim & Margie Wegner Nick Wegner & Krystal Vuong Marianne Weidner David & Anna Lee Welch Jos & Linda Welie Donald & Angie Wells, Jr T.J. & Teryn Welniak Leo & Barbara Werner Mike & Julie West Thomas & Denise Wharton, Jr. Michael & Mary Wheeler Bob White

Christopher & Kera White Dan & Justina Wiechman Ryan & Catherine Wieczorek Mark & Karen Wiedel Dan & Michelle Wiederin Bruce & Teddi Wiegand Matt & Kellie Wiegand Adam & Sarah Wiese John Wiley Jody Wilkins Robert Williams Stephen & Lori Williams Daniel & Maureen Williams Meredith Williams Brad & Amy Williams Melissa Williams Chad Williams Jeffrey & Abigail Williams Samuel & Emily Williams Timothy & Kit Williams Dean & Juliann Willson Austin & Katie Wilson Sergio Wilson-Velez & Stephanie Velez Nick & Melanie Wilwerding Andrew Wingender & Krista Cupich John & Molly Winquist Jirote & Kanta Wiratchakul John & Nichole Wisnieski Joshua Wittenbach Karen Wittler Pat & Silvia Wolff Dave Woods Matthew & Elizabeth Worm Gene Wortman Pat & Janell Wortmann Jason & Kellie Wostrel Clayton & Jennifer Wulf Michael & Paula Zabawa Ryan & Molly Zabrowski Brian & Sarah Zahm Dan & Katie Zak Jose & Miriam Zambrano Eric & Liz Zdyb John & Susan Zeilinger Brad & Ashley Zerman Kay Zielinski Rita Zitek John & Mari Zmijewski Joe & JoMarie Zuerlein

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A C K N O W L E D G M E N TS

RESEARCH Nick Manhart WRITING Aaron Filipi EDITING Rita Hejkal PHOTOGRAPHY Bob Ervin EDITOR Kristine Gerber DESIGNER Christine Zueck-Watkins

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

Produced by Omaha World-Herald Books.

ADDITIONAL HELP PROVIDED BY:

Addie Hays Alice Smith Amy Payton Ancestry.com Anderson Publishing Co. Andrew Manhart Anna Dendinger Archdiocese of Los Angeles Archdiocese of Omaha Arlene Reeson Babe Feeney Baist’s Real Estate Atlas Baltimore Museum of Industry Barb Baxter Betty Neary Boston Public Library Archive Boys Town Hall of History Brother William Woeger Brush News-Tribune, Brush, Colorado Carlos Hernandez Catherine Kelly Catholic Voice Charles Larsen Chris Adams Cleveland Memory Project Dan Rock Daphne Patil Dave Dare David Phillipart Don Schinzel Donna and Terry Johansen Douglas County Historical Society Dundee Neb. A Pictorial History The Durham Museum Photo Archives Elizabeth Pokorny Find A Grave Fr. Gregory Baxter Fr. Michael Gutgsell Fr. Michael Mukasa Fran Root Fremont Tribune George Stryker Gregory Gurnon Greg Lickteig Henry Kuehl Collection Immaculate Conception Parish, Leavenworth, Kansas Jean Pisasale Jean Scmittz Jennifer Varner Joanne Klosner John Arkfeldt John Fangman John Frenking John G. Regan Kimmy Hartigan

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Larry Roland Laura Heimann Leavenworth County Historical Society Leo A Daly Archive Dr. Leo J. McCarthy Dr. Leonard Higgins Lisa Manning Lou Finocchiaro Madeline Begley Madge Muller Walsh Marianna, Inc. Marilyn Hansen Martha Grenzeback/ Omaha Public Library Mary Dendinger Mary Dowd Mary Stoltz Mary Jo Havlicek Mary Joy Anderson Mary Kay Anderson Mary Pat Paul Michael Fry/ Pontifical College Josephinum Mimi Kanar Monica Hejkal, A.O. Murray Studio Olander Studio Omaha Bee-News Omaha Sun Omaha World-Herald Patricia Buckley Paul Kelley Peg Lacy Pontifical College Josephinum Rosalie Stormberg Schuyler Sun Sharon Reefe Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Archive St. Dunstan Archive St. Joseph’s, Wilmette, Illinois St. Margaret Mary Guild History St. Mary’s, Bellevue, Nebraska St. Mary’s, Brush, Colorado Suneg Collection Tom Hejkal Transcontinental & Western Air True Voice U.S. Department of Commerce University of Nebraska at Omaha Archive Verdin Archive William Ramsey Zita Kohanek

Chris Adams 14, 15 Archdiocese of Omaha 17 Baist's Real Estate Atlas/Omaha Public Library 14 Bill Batson/Omaha World-Herald 135 Boys Town Archives 24, 25 James Burnett/Omaha World-Herald 114 Douglas County Assessor Office 37 The Durham Museum Archives 36, 37, 44, 45, 111 David Edwards Omaha Postcard Collection 10 Bob Ervin Cover, Back Cover, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 43, 46, 47, 53, 55, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 112, 117, 121, 122, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 145, 147, 151, 155, 159, 160 Rebecca Gratz/Omaha World-Herald 106, 128, 132 Monica Hejkal 129 Laura Inns/Omaha World-Herald 134 Mimi Kanar 19 Leo A Daly 60, 61, 65, 63, 91, 93, 94, 95 Andrew Manhart 62 Carolyn Manhart 120 Nick Manhart 35, 45, 56, 106, 107, 117 Matt Martin 46 Murray Studio 61, 62, 64 Amy Neary 124 Omaha Central High School Foundation 11 Omaha World-Herald Archives 13, 15, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 38, 39, 49, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 63, 64, 75, 88, 95, 100, 108, 109, 110, 115, 115, 123 Daphne Patil 125 Mary Pat Paul 117, 118, 119 Amy Peyton 133 William Ramsey 82, 111 Sharon Reefe 20, 104 St. Dunstan Seminary Archive 13 St. Margaret Mary Archives 4, 11, 21, 35, 38, 105, 113, 116, 126 Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Mercy Heritage Center, Belmont, North Carolina 18, 19, 20, 104 Brendan Sullivan/Omaha World-Herald 48, 49 Rev. Joseph Suneg Personal Archives 12, 15, 16, 17, 23, 35, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 58, 59, 62, 64, 94 Cindy Tooher 123 University of Nebraska at Omaha Archives 22, 39, 41

Baptism during Easter Vigil, 2019.

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From John 20:21, Christ's message to all who enter.

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“Plene Vivit in Sacro Corde Christi Resurgentis” Fully alive in the Sacred Heart of the Risen Christ.

In the year following World War I, the city of Omaha continued to push west. The first streetcar suburb had recently been annexed and development along West Dodge Road was burgeoning.

Witnessing these changing times, Omaha’s bishop responded by establishing “the new parish in Dundee”.

From modest beginnings above a storefront at the corner of 50th and Underwood Avenue, parishioners were determined to create something enduring. Persevering and flourishing through the Great Depression and World War II, St. Margaret Mary remained Omaha’s most westerly parish for the next 30 years.

Looking ahead to the next century, the people of St. Margaret Mary parish remain a vibrant Catholic community gathered together to celebrate the presence of Christ in sacrifice and sacrament.

This is a harvest made possible by the dedication and resolve of past families and clergy. Set upon a rock, the parish aspires to meet the spiritual, educational and social needs of all of God’s people.

$25.00 $25.00 ISBN 978-1-7322317-6-4

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