Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church has stood at the corner of 36th and X Streets in South Omaha for more than a century. Founded by Croatian immigrants who first gathered for Mass in a neighbor's home, the parish grew into a Roman Catholic community that today celebrates Lithuanian, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Irish, and Belgian heritage alongside a growing Hispanic ministry. English and Spanish Masses fill the church each week, and the parish school has been teaching children on the same campus since 1926.
A Parish Born from Croatian Immigrants
The story of Sts. Peter and Paul begins in 1907, when a small group of Croatian families met with Father John Zaplotnik in the home of Nicholas Mickells to celebrate Mass in their native language. Ten years of prayer and planning led to permission to build a church on the corner of 36th and X Streets, granted on March 15, 1917. The parish was formally incorporated by the State of Nebraska on April 17, 1917, and the first Mass was celebrated on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1918.
The school broke ground on April 13, 1926, and opened its doors that September with 205 children enrolled. Additions came in 1957 and 1961, the present convent was completed on August 15, 1948, and the rectory on August 1, 1954. The original wood-frame church was razed in May 1966 to make room for the present building, which was dedicated on October 27, 1967.
Since its founding, only a handful of priests have shepherded the parish. Father Zaplotnik was followed by Msgr. John Juricek, who served for forty-four years, then by Rev. Anthony Petrusic, Rev. Donald Shane, Rev. Ralph Lammers, Rev. Burnell Bisbee, SJ, Rev. Frank Partusch, and Rev. Frank Jindra. Rev. William Bond became pastor in 2020 and continues to lead the parish today.
Mass in English and Spanish
Weekend Masses are offered at both Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 5912 South 36th Street, and its partner parish of St. Mary's, 3529 Q Street. On Saturday evening, the 5:00 pm Mass is celebrated at both churches. Sunday Masses are at 9:00 am at Sts. Peter and Paul, 10:30 am at St. Mary's, and a Spanish Mass at noon at Sts. Peter and Paul. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 6:30 am at Sts. Peter and Paul and at 8:00 am at St. Mary's, with an additional Wednesday Mass at 8:30 am at Sts. Peter and Paul during the school year.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard half an hour before each weekend Mass, and on Saturday afternoons from 3:30 pm until just before the 5:00 pm Mass at whichever church is celebrating that evening. The confessionals are on either side of the altar at Sts. Peter and Paul; a lit window indicates that a priest is present. Confessions can also be scheduled by appointment with a priest.
What Visitors Should Know
Sts. Peter and Paul sits on a campus that includes the church, school, convent, and gym. Two main parking lots serve the parish, one on the north side and one on the south side behind the school and gym. The main church entrance is on the north side; drivers coming from 36th Street turn just past X Street. Handicapped-accessible spaces are available in both lots, and visitors are asked to avoid the fire lanes in front of the school and church and the no-parking zones in front of the stairs in the north lot.
There is no formal dress code. Parishioners wear everything from shorts and sandals in the summer to Sunday best, with a general expectation of conservative and respectful clothing. Visitors who are not Catholic are warmly welcomed; worship cards in each pew give the congregational responses, and most people simply follow along with those around them. Those who are not receiving Holy Communion are invited to come forward in the main aisle with arms crossed over the chest to receive a blessing from the priest.
Children of all ages attend Mass with their families. For parents who need a quieter moment, the chapel past the west lobby serves as a cry room where the Mass can still be seen and heard. Two restrooms are available, one at the back of the church in the usher's room and a larger one in the chapel.
The Festival That Draws the Neighborhood
The parish festival is the largest single fundraiser of the year and a beloved gathering for the wider South Omaha community. In recent years the festival has reached its 109th annual running, with a Sunday of food, music, games, and fun that the parish calls "The Greatest Festival in Town." Volunteers staff the booths, bakers fill the Cake Walk and Just Desserts booth, and visitors come for the Mega Raffle with a $5,000 grand prize. Months of preparation lead up to the day: bottle collections of two-liter sodas and wine, cake-mix and pasta weekends for the grocery booth, dime-pitch glassware drives, and raffle ticket sales at storefronts across the Omaha area.
Ladies from the parish gather in the gym to roll sarma together, a tradition that welcomes anyone who would like to join in the cabbage deveining and the rolling. Spanish-language flyers and bilingual announcements make sure that both English and Spanish-speaking members of the parish are part of the festival. The proceeds directly support church operating expenses.
Ladies Guild, Resource Group, and the Men of St. Joseph
The Ladies Guild is open to any registered parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul or St. Mary's who is 19 or older. The Guild raises funds to purchase hosts, wine, and dry cleaning for priests' vestments, altar-server robes, and altar linens, and assists with miscellaneous repairs and church cleaning. Members run an annual Easter Basket Raffle with baskets for all ages, sponsor the Kids Booth and Quilt Raffle at the parish festival, host holiday bake sales, help with funeral luncheons, and pitch in with receptions and special-event cleaning.
The SSPP Resource Group uses the professional skills of parishioners, contractors, and neighborhood advisers to save the parish money on repairs. Plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and general laborers are invited to lend a hand with projects approved by the parish and, where needed, the consortium. The group meets at least six times a year.
Men of St. Joseph is a fellowship for the men of the parish. The English-language gathering meets at 8:00 am on the second and fourth Saturday of each month at Seton Hall in the basement of St. Mary's Church. The men share breakfast and conversation with a focus on deepening their relationship with Jesus Christ and inviting others into a faith-filled life. The Hispanic counterpart, Hombres de San José, meets on the first Sunday of each month at 7:00 am at Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The Athletic Club, open to parents of parish or religious education students and to adult members of the parish, organizes volleyball, basketball, baseball, and softball, plus an annual basketball tournament. Funds raised go toward sports fees, uniforms, equipment, and gym upkeep. The club meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm in the gym, and meetings are short and include food and drink.
The Fun(d) Committee, formed by the parish council, brings the community together with social events such as trivia nights, enchilada sales, Husker tailgates, and pancake breakfasts. The committee intentionally builds bridges between the existing members of Sts. Peter and Paul, the parishioners of St. Mary's, and the Hispanic community.
Religious Education and the Parish School
Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School has been teaching children on the same campus since 1926. Children in grades one through eight who do not attend a Catholic school are expected to enroll in the parish Religious Education program. Sacramental preparation for Reconciliation and First Communion begins in first grade; preparation for Confirmation begins in seventh grade, and both programs run for two years according to Archdiocese of Omaha guidelines.
The Religious Education program is always looking for catechists and classroom aides. No teaching experience is required; all training and materials are provided. Volunteers of high-school age and older are welcome.
Supporting Neighbors Through St. Vincent de Paul
The parish supports the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which serves neighbors in need. The Ash Wednesday collection goes directly to the local conference, helping the parish respond to requests for food, rent assistance, and other essentials throughout the year.
Giving and Parish Stewardship
The parish accepts weekly offerings through envelopes, special monthly collections, and online giving through Faith Direct. The SCRIP gift-card program raises money for the parish through everyday purchases at more than two hundred local and national merchants. Other giving programs include the TAGG program and the Good Search program. For longer-term support, the parish accepts planned gifts of cash, securities, real estate, tangible personal property, life insurance, annuities, and qualified retirement plan designations.
Family of Parishes and Beyond
Sts. Peter and Paul is part of the Our Lady of the Saints Family of Parishes, joining with neighboring parishes for women's studies, shared social events, and other activities. A recent study series, "Journey into the Heart of the Saints," invited women from across the family of parishes to explore the lives of St. Faustina, St. Clare, and St. Francis of Assisi on Wednesday evenings at St. Mary's Seton Center.
Parishioners and neighbors gather around two anchors at the heart of the parish: the Eucharist celebrated each day in two languages, and the festival that fills the campus every summer. Between those anchors, a parish school has educated children for nearly a century, a St. Vincent de Paul conference has looked after neighbors in need, and a network of guilds, clubs, and volunteer groups has kept the buildings standing and the calendar full. The welcome that Father Zaplotnik extended to Croatian families gathered around a kitchen table in 1907 still shapes the parish today.