Pope St. Leo the Great
Welcome to St. Leo’s! We are thriving parish located in Palmyra, Nebraska with a history that dates longer than the town of Palmyra has been platted!
Starting in 1867, the first Masses were offered in the Palmyra area by Fr. Emmanuel Hartig, OSB. By 1873, the first recorded baptism was in 1874. St. Leo’s parish had built the first church though it would be destroyed in a tornado by 1876. Bishop O’ Connor visited the newly rebuilt church in 1880 and was welcomed by 54 parishioners! A larger church was suggested to be built in 1884 by Bishop O’Connor after learning that Fr. Eugene Cusson had purchased 4 lots that adjoined 2 lots the parish had previously owned to accommodate a growing parish. 1888 saw Fr. Leo Riverie and 75 families including John Dalton, William Fleming, Jim Lewis, John Lonam and Charles Royal help plan the larger brick church that was torn down in 2023. Fr. Martin Corbett began a campaign in 1889 to construct a new rectory by conducting weeklong fairs. He raised $800 for the rectory without increasing the debt of the parish! A newer rectory was built in 1913 under the supervision of Fr. John Reddy.
In the 2006, Divine Mercy Hall was built on St. Leo’s campus. It serves as a meeting place, a dining hall and classroom area for our CCD program.
Saint Leo’s Altar Society has also contributed in so many ways to St. Leo’s – including providing vestments, candles, hosts, sacramental wine, and other items around the rectory and social hall.
St. Leo’s has been instrumental in fostering vocations to the religious life including Sister Carol Kelly and Sister Barbara Roach. Fr. Corey Harrison, a son of the parish, was ordained in 2015.
St. Martin of Tours
Welcome to St. Martin’s. Our parish is in Douglas, Nebraska with a unique history and strong Catholic faith! We were the mission church for St. Leo’s in Palmyra.
Catholics in the area began gathering for monthly worship with Fr. Emmanuel Hartig, OSB in 1866. First in a dugout, then in a log cabin and finally a frame house built by Terry McGinley in 1872. Between 1874 and 1889, Catholics in the Douglas area made the trip 8 miles north to Palmyra for Masses. Finally, in 1889, Fr. Martin Corbett proposed to Bishop O’Connor that a church be constructed as the Catholic population had grown. Terry McGinley and Wash Wolf purchased 3 lots for $150 in September 1889 and Rolfe G. Beetem was assisted by Isaac and Irvin Roberts in constructing the church at a cost of $1573. As a congregation they chose St. Martin as their patron of the parish. St. Martin’s also has a cemetery about one- fourth mile south of town.
In 1937, Fr. John Kean assumed pastoral duties and worked on improving and beautifying the church. The interior was remodeled to accommodate more pews and a large bell out of the old public high school was donated by the town to St. Martin’s. Tragically in April 1938, an over heated furnace caused extensive damage to the building. Many parishioners gave generously to St. Martin’s, including vestments, a chalice, pews and kneelers, carpeting, a baptismal font, and stained-glass windows. A building fund for the present church was started in the 1950s under the direction of Fr. Peter Gadient. Fr. Edward Jaworoski, pastor with Monsignor Joseph J. Przudzik officiating laid the cornerstone of the new building on April 21, 1963. Jack Beers was retained as architect and Jack Saylor contractor. Cost of the Church was estimated to be $30,000. This included work done by parishioners and Fr. Jaworoski lent his artistic talents in constructing the leaded glass windows behind the altar for the new brick church. May 28, 1963 was the dedication of the new brick church by Bishop James Casey with Fr. Leo Shedivy, pastor.
