Chapter I - 1953-1955 - Parish Without a Church

Shortly after World War II, the leader of the Catholics in Omaha was Archbishop Gerald T. Bergan.  On any number of occasions he let it be known that a new parish would soon be established in the burgeoning Catholic population in west Omaha.

That spawned rumors among the clergy who wondered who the founding pastor might be.  The appointment might not be a cakewalk, the thinking went, because there was really no pattern to follow.  It would be breaking new ground, figuratively and literally.  Among the clergy, it was generally thought that if you were happy in your current assignment, don't make waves.  If you did, you would become a prime candidate for a change.

Not since 1918 had a new parish been established in the Archdiocese of Omaha.  Excitement continued to grow until on June 8, 1953, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese, The True Voice, (The Catholic Voice after September 14, 1973) reported that the name of the new parish was Christ the King, and the founding pastor would be the Rev. Robert P. Hupp, born in Wynot, Nebraska.  The parish would cover the territory bounded on the north by Western Avenue, on the east side by 72nd Street and on the south by Grover Street.  It would be open-ended to the west.

The parish plant would be built on 13.8 acres of undeveloped property already owned by the Archdiocese for a future parish.  It was situated adjacent to the north side of a developing shopping center called Countryside Village at 75th and Pacific Street.

My ordination occurred on May 18, 1940, in St. Cecilia's Cathedral in Omaha by His Excellency Archbishop James Hugh Ryan.  My first assignment was to St. Bridget's Parish in South Omaha, where I served as an assistant Pastor for one year before entering military service as a U.S. Navy chaplain.  After three years in the Navy I returned to Omaha, where the Archbishop gave me the task of director of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO).  After that I served as Chaplain for the Convent of the Good Shepherd, a training school for abused, neglected and adolsecent teen girls.  My next assignment was to become Pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Wayne, Neb., for about two and a half years.  It was near the end of the winter of 1952 that a phone call came from the Chancery Office in Omaha.  Archbishop Bergan asked that the phone call be kept confidential until he would be able later in June to make other announcemtns that were still pending.  He informed me that I would be the founding pastor of the new parish, Christ the King.

On the 10th of June, 1953, I left the rectory of St. Mary's to report to the Chancery in Omaha for further instructions.  It took about two hours in my previously-owned Chevy to arrive at my destination.  There I stood, hat in hand, with a suitcase of clothes, my portable Navy Mass Kit, my shaggy dog, Zeke, a hunting gun and other hunting equipment - not realizing that I would soon be hunting for a place to stay and something to eat.  After signing a few documents, I was given the title to the 13.8-acre plot.  Fortunately, Monsignor Floyd F. Fischer, Director of St. James Orphanage and a close friend, was in his office in the Chancery that afternoon.  Hearing my plight, he invited me to stay at the orphanage for the time being.  I gladly accepted.  Monsignor delighted in saying, "Now we have the biggest orphan in the State of Nebraska."

Lawrence Welk used to say, "Don't forget the ladies; they will be your most loyal friends."  Truer words were never spoken.  Before I coudl get my coat off and my sleeves rolled up, I received a call from a few of the women from St. Margaret Mary's parish - many of whom I had known when I was an assistant pastor there before World War II.  They asked, "What can we do to help?"  My response, "Let's have a meeting somewhere and talk about it."  One offered her recreation room, and after a few phone calls a meeting was arranged for 21 women.  All readily agreed that we should take a census.

Given the parish boundaries, the ladies set up districts and organized pairs.  Doorbells soon began to ring.  As the women made their census calls, they would register the families and leave a set of Sunday envelopes at each house.  The envelopes had been color-coded, with "Return to Christ the King Parish" imprinted on each.  That made it possible for some to continue attending their old parishes while beginning to support our new one.

Each week I would visit pastors of the neighboring parishes and collect our envelopes from the previous Sunday.  That gave me an opportunity to explain that Christ the King did not receive financial help from the Archdiocese.

The women who took the census encountered a swirl of emotions from the people they met.  Some were delighted at being liturgical pioneers, while others were rather upset at leaving a parish they had learned to know and love.  Change, however, is seldom easy.  On the plus side, there were many World War II veterans who had become accustomed to Field Masses and the like.  They were ever ready to move into a new field.

That left me free to scout the area for a location to offer Sunday Masses.  Ministers of other faiths were also organizing their congregations and they had exhausted the likely places to conduct Sunday services.

All had visited the popular Peony Park amusement park, but found the rental fee too high for their congregations.  But the owner of the park, Joe Malec, was a longtime friend of mind, and he lived in our new parish.  I visited with Joe, and was successful in suggesting that we might be able to work out an agreement that I could live with.

With the Sunday Mass schedules established, the idea of parish organization was in the air.  Although the ladies had been working together at loose ends for some time, they were now ready to make a serious move in the matter of organization.  Many were concerned about their pastor living in the orphanage.  While taking the census, women in each area were having morning coffees, inviting friends.  In a brief time, they had collected $500 to being furnishing a rectory.  Some were even offering household items to help their "homeless" pastor.  I had a housekeeper who didn't even own a can opener - but she didn't really need one because she rarely used canned foods.  She was an excellent cook and a good caretaker.  All she needed was a shopping bag, a few cooking utensils and a place to get started.

Later in the month of July, the women interested in forming a Guild met with me in the St. Margaret Mary's auditorium.  By-laws were drawn up.  Then and there it was decided to divide the ladies into autonomous groups of 25 members each.  Names were placed on individual cards, which were shuffled and dealth out to Circle leaders.  This practice became an annual tradition, ensuring a thorough mix in each Circle.  This mix included the young and the old, newcomers and charter members, well-to-do members and those less fortunate.

Purpose of the Guild was outlined as follows:

• to promote the spiritual growth of women in the parish.
• to foster relationships among the women of the parish.
• to seek out the needs of the parish and develop programs and to meet those needs.
• to provide services as needed by the parish.

Men of the parish stood at the starting gate.  Long before teacups at the first Guild meeting were washed and put away, half a dozen men invited me to a small luncheon to discuss and decide what they could do to help build a new church.  Realizing how many great events in the life of Christ were associated with meals, they began making plans for a picnic dinner.  They would invite movers and shakers in building the physical plant.

The small group held the picnic in the back yard of parishioner Bernie Boyle.  He used to call it his "garden," and almost everyone seemed to know where it was.  Invitations were sent out.  The evening arrived, as did the elect.  Archbishop Bergan gave an invocation adn food was served.  Near the end of the meal, Mr. Boyle, always a man of few words, delivered a pithy, pungent and persuasive message.

"You men were invited here to lend your support to the building of a physical plant for our new parish." he said.  "Each one of you is invited to be a pillar, not just a post, in the construction ahead.  Before you leave this evening, please decorate the envelope that you find under your plate and leave it on the table."

Then he introduced Archbishop Bergan, who thanked everyone for coming.  In his closing remarks he announced that Bert Murphy and Henry Dross would be the first trustees of the parish.  He also announced the selection of the Leo A. Daly Company as architects.  He offered a special blessing of thanksgiving and all departed.

Within a few days, five of the men of the parish had purchased a residence at 86th and Broadmoor to be the first rectory.  It was immediately across the street from the east end of the parish property.

Leo Pfeifer and John F. Daly were the first ushers.  Leo, a well-known yardman all his life, many years later enjoyed the honor of being the first usher of the Parish over the age of 90.  He continued his work until two weeks before his death.  John, president of teh Yellow Cab Company, was the first chairman of the ushers.  Illness, death and other eventualities caused an occasional change in the position of usher chairman.  Ushers provided a very important service to the parish besides taking up the collections.  All were volunteers, and the general task of an usher was to quietly and efficiently attend to problems among the parishioners.  They took up the offertory collection and secured it in the parish vault.  They were to collect any litter that they might notice.  They were to make available missalettes, parish bulletins and other handouts.

Christ the King was probably the first parish in the city to print the Sunday Bulletin announcements rather than have them read from the pulpit.  The bulletins were passed out to people on their way out after Mass lest they prove to be some kind of distraction during the Mass, especially during the homily.

One of the more inventive, or creative, ushers would hand out a small card with a cartoon of a usher taking the Offertory collection.  In the cartoon, the usher was handling a collection basket with a handle bent down - indicating that people in this parish were heavy contributors.  That added a bit of levity to the task of the ushers who used the card on occasion.

The first list of ushers included the following:

In late December of 1953, bids were opened for the construction of the grade school and gymnasium.  That was done after a desciption of the property and development of the property was reviewed.  The property on which the parish plant was to be built was rectangular, with a deep ravine running down the center from north to south.  Soil tests in the ravine indicated that this area was not suitable for heavy building construction.  The area could be made into a playground of sorts, maybe later into an athletic field.  Further study recommend that the school, auditorium and convert be constructed on the west section of the property.  Residential homes hemmed that property in on three sides, discouraging future expansion.  Direct entrance and exits were very limited there.  That left construction of the church, rectory, a parking lot and adequate entrance and exits to the easy portion of the property.

After discussing that piece of property with various bidders, the contract for construction was given to Orin Shelton Construction Company.

From my earliest years in the seminary, it was very obvious to me that parishes with grade schools were far superior to those without schools.  Should I ever be pastor of a parish without a school, I thought, I would do my best to build one.  For that reason, first priority was given to a school for Christ the King Parish.  Obtaining a commitment early on from the Servants of Mary was a singular blessing.  Without the continuing Herculean efforts of the Sisters in the beginning, often under very trying conditions, Christ the King Parish would never have enjoyed the glory it gives to God and the acceptance it received from the surrounding community.

Ground was broken on Feb. 4, 1954, for four classrooms and an auditorium.  There was to be a central heating plant to allow for further expansion.  The auditorium was to have stained-glass windows, a stage where the altar would be set, with a room on either side - one for the sacristy and the other for the altar boys.  On a lower level there was to be a social hall with kitchen facilities, cloak rooms and rest rooms.  An adequate parking lot was to be provided.

Lenten services that year were limited.  We were invited to participate in all services at St. Margaret Mary's Parish.  That included Lenten devotions, confessions and so forth.

In October of 1954, the Christ the King Parents Club was organized.  Sister Mary Henrietta, school principal, attended the meeting.  An election of officers took place:

President, Tom Kelley
Vice President, Lloyd Robinson
Secretary, Mrs. Leonard (Esther) Bourke
Treasurer, Mrs. Richard (Peg) Herman

Constitution and by-laws were drawn up and the objectives were agreed upon:

1. To coordinate the spiritual and educational force of the home and school ina program of Catholic child training.
2. To offer through all a balanced program in formation of particular interest to parents.
3. To encourage the maintenance of high standards of family life.
4. To create a general appreciation of Catholic education.

Any parents living in Christ the King Parish with one or more children of grade school level were eligible for membership, as were the priests and, of course, the teachers of Christ the King School.  Later, the membership concept was broadened to include all active members of Christ the King Parish and all were very welcome.

The general objective of the Parents Club was, and still is, to establish a close relationship and communication between the school and the home.  The effort has surfaced in many ways in the past - for example, petitioning the City Council for crosswalk lights and raising funds for educational needs.

Through the years the Parents Club has been very supportive and encouraging of the objectives of the club.  All efforts are designed not only to help our children learn how to earn a living, but also to learn how to live.

Now that a house and 85th and Broadmoor Drive had been purchased in September 1954 just across the street from our property, the Guild ladies set out as one of their goals to furnish it with tables, chairs, desks, beds, kitchen equipment, etc.

Thanks to the Guild, all the parishoners were given a copy of our first parish directory on Christmas Eve.  That directory is thought to be the first such parish directory printed in Omaha.

Shortly after Christmas, the Guild featured an open house in the school and in the rectory.  What an eventful beginning for 14 Circles.