Extension magazine - Summer 2023

18
BUILD Extension | Summer 2023 19
Church Building
In its early days, Catholic Extension
built thousands of churches
in the American heartland.
When new settlements of Catholic
families were in need of
a church, Catholic Extension
helped erect a place of worship for
these resilient, far-flung communities
of people working the land as
farmers and ranchers.
Although times have changed,
many of these same places maintain
their humble, hardscrabble
way of life.
This is the case for a cluster of
tiny towns and immense stretches
of cattle ranches in the Sandhills
region of northwestern Nebraska.
Three churches in the Diocese of
Grand Island make up the Sandhills
Catholic Community, the two
farthest of which are an hour’s
drive from each other. Catholic
Extension is supporting repair
projects at all three churches to
ensure these sacred spaces are safe
and beautiful for generations to
come.
A shepherd of ranchers
The Sandhills Catholic Community
encompasses 5,000 square
miles and serves about 150 families.
Most parishioners drive 50
miles or more from their cattle
ranches to attend Mass. Father
Matthew Nash, who grew up in
Nebraska, leads the community. He
requested to shepherd the people
of this region.
“The ranchers care about being
good stewards of what they’ve
been gifted. They make sure the
cattle are cared for and raised on
land that is good for them. They
work hard at it,” he said.
Each weekend he drives on long
5,000-SQUARE-MILE
PARISH
REMAINS
A TIGHT-KNIT
COMMUNITY
The story of the Catholic people
of the rural Nebraska Sandhills
stretches of highway to celebrate
Mass at each church. “All three
parishes work cohesively together
and do their best to support one
another,” he said. “They know that
it’s sink or swim for all of us up
here.”
A respect for and active participation
in the Christian faith is
commonplace in this area. Father
Nash said that looking out for each
other and living the beatitudes are
part of people’s DNA. The faithful
welcome and trust one another to
the point that the church doors are
kept unlocked.
“You can ask anyone for help,
regardless of their background,
and they’ll do it,” Father Nash said.
All the Christian denominations
work together toward common
goals, and they take turns hosting
different community events,
such as baccalaureate services for
the graduating public high school
class.
Carol Wright is the office administrator
and a lifelong parishioner
at St. Mary’s Church in Mullen—she
was baptized and married
here. The parish was founded in
the early 1900s, and Catholic Extension
helped build the current
brick church in 1964.
Wright said that everyone in the
Sandhills area believes deeply in
God, and you can see His works
everywhere. “We call it God’s
country,” she said. Caring for one’s
neighbor is just a part of everyday
life. “It’s not just the religion,
it’s the fellowship. I feel we’re very
blessed,” she added.
Leanne French is a lector at the
parish. She moved to Mullen, her
husband’s hometown, in 2001. She
said that when she lived in Seattle,
she didn’t know her priest. When
she arrived in this small ranching
community, she was welcomed
with open arms. She values the
safety and family-oriented atmosphere.
“Your children can pretty
much run loose, and everyone
takes care of them,” she said.
Kris Forsen is a high school
secretary and instructs children
in the parish’s religious education
program. “Our community as a
whole is geared around children,”
she said.
Forty miles west and nestled
up in the hills is All Saints Church
in Hyannis. Maria Thompson has
attended this church for 60 years.
The faith community was there
for her when her husband passed
away a few years ago. Parishioners
brought her food, comfort and all
the support they could. When a
third grade girl saw Thompson sitting
alone in her pew during Mass,
she got up and sat by her, and she
continues to do so today.
Welcoming new life
It is not always easy to make
ends meet, but parishioners are
generous to help those struggling
within and outside of the Sandhills
region. For example, they have
established a fund to support community
members who have cancer,
and they even give to parishes
in Haiti to drill for water.
Although parishioners have
devoted their own time, skills and
money to maintain the churches,
several bigger projects have
stacked up that require greater
attention. This includes repairing
cracked sidewalks and decaying
flooring, replacing ceiling
tiles and painting. The repairs are
LEFT Father
Matthew Nash
serves ranching
families in rural
northwestern
Nebraska.
FAR LEFT St. Thomas
of Canterbury in
Thedford, Nebraska,
is one of three
churches that make
up the Sandhills
Catholic Community.
about looking to the future, welcoming
new life and engaging the
children.
“It’s very welcoming when a
church is clean,” Father Nash said.
“There’s just something inviting
about that. Beauty attracts.”
He said some new families were
initially drawn into the parish
through the beauty of the
churches.
The Sandhill Catholic Community
is grateful for Catholic Extension’s
recognition of the importance
and value of the faithful
who work hard in the heartland of
America.
“The Book of Acts speaks of us
being all one Church collectively
and all one body. It’s beautiful, especially
with Catholic Extension,
to see the one body look after each
of its individual members—that if
the hands are struggling, the feet
and the legs come to the aid,” Father
Nash said. They regularly have
Mass intentions for Catholic Extension
supporters, he said, “to lift
up all those who are so generous
to the Father in our prayer.”