Original Five Families

In The Beginning…

Five Catholic families left their native country, Moravia (in the Czech Republic), for the United States in the late 1800’s. They were the families of W. Simodynes, Jacob Novotny, Thomas Zimola, Frank Konecky and Frank Noha. Later, they were joined by the families of Vaclav Navratil, and Vaclav Zimola. Before they left, they planted a cross near Kouty, Moravia inscribed with their names and “Pochvalen Bud Pan Jesis Kristus” which in English means “Praise the Lord Jesus Christ.” These families arrived in Wahoo, Nebraska on August 15, 1874. Being deprived of Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days was their greatest hardship. Their hope increased as the number of Catholic families grew in the area.

Church Construction

On May 29, 1877, Catholics in Wahoo met to form a parish organization in preparation for the construction of their own church. They named the parish in honor of St. Wenceslaus, the Patron Saint of Bohemia. The first St. Wenceslaus church was built in 1878. It was 30 feet wide and 50 feet long. The first Holy Mass was celebrated in the newly-constructed church in late 1878 by Fr. Vaclav Kocarnik, O.S.B.

The first resident pastor, Fr. Mathias Bor, was assigned to Wahoo in 1889. A larger church was built in 1891. In 1919, that church was moved to make room for the construction of the present church. The church is a beautiful brick structure in the Gothic style and cost about $100,000 to build. The new cornerstone was blessed on October 11, 1921, and the church was dedicated on September 28, 1923. At the time of the dedication, the parish membership was about 160 families.

Renovations

St. Wenceslaus Church Sanctuary was renovated in the 1970’s. The first picture is how the sanctuary looked prior to the renovation. The second picture was taken in during the Christmas season in 2002.

The Convent in Wahoo was built in 1961 and blessed by Bishop James Casey on September 23, 1962.