Led by the Holy Spirit, we are a Catholic community of faith whose primary purpose is to know Jesus, to love Him, and to serve Him in serving others. Sent to make disciples, we invite and welcome everyone to come and share our Master's joy.
If you are not receiving our FlockNote emails and texts, you are missing out on important information. Subscribe now!
Ralston Parade - Volunteers Needed
Join St. Gerald friends and families to show our faith and love of Jesus by walking in the 63rd Annual Ralston Independence Day Parade, Tuesday, July 4th, 12-3pm! More details will be provided upon sign-up.
Can't walk in the parade? We will be accepting individually wrapped, non-melting candy donations at the parish office & church from May 21-July 2. Look for the marked bins.
Click below to sign-up OR contact the parish office at 402-331-1955.
Our pastor, Fr. Mark Nolte, will be on sabbatical from May 22 - August 22, 2023. If you have a pastoral emergency and need to speak with a member of the clergy or if you have any additional questions, please call the parish office at 402-331-1955.
Please note, starting May 22 we will no longer offer a 6:45 AM Mass at the Lakeview Chapel on Mondays and Fridays. Instead, please visit our Journey of Faith co-parish, St. Columbkille (200 East 6th Street, Papillion), for their morning Mass at 8:15 AM. They also offer a 6:20 AM Mass on Fridays.
Below is the letter Fr. Mark sent to the parish announcing his sabbatical.
April 18, 2023
Dear St. Gerald Parishioners,
I hope you are all experiencing the joy and peace of our risen Lord this Easter season, especially those who may be suffering or finding life difficult. I am writing to inform you that, with the permission of Archbishop Lucas, I will be taking a much-needed sabbatical this summer from May 22 to August 22, 2023. Canon Law allows a priest, with his bishop’s permission, to take a sabbatical every ten years if he so wishes. Therefore, I will be taking my first sabbatical in 21 years as a priest.
These past few years, especially the past six months or so, have really taken a toll on me both physically and emotionally. Last December and January were especially concerning after having a minor seizure and heart problems. The primary purpose for the sabbatical is for rest and renewal. Here is my current itinerary:
May 22-31: Holy Land pilgrimage
June 1-10: Visit family in Arkansas
June 11-30: Summer classes in healing ministry with Global Awakening Ministries
July 1-28: Silent retreat at Broom Tree Retreat Center in South Dakota
July 29-August 22: Visit family in Tennessee and Florida
Fr. Knecht will cover for me, and Fr. Gary Ostrander and Fr. Frank Baumert will help him with Masses, funerals, sick calls, and any other assistance he may need during my absence. I will not be responding to any emails or phone calls during my time away. If you have any urgent needs, especially for a priest, please contact our church office.
Also, effective May 22, 2023, there will be no 6:45 AM Mass on Mondays and Fridays to relieve our priests of added stress. Having only one priest available on these two days makes it difficult to schedule a priest for two Masses and a funeral.
Thank you for being so understanding. I will miss you. Please keep me in your daily prayers as I will continue to do so for you. God bless you all! I look forward to seeing you again upon my return.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Mark
That Man Is You
That Man Is You is a group study dedicated to helping men grow in their faith through Biblical principles. We have two groups that meet on Friday or Saturday mornings. You pick your day and show up. During our time together, we invite the Holy Spirit to guide us as we watch a video presentation, share our thoughts and reflections in small groups, and conclude with prayer. So if you want to grow deeper in your faith, grow as a man of God, or connect more with the men of St. Gerald, please join us.
· Fridays at 6:30 am – Family Room (Library) No food provided. Bring what you want.
· Saturdays at 6:30 am – Fellowship Hall Coffee and donuts available.
Men of all ages are welcome to join. There is no fee for joining or required sign up. A free will offering is taken throughout the study to help purchase materials. If you have questions, please get in touch with the parish office at 402-331-1955.
Our commitment to the Journey of Faith as a Family of Parishes continues. Our combined committee of representatives from St. Columbkille and St. Gerald have been meeting and discussing our path forward together as a community of faith. Recently each parish group took time to reflect and assess the strengths of the parish as well as areas in need of improvement. The teams used an assessment tool provided by the Archdiocese that directed each parish team to look at liturgy, leadership, path to discipleship, culture of generosity, adult formation, religious education, the Catholic school, sacramental preparation, finance and facilities. Once each individual parish team had time to reflect, both teams came together to share their findings. Knowing where each parish stands, we can then move forward and discuss ways that we may be able to support each other while we build each of our parishes into more flourishing and missional faith communities.
Understanding that this Journey of Faith process is intended to span the next 10 years, the framework and ideas that come from the Family of Parishes relationship will be things that can grow and transform as time progresses. An immediate area that is being discussed is creating an invitational spirit and promoting faith events within each parish. Recently an invitation was extended to the teens of St. Gerald to join St. Columbkille's teen faith program. Likewise, an invitation from St. Gerald was extended to the women of St. Columbkille to attend their "Women of Grace" Bible study. While these are small beginning steps, it is the hope that continued cooperation and collaboration will help lead our two parishes into a closer relationship as we work together to strengthen the faith of the members in each of our communities.
Pray For Priestly Vocations
This year, unfortunately, we had no young men ordained to the priesthood for the archdiocese of Omaha. Please pray that more young men will hear and respond to God's call to the priesthood.
PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS (by Pope St. John Paul II)
Jesus, our Good Shepherd, bless all our parishes with numerous priests, deacons, men and women in religious life, consecrated laity and missionaries, according to the needs of the entire world, which you love and wish to save. Assist our pastors and all who live a consecrated life. Guide the steps of those who have responded generously to your call and are preparing to receive Holy Orders or to profess vows. Look with love on young people and call them to follow you. Help them to understand that in you alone can they attain complete fulfillment. To this end we call on the powerful intercession of Mary, Mother and model of all vocations. We beseech you to sustain our faith that the Father will grant what you command us to ask. Amen.
Is Jesus Calling Me to the Priesthood?
St. Gerald Parish Strategic Plan
The Pastoral Council spent the past five years researching, engaging with the Archdiocese and the Parish at-large, and formulating the St. Gerald Parish Strategic Plan. It is our hope that this Plan will help guide each Ministry, Group, and Parishioner on how to use their gifts to fulfill the Mission and Vision of St. Gerald's. Download the Strategic Plan (pdf)
Everyone in the parish was invited to a presentation of this plan on May 5, 2022. If you missed it, you can view the video presentation of the strategic plan. For more information and presentations leading up to the strategic plan, visit our Pastoral Planning page.
By purchasing gift certificates to various local vendors at no additional cost to you,
you support our educational programs including 5 Day School, Family Formation, Youth Ministry, Adult Education, and the Parish Library. Click here to reserve
your HOPE certificates online now.
Stay Informed
If you are not receiving our FlockNote emails and texts, you are missing out on important information. Subscribe now!
Daily prayer is essential to our relationship with God.Click here
for several resources to help you with contemplative prayer, following a daily bible plan, the rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, and more!
Update Your Information
The parish office maintains information on our registered parishioners. Please take a moment to
submit your information so we can update our records. If you are not yet registered at St. Gerald, you are invited to
register now.
By purchasing gift certificates to various local vendors at no additional cost to you,
you support our educational programs including 5 Day School, Family Formation, Youth Ministry, Adult Education, and the Parish Library. 
