St. Gerald Catholic Church

Father Mark Nolte - Pastor

Fr. Mark was born February 16, 1960 and was raised in a large Catholic family in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He is one of ten children. Prior to receiving his call to the priesthood, Fr. Nolte was an Optometrist in Nashville from 1986 to 1995. Through his involvement and life-changing experiences with the Catholic charismatic renewal, he eventually felt led to join the Diocese of Nashville in 1995 to begin his studies for the priesthood. Within a few years, however, he began to feel a strong calling to religious life, particularly to a more contemplative life-style. His search for community life eventually led him to Omaha, Nebraska where he became a member of the Intercessors of the Lamb community from 1997 to 2010. Since his ordination on June 1, 2002 in the archdiocese of Omaha, Fr. Nolte has served in Omaha as the associate pastor at Holy Cross parish from 2002 to 2005, St. Margaret Mary's parish in 2006, and again at Holy Cross parish in 2012. As a member of the Intercessors of the Lamb, and in addition to his parish duties, he has also directed both public and private retreats as well as parish missions throughout the United States and abroad. In January of 2013 he returned to the diocese of Nashville and was appointed as associate pastor at St. Rose of Lima parish in Murfreesboro. He also served as pastor of St. Edward in Nashville before returning to Omaha as the pastor of St. Gerald Catholic Church in July of 2016.
Send email to frmnolte@gmail.com

Father Marcus Knecht - Associate Pastor

Fr. Knecht grew up going to public school in Forest City, Iowa, which is less than two hours east of Okoboji. He received his BA in Computer Science from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa and moved to Omaha in 2005 to work as a Technical Support Analyst. As a parishioner of St. James, he got involved in the many young adult activities and Bible studies offered throughout the Archdiocese. He joined the local boards for Theology on Tap and the Pro Sanctity Movement and helped the Faithful Builders group for Habitat for Humanity. In 2010, he answered the call to join the seminary and in 2016 graduated from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary of St. Louis. Fr. Knecht's first assignment as a priest was Associate Pastor at St. Patrick in O'Neill and St. Joseph in Amelia. He also taught 9th & 11th grade Theology at St. Mary Catholic School in O'Neill. In 2018 St. James parish became his second assignment and he visited 1st, 5th, and 7th graders each week as SJS. He became the Associate Pastor of St. Gerald in July of 2020.
Send email to meknecht@archomaha.org