St. Ann's Catholic Church

​Lexington, Nebraska

Our History... 

The history of St. Ann's church dates back to the days of the building of the Union Pacific Railroad, over one hundred fifty  years ago.  The railroad employed many Irish immigrants of the Catholic Faith, and to accommodate them the first Masses in Lexington, then called Plum Creek, were offered in a boxcar.  In the summer of 1867, worship services began to be held in the old Plum Creek section house for the railroad workers and the few Catholic settlers in the community.  The priest commuted from Columbus.  Service continued to be held in the section house, and other homes, until the year 1883, when the congregation turned it attention to the building or a permanent church.  A small frame structure was erected on land donated by the Union Pacific Railroad, and was the first of the three church buildings to occupy this site.  The congregation continued to grow and in 1891 a much larger building was constructed.  The total cost of the new church was $2,400.00.  Around the turn of the century, Willow Island and Brady were missions of St. Ann's Parish.  The pastor would tend to these missions every other Sunday by means of a team of horses and a buggy.

In 1950, the third and present St. Ann's Church was built at a cost of approximately $200,000.00, and was paid in full by the year 1955.  In 1958 St. Ann's School was completed at a cost of $225,000.00.  The fist graduating class was 1962 with the total enrollment being 176 students.  St. Ann's Junior/Senior High School was closed following Spring Graduation in 1988 due to the declining enrollment.  In 1976 the sanctuary of the church was remodeled to conform with the directives of Vatican II.  In the spring of 1995 the parish offices were moved from the rectory to the vacated school building, which is now the busy site of parish and community functions, and known as the St. Ann's Parish Center.  On July 24, 1999, Bishop Lawrence McNamara came to Lexington to rededicate St. Ann's remodeled church.  Most significant to the remodeling was an expansion to the church, which included the installations of an elevator.

During the 1990's, a population boom in Lexington followed the building of a major beef processing plant, currently owned by Tyson Fresh Meats.  A majority of the new residents have Hispanic roots and speak Spanish as their primary language.  Just as the railroad brought many people to Lexington, it is the same hope for employment and a better life that has again brought so many to our community.  Currently St. Ann's accommodates over 1500 registered families in our parish.

The history of St. Ann's church dates back to the days of the building of the Union Pacific Railroad, over one hundred fifty  years ago.  The railroad employed many Irish immigrants of the Catholic Faith, and to accommodate them the first Masses in Lexington, then called Plum Creek, were offered in a boxcar.  In the summer of 1867, worship services began to be held in the old Plum Creek section house for the railroad workers and the few Catholic settlers in the community.  The priest commuted from Columbus.  Service continued to be held in the section house, and other homes, until the year 1883, when the congregation turned it attention to the building or a permanent church.  A small frame structure was erected on land donated by the Union Pacific Railroad, and was the first of the three church buildings to occupy this site.  The congregation continued to grow and in 1891 a much larger building was constructed.  The total cost of the new church was $2,400.00.  Around the turn of the century, Willow Island and Brady were missions of St. Ann's Parish.  The pastor would tend to these missions every other Sunday by means of a team of horses and a buggy.

In 1950, the third and present St. Ann's Church was built at a cost of approximately $200,000.00, and was paid in full by the year 1955.  In 1958 St. Ann's School was completed at a cost of $225,000.00.  The fist graduating class was 1962 with the total enrollment being 176 students.  St. Ann's Junior/Senior High School was closed following Spring Graduation in 1988 due to the declining enrollment.  In 1976 the sanctuary of the church was remodeled to conform with the directives of Vatican II.  In the spring of 1995 the parish offices were moved from the rectory to the vacated school building, which is now the busy site of parish and community functions, and known as the St. Ann's Parish Center.  On July 24, 1999, Bishop Lawrence McNamara came to Lexington to rededicate St. Ann's remodeled church.  Most significant to the remodeling was an expansion to the church, which included the installations of an elevator.

During the 1990's, a population boom in Lexington followed the building of a major beef processing plant, currently owned by Tyson Fresh Meats.  A majority of the new residents have Hispanic roots and speak Spanish as their primary language.  Just as the railroad brought many people to Lexington, it is the same hope for employment and a better life that has again brought so many to our community.  Currently St. Ann's accommodates over 1500 registered families in our parish.