St. John's Parish Catholic Church

Completed in 1897, St. John's Catholic church is one of the oldest churches in Omaha and part of the Creighton University campus. The Jesuit college opened in 1878 and constructed this church for students and the Creighton community, as well as many families throughout Omaha.

The Catholic Church in Omaha dates back to 1854 with the opening of St. Mary's Church on Harney Street. In 1895, Pope Leo XIII named John Creighton a knight of the Holy Roman Empire for his work supporting Creighton University and other work. The parish is named in honor of St. John of the Evangelist before the Latin gate. The church site was dedicated on May 6, 1888, and construction started on the church which was not formally dedicated until January 10th 189., At that time, the church also celebrated the opening of a school. By 1950 the list of members of the parish rose to 655 members.

The next decades saw families move from the area and by the late 1960s, the grade school closed due to the declining membership. On January 6th, 1980, the parish was formally named a landmark in Omaha. In the mid-1980s renovations on the church began and would continue to have some minor renovations throughout the 2000s. Similar to other campus chapels, the chapel hosts many weddings.

Fitzmorris, T. J. “The Pioneer of Religion, and the First Church and Cathedral in Omaha and Nebraska.” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia 3 (1888): 111–20.

Jack, Tom. “The Omaha Gospel Complex in Historical Perspective.” Great Plains Quarterly 20, no. 3 (2000): 225–34.

“More than 30 Creighton Anniversaries in 2022 | University Relations | Creighton University.” Accessed December 8, 2022. https://alumni.creighton.edu/news-events/news/2022-anniversaries-part-1.

McCarthy, P. F. “Bishop James O’connor in Omaha.” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia 3 (1888): 121–28.

“The Catholic Church in Nebraska : About Us : Nebraska Catholic Conference.” Accessed December 13, 2022. https://necatholic.org/about-us/the-catholic-church-in-nebraska.html.

“The History of Creighton University.” Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.creighton.edu/about/history

University, Creighton. “Iconic St. John’s Church, on Creighton’s Campus, Is Most Popular Catholic Church in Omaha for Weddings.” Omaha World-Herald. Accessed December 8, 2022. https://omaha.com/sponsored/creighton/iconic-st-john-s-church-on-creighton-s-campus-is-most-popular-catholic-church-in/article_4256e598-d6c6-5437-b8fa-9a863299a033.html.

St Cabrini. “Parish History.” Accessed December 13, 2022. https://stcabriniomaha.org/welcome/parish-history/.

St. John’s. “Pastors of St. John’s Church.” Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.stjohns-creighton.org/pastors-of-st-johns-church

“Saint John before the Latin Gate.” Accessed November 9, 2022. https://sanctoral.com/en/saints/saint_john_before_the_latin_gate.html.