• Home
• News
• Local

KEARNEY — For the last two years, the 1,120 family congregation of Prince of Peace Catholic Church have met in the Kearney High School auditorium.

“This space was never permanently designed to be a church,” said the Rev. Mike McDonald in his office at the current church at 2275 West 56th St.

McDonald said the church will go through three phases of expansion with the building of the new church. The first phase,he said, is a church with seating for 730 and a lower level with classrooms and offices.

The second phase includes a gathering space and offices on the second floor. The third phase will include a social hall.

“What I am most excited about is the involvement of the people,” he said. “We have a lot of people who have been instrumental in making this happen.”

McDonald said congregation members have been team players as they have set up and taken down Masses the last two years.

He said the church just completed a citywide capital campaign for the Catholic community of Kearney to raise funds for the new church. A goal was set to raise $6 million, and $5.4 million was raised.

“We know we can now get started on the actual church and the below-ground work,” McDonald said.

A percentage of the money raised goes to St. James Catholic Church for improvements and renovations.

McDonald hopes that eventually, each parish will have a Catholic grade school.

He said the design of the new church, which will be situated on 22½ acres, will be traditional.

“Nothing too modern or contemporary, but a little more traditional,” McDonald said. “We want a church that looks like a church.”

McDonald said more plans will be finalized by January.

e-mail to:

sarah.mulder@kearneyhub.com

Prince of Peace Catholic Church

Cost: $6.6 million

Location: 2275 West 56th St.

Architect: Renaissance Design Group of Omaha

Seating: 730

Ground breaking: Nov. 22, 2009

Completion date: Unknown

Congregation: 1,120 families