There are several changes happening with Religious Education in January 2024.
GICC Classes will move to St. Mary’s Cathedral. We will no longer use the classrooms at Central Catholic.
Class times will change for all classes:
Kindergarten – 9th Grade 6:30 – 7:45
Confirmation 10th-12th Grade 6:00 – 7:45
Each year, graduating high school seniors are encouraged to apply for the St. Mary’s Cathedral scholarship if they meet the following requirements:
Requirements:
– Are registered members of St. Mary’s Cathedral
– Are graduating from high school in December 2025 or May 2026
– Can demonstrate their involvement in the parish, family, school, and community
Please note that this is considered a “life scholarship” and is available to all who meet the
criteria, even if they are not continuing their education.
2025-2026 Scholarship Dates:
– Due Date: April 9, 2026
– Award Date: April 26, 2026, at the 10:30 am Mass
Scholarship applications and reference forms may be downloaded or picked up in the parish office.
Return all forms, essays, and references to the parish office during office hours. Monday –
Thursday, 8 am-4:30 pm. OR mail to: St. Mary’s Cathedral Scholarships, 112 S. Cedar,
Grand Island, NE 68801.
No late applications will be accepted. Winners will be notified by mail.
If you will like to donate non-perishable food items, please drop them off at the Parish Office. Our office is open from Monday-Thursday at 8:30 am- 4:30 pm.
Why should I send my children to a Catholic School like Grand Island Central Catholic?
1. Catholic Schools provide children with the invaluable opportunity to expand their knowledge, explore their passions, create community, strengthen their sense of self, and come to know God all in one place.
2. The Catholic School prioritizes weekly Mass. Mass is the central act of worship for Catholics. Schools that prioritize Mass communicate the importance of Mass and also allow students and teachers to receive special graces not available through other worship.
3. Catholic schools are committed to academic excellence. Catholic schools incorporate spirituality into every aspect of the curriculum. Catholic schools teach that service to others is a basic tenet of the Catholic faith.
4. All curriculum and instruction in a Catholic school foster the desire to seek wisdom and truth, the preference for social justice, the discipline to become self-learners, the capacity to recognize ethical and moral grounding for behavior, and the responsibility to transform and enrich the world with Gospel.
The 4 reasons above are motivations to send your children to GICC. We have heard the argument that sending a child to a Catholic School is expensive and many do not apply to Catholic School for that reason. GICC does have tuition assistance as well as scholarships.
We at St. Mary’s Cathedral would like many of our youth to attend GICC. Fr. Canela has established a fund to help families send their children to GICC. We are open to all members of our Cathedral who are registered members of our church and attend mass regularly.
Fr. Canela would like as many of our families at GICC from St. Mary’s. If you are interested in sending your child to GICC and worried about the cost factor, please contact Fr Canela to receive a packet to be filled out by the family and return to Fr. Canela only. Once the packet is
received the committee with Fr. Canela will take the next steps of review. Note: not everyone who fills out the packet will be accepted into this program. If you have any questions please contact Fr Canela at 384-2523 ext 201 or email at frcanela@stmarysgi.com.
Every Thursday 3:30 pm-4:30 pm
Come and sit with Jesus
My dear friends in Christ,
All are welcome into God’s house, and I want you to feel warmly welcomed and feel right at home. Please allow me to take this opportunity to personally welcome you to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Grand Island, Nebraska. I, Fr. Canela, rector of this beautiful Cathedral would like to welcome you to join our parish family! We are here with open hearts and helping hands and sharing the love of Jesus with all of you. And so, together we may continue to proclaim in new ways that Jesus is Lord and build His Kingdom here in Grand Island, Nebraska.
We are a parish of over 2,500 households and over 6,700 parishioners.
It is very important to all of us to find the place where our longings and values are nurtured and a place where we are loved just for who we are. Therefore, here at St. Mary’s Cathedral, we seek to love, to serve God and our neighbors as Jesus teaches us to do it. So, my vision is to let you know that we are here to work together in every walk of life, all of us seeking to do God’s will, spreading the good news of Jesus and his salvation, and calling every one of us to grow in holiness.
May our Lady of Guadalupe intercede for each and every one of us, and inspire us to follow Jesus with deep love and a true desire to share his message of salvation with the people of our time. Love Mary as our mother, and let us ask her to be a mother to all of us and to never leave us. May she help us to grow in our faith and to do the will of God in everything.
I welcome you with great love and joy,
In Christ,
Fr. Canela
Rector
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