This St. Luke Shrine Is A Hidden Gem on the Plains
St. Luke was a great apologist, evangelist, and disciple of Paul, so it only makes sense that he has an equally memorable shrine here in the U.S.
St. Luke is best known as the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, which together make up a significant portion of the New Testament. A physician by trade, he is the only evangelist who was not one of the Twelve Apostles, yet his close companionship with St. Paul gave him a unique perspective on the early Church. (Paul even refers to Luke as “the beloved physician” in his letters.)
Tradition holds that Luke was a Greek from Antioch who converted to Christianity and later accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys. He is also often credited with being an early Christian historian and even, according to some traditions, a painter of icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St. Luke is believed to have died a martyr, though the details vary across traditions.
Now, you may be asking yourself, "Where is this great shrine for this great man?" In honor of his Feast Day on October 18th, we invite you to follow us as we travel to the heart of the U.S.:
St. Luke’s Church in Loma, Nebraska, carries a unique Catholic heritage tied to the Czech immigrants who first settled in the area. Built in 1912, the church began as a mission parish serving neighboring towns like Brainard, Touhy, and Dwight. By 1915, it had its own resident pastor, and for decades it served as a vibrant parish community. Remarkably, two of its parishioners went on to become priests: Fr. Edmund Navratil in 1952 and Fr. Myron Pleskac in 1960.
Although the parish officially closed in 1992, that same year the church was reestablished as the St. Luke Czech Shrine, honoring the faith of the early Czech Catholic immigrants in Butler and Saunders Counties. Msgr. Myron Pleskac, a native son of the parish, was named the shrine’s administrator. The church building underwent much-needed renovations in the 1990s, with some unexpected help from Universal Studios, which used the site as a communications hub while filming a movie in Loma in 1994. Thanks to this support and the dedication of local Catholics, the shrine continues to stand as a spiritual and cultural landmark, preserving the faith traditions of the Czech immigrant community for future generations.
To learn more about the St. Luke Czech Shrine - including upcoming masses and openings - please visit the Holy Trinity Catholic Church's website.