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A Vibrant Religious Landscape

It is a natural extension of Greater Omaha’s diverse population—an equally rich and wide-ranging tapestry of religious traditions and denominations. More than 500 churches, temples, synagogues and mosques serve the city’s Christians and Jews, its Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.

“This kind of diversity offers a welcoming hand, an embracing arm to people who come here,” said Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Senior Rabbi at Omaha’s Temple Israel, one of five Jewish congregations. “Our diversity makes a statement about what the possibilities are in this city.”

Some of the city’s oldest churches are firmly rooted in Midtown Omaha. St. Cecilia Cathedral, the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha, started in 1905 and was consecrated in 1959. St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church is celebrating 100 years in existence, 55 of those in Midtown’s Park Avenue neighborhood. For 120 years now, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church has been a vital force within the Midtown community.

Churches like Salem Baptist Church, which attracts hundreds of worshippers each weekend to its $7.2 million facility, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which was declared a National Register of Historic Places landmark in 1979, are vibrant, prominent pillars in North Omaha.

Masses are celebrated in both English and Spanish throughout the week in South Omaha at Our Lady of Guadalupe-St. Agnes Parish.

Trinity, a large west Omaha interdenominational church, boasts an average attendance of 1,800 each Sunday. Other west Omaha churches, including Christ Community, Faith- Westwood United Methodist, King of Kings and Westside Community, have all increased their scope in recent years.

West Omaha is home to the Hindu Temple, one of several facilities in Omaha serving those who follow the Eastern religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Several mosques, including the Islamic Center of Omaha, are available to Omaha’s approximately 3,000 Muslims.

A Belief in Understanding

Beth Katz is the founder and executive director of Project Interfaith, a nonprofit organization with a mission to educate. Since its inception in 2005, more than 4,000 people of various faiths and backgrounds have attended Project Interfaith programs, events and workshops on religious diversity.

Katz, a 2000 Creighton University graduate with dual master’s degrees, returned to her hometown and established Project Interfaith.

The organization works with other nonprofits, businesses, foundations, donors, and community and religious groups including the Plains States Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League and the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Public Affairs and Community Service.

“We are trying to have our work driven by the needs we see in the community,” she said.

In 2008, Katz received the Creighton University College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Merit Award “in recognition of her tireless promotion of inter-religious understanding and for acting as a role model for a life lived fully in the service of peace and justice.”

“My hope is that through our Project Interfaith efforts, Omaha can become a model for other Midwestern communities.”

A Church for the Ages

Today, St. Cecilia Cathedral parish consists of more than 900 households. “We have a vibrant parish life with young active families who have a strong commitment to their faith and to their community. These families are the Cathedral builders of the next century,” said Rev. Michael Gutgsell, rector.

The Cathedral undertook two major renovation projects last year, debuting its new $950,000 parish hospitality center in October 2008 and a $350,000 renovation of St. Cecilia Grade School.

Located in the historic Gold Coast Neighborhood, St. Cecilia Cathedral was Destination Midtown’s first Spirit of Midtown Award winner of 2009.

“St. Cecilia Cathedral is truly a historical anchor in Midtown,” said Jamie Grayson-Berglund, Destination Midtown’s executive director.

This beautiful place of worship, in conjunction with the Cathedral Arts Project, also welcomes a variety of events celebrating cultural beauty. Its well-known flower festival draws more than 15,000 people to the Cathedral every winter.