Saint Francis of Assisi

The St. Francis of Assisi Chapel is a historically significant and beautiful church in Lincoln, Nebraska. Its stained glass, art, and remarkable architecture share in the joys and sorrows of those who passed through the old St. Elizabeth Hospital leaving a lasting impression on many generations. But at one time this priceless treasure was scheduled for demolition!

The Poor Sisters of St. Francis Seraph of Perpetual Adoration opened the original St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Lincoln in 1889 in a large house at 12th and South Street.The order was founded by Blessed Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel, born in Germany in 1830, and beautified in 2013. The sisters came to Lincoln through the initiative of Bishop Thomas A. Bonacum, Lincoln’s first bishop. The main wing of the hospital was started in 1901 in the Buckstaff Place. The chapel was built in 1921 as part of the fourth hospital addition of the East wing of the hospital. The chapel was designed by Jacob Nachtigall of Omaha. The beautiful stained glass windows were designed in the studio of Emil Frei Art Glass Co. of St Louis Missouri. Hospital chapels at that time were built with the finest materials available to be beautiful and provide “honor and glory to God.” Very few similar chapels exist today.

The chapel became an integral part of the life of the hospital and its spiritual center. It was used for retreats by the priests and nuns and for prayer by patients and their families. Ordinations were held there and morning Mass was attended by nursing students before going on to their daily assignments. In 1970, the St. Elizabeth hospital moved to new facilities on South 70th Street and the old hospital including the chapel was purchased by Lancaster County for use as the Lancaster Manor nursing home. As the main facilities deteriorated, the County decided to build a new nursing care facility in 1983. In 1986 Anne Senkbeil and Louise Slatinsky, doing research to catalog stained glass windows in local churches, discovered that the chapel was slated for demolition. Along with Sister Barbara Ann Braun, Director of Pastoral Care at St Elizabeth Hospital, they spearheaded a drive to preserve  the chapel. Sister Barbara knew that the sisters in her order had already lost three such chapels in Nebraska, in Grand Island, Columbus, and Omaha, “But this chapel has a chance of being saved, people will come forth to help save it.” And they did.

In 1987, the County Commissioners spared the chapel and approved funds to build a front face for it after the demolition of the attached hospital (which occurred in 1994). The St. Francis Chapel Foundation was created to manage the ongoing preservation efforts. Thus the chapel took on a new life as a non-denominational community center – hosting concerts, weddings, and meetings by local community organizations. In 1990, the Lincoln City Council designated the Chapel as a Lincoln Landmark.

In July of 1998, the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners voted to sell the chapel to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) marking its return to use as an active Catholic church and the St. Francis of Assisi Oratory was established to serve the needs of the Tridentine Mass Apostolate, which had been given to the care of the FSSP in 1994. Bishop Bruskewitz blessed and rededicated the building as St. Francis of Assisi Church on January 24, 1999. Under the guidance and craftsmanship of its first rector, Father Karl Pikus, FSSP, and associates Larry Vilda and Tom Coffey, the church and its beautiful stained glass windows were preserved and the interior of the church beautified with frescos and wall detailing. Father Pikus designed all the stencils used to paint the interior. The result of this faithful and sensitive restoration is a sensory treat, with its Neo-Gothic architecture, Italian Renaissance-style stained glass windows, white carrera marble sanctuary, art deco tapestry, statues, stations of the cross, murals, and paintings. It is a most fitting place for offering the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the traditional Roman Rite in Latin.

The Crown Jewels of St. Francis of Assisi

The Emil Frei Art Glass Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, established in 1898, produced the so-called “Crown Jewels” of the parish, the twenty-five stained glass windows. Originally purchased for $4,500, they carry the signature of the company and, while being justly admired for their beauty, are also unusual for being such a large collection of windows preserved in one church. In fact these windows are a featured part of the Emil Frei & Associates’ portfolio on their website to this day. Emil Frei, a Bavarian immigrant, worked in the Munich Pictorial Style of stained glass. Like other aspects of the Gothic Revival, the company’s stained glass designs are not simply copies of medieval stained glass designs; instead they are created with a Raphael-inspired Italian Renaissance compositional style, with carefully delineated and shaded figures. Multiple artists would work on each window, each specializing in particular areas, such as faces or landscapes. These windows are especially beautiful for the detail in the hands, feet, and faces.

Stained Glass Around the Church