Little Italy's 1908 parish church, a Spanish Colonial Revival landmark designed by Thomas Rogers Kimball that once served as Omaha's cathedral and still holds the Santa Lucia statue.
St. Frances Cabrini Church stands at 10th and William streets in the heart of Little Italy. The parish describes itself as the original Catholic cathedral for the Nebraska Territory. Its history begins with St. Philomena's, Omaha's first cathedral, completed in 1868 near 9th and Harney. The present church was finished in 1908 as the new St. Philomena's, and in 1961 it was renamed for Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be canonized.
Omaha architect Thomas Rogers Kimball designed the building, and the parish notes it as an early example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, with a terracotta roof and stained-glass windows. Inside, the high marble altar came from Italy and was donated to the first cathedral in 1867 by Mary Creighton, so it predates the current church by four decades.
The church is closely tied to Little Italy's Sicilian community. Many of the neighborhood's immigrants came from Carlentini and Lentini in Sicily, where devotion to St. Lucy runs deep. In the early 1920s they commissioned a statue of Santa Lucia modeled on the one in Carlentini and started an annual festival. The statue is still kept at the parish, and the Santa Lucia Festival, with its Mass and procession, is held outside at 10th and William each summer.
Visitors are welcome at public Masses, and the church is a short walk from the Sons of Italy hall next door and Orsi's Italian Bakery. Please treat it as an active place of worship: plan to visit around service times, dress respectfully and avoid photography during Mass. A handicapped-accessible entrance is on the south side off William Street.
Omaha's historic Sicilian neighborhood just south of downtown, with a century-old bakery, an old-school steakhouse, lodge-hall spaghetti dinners, a 1908 church and the summer Santa Lucia Festival.
Free entry
Nearest CityLine stays: Blue Oasis: Modern 1-Bed Retreat Apt 1 (2.1 mi), Midtown Home w/ Historic Charm (2.2 mi) · See all rentals by distance
Omaha's historic Czech district along South 13th Street, now a compact strip of cocktail bars, a tamaleria, a coffee roaster, a brewery and indie shops, anchored by century-old brick buildings.
Free entry
Nearest CityLine stays: Blue Oasis: Modern 1-Bed Retreat Apt 1 (1.8 mi), Midtown Home w/ Historic Charm (1.9 mi) · See all rentals by distance
A nonprofit professional theater at 10th and Pacific in Little Italy staging contemporary, thought-provoking plays in an intimate, general-admission house, with a lobby bar before the show.
Adults $47
Nearest CityLine stays: Blue Oasis: Modern 1-Bed Retreat Apt 1 (1.8 mi), Midtown Home w/ Historic Charm (1.9 mi) · See all rentals by distance
Hours and prices come from St. Frances Cabrini Church’s official information and can change, so confirm on their website before you go. Back to all things to do
