Our History

On June 13, 1963, Archbishop Bergan officially established St. James Parish. The Archdiocese had purchased a site for the new parish in November 1961, at 90th and Tomahawk Blvd. on one half acre of land. The founding pastor, Fr. Jerome Dickes, arrived in Omaha in June 1963 from Butte, Nebraska. Fr. Dickes bought a home at 9130 Tomahawk Blvd. At first, St. James parishioners attended Mass at Boyd School. The plans for the new parish consisted of a 16-room school, temporary church, and multi-purpose room. St. James School opened in September 1965 with 526 pupils in Grades 1-8. The parish welcomed Sr. Ruth Arnott as the first principal, along with three other Servants of Mary, and eleven lay teachers. The sisters moved into their convent in November 1965, at 9124 Tomahawk Blvd. In September 1966, ten rooms were added to the school. On June 17, 1981, St. James Parish gave birth to a new parish, St. Elizabeth Ann. Fr. Thomas McDermott was named founding pastor, and with the help of his parishioners, established residence at 11212 Grande Ave. The school was then renamed St. James/Seton in 1981, establishing a two parish model system to support the school for years to come.