Saint John was dedicated on Dec. 29, 1872. In recognition of its 150th anniversary, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

St. John the Baptist parishioner Mike Fitzgerald told the Omaha-World-Herald the usual 8:30 a.m. Mass was called off. He remembered Gutgsell, who was at the church for 11 years, as a “very holy ...

St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is one of only three people in history — after Jesus and Mary — whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgy.