A transcription of pages 195-469,
Family Histories from the Verdigre Centennial Book
Thanks to the Verdigre Library and its volunteers for making this available.
 
The index below only includes the husband and wife for each family.
The maiden name for the wife is used if listed.
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Index's A-I, J-P, & Q-Z

REV. CHARLES J. OBORNY

The Rev. Charles J. Oborny served as Verdigre’s spiritual leader for over 50 years.

He was born April 16, 1899, on a farm nine miles northwest of Schuyler, Nebraska, to Charles and Anna Oborny. He was in the first class to graduate from St. Wenceslaus School in Dodge, Nebraska - the year being 1913. He feels indebted to Sister Tomotea of Notre Dame for his vocation to the priesthood.

On September 7, 1915, Charles Oborny registered to attend St. Procopious College Preparatory School where he learned Latin, essential to the priesthood at that time. He spent 12 years at St. Procopious High School, College, and Seminary. Rev. Charles Oborny was ordained April 2, 1927, at St. Cecilia’s Cathedral by Archbishop Joseph Beckman. This ordination was noteworthy because it was the first to be held in the cathedral where the vernacular part of the ceremony was in the Czech language.

[pg 348 PHOTO Rev. Charles J. Oborny]

His first appointment was at St. Wenceslaus Parish in Omaha as an assistant to Father Chapuron. On March 7, 1928, he was called out of a catechism class there and informed that he was to go as an administrator to St. Mary’s Church at Schuyler and have the adjoining mission of St. Mary’s at Wilson.

In September of 1927, Rev. Charles Oborny was assigned to perform a wedding and say mass one weekend in Verdigre in the place of Father Bata who was ill. Father had not been expected and therefore was not met when he arrived on the train from Omaha. He had to find his own way to the church and finally resorted to crawling through a window to get into the parish house.

On December 1, 1929, Father Oborny was sent to Verdigre to be administrator of the St. Wenceslaus Parish after Father Bata’s departure (he went back to Czechoslovakia to spend his retirement years and is buried in that country.)

His second arrival was noted little more than his first. It seems difficult to believe now, but dissension had developed in Verdigre, largely between parishioners of Czech descent and those of German ancestry. There was no sign of that upon Father Oborny’s arrival at Verdigre. He was graciously greeted by two members of the church board. Any divisions he found here were rapidly mended and St. Wenceslaus was soon running smoothly. Father remained here as pastor until June 15, 1978, although he had several opportunities to leave and serve in larger parishes.

Besides serving the St. Wenceslaus parish in Verdigre, Father Oborny had Niobrara as a mission for many years. From 1931-35 he also took on the Santee mission saying mass twice a month at Santee and Niobrara (at that time only two masses on Sunday could be said by a priest).

During the 30s as a result of the extreme dry condition, the income of some of the parishioners was so low that they were in dire need of support. In response to the appeal for help from the parishioners, Father Oborny obtained a certain amount of help from the Omaha Diocese. About $1,000 was given for the care of feeding about 25 families. Arrangements were made with the local grocer stores to give each family the amount of groceries indicated on the cards signed by the pastor. The amounts granted by the parish committee on relief with pastor as chairman ranged from $3.00 to $10.00 per week. No luxuries were permitted, only the basic foods. Three cars of hay came in for the starving cattle. The pastor also had shipped in by the Omaha Diocese several boxes of discarded clothing for the poor parishioners.

During World War II the Verdigre Community and Parish found Father volunteering his services wherever needed. He was assigned the task of organizing and coordinating the functions of the Civil Defense Program. He earned an “A” rating on two realistic black-out practices he had planned with three government officers as observers.

Father Oborny was coordinator of the Boy Scouts for seven or eight years in Verdigre and helped with Cub Scouts.

He is a member of the Verdigre Improvement Club and a charter member of the Verdigre Lions Club.

Included in his highlights of serving as Verdigre’s pastor for nearly 50 years were the Golden Jubilee of the St. Wenceslaus Church in 1934 and the Diamond Jubilee in 1959. He was honored with his own Golden Jubilee on April 3, 1977, at which a 3:00 p.m. mass was concelebrated by Archbishop. Daniel E. Sheehan of Omaha and 33 priests, including the jubilarian. A total of 94 relatives attended this celebration. A representative from each of the Verdigre churches was present to extend an outward sign of their appreciation for his spiritual and civic leadership.

Father Oborny is remembered for the marvelous Christmas programs which he prepared and directed for many years. He was of great assistance to the Rogers Company for providing historical material for the Diamond Jubilee pageant entitled, “panorama of Our Heritage,” the same title as the book he helped prepare.

When asked what he considered his greatest accomplishment here in Verdigre, Father believes it is the completion of the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery.

A retirement party for the Rev. Oborny and a welcome party for his successor, the Rev. Ronald Battiato, was help Sunday, June 18, 1978. The party included a potluck dinner at noon for parishioners and an open house reception for the public in the afternoon.

Father’s service to his Creator is very dedicated. At 88 he still offers daily mass from the altar in his apartment (No. 2) at the Czech Alps in Verdigre. He has chosen as his eternal resting place a plot in front of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the cemetery for which he worked so hard to complete.

Pages 347, 348