NOTE: A special thank you to The Howells Journal for allowing me to reprint articles that might assist genealogists. The following article, which I have reprinted in part, originally appeared on Wednesday, September 27, 1978, page 1.

Located 12 miles north and one mile east of Schuyler; nine miles southwest of Howells; and 10 1/2 miles southeast of Clarkson, the Heun parish was first known as the Bohemian Settlement on Maple Creek. Later it was called Holy Trinity Parish at Praha, Nebraska, since its first Post Office in the area was Praha, on the present Emil Sobota farm in Midland Precinct. Finally, when a post office was established next to the parish by William Heun, the Heun parish received the name it uses to the present, when it is on Rural Route 1 of Clarkson.

The first Mass in the Heun area was offered in the sod house of Peter Lodl, a mile north of the present church, by Father Frederick Uhing of West Point in 1871. Masses were later celebrated in the Konicek school in the southeast corner of Adams Precinct, by Father Uhing to 1873, by Father Francis Bobal to 1876, and by Father Francis Sulak, S.J. After Father John A. Blasko was appointed pastor of Olean in the fall of 1877, he conducted services at regular intervals in the Konicek school.

Already in 1873 a committee had been formed to construct a church in the Midland Precinct, but because of drouth and the plagues of grasshoppers in the 1870's, means were not available. Finally in 1878 a frame church was built by the settlers on land donated by John Folda and William Heun. The site chosen was next to the local cemetery which was already in use in 1871. Vaclav Vacha superintended the building of the church and John Ciha was the chief carpenter. Father John A. Blasko blessed the church on the feast of the Holy Trinity, 1878.

In March 1879 the Rev. Cyril Augustinsky, O.F.M., of Columbus was appointed pastor of the Holy Trinity Parish. On 21 June 1879 Bishop James O'Connor visited the parish and administered Confirmation to 106 parishioners. A new church bell was consecrated by Father Augustinsky on 19 October 1879.

The first resident pastor of Heun was the Rev. Francis Pold, S.J., for whom a parish house was built in 1883. From 1885 to 1890 the parish was served by the Rev. Filip Maly, S.J. of Crete, and the Rev. Joseph Hovorka of Abie. In addition to the Heun parish these priests also served the churches at Wilson, Dry Creek, and St. Paul's in Schuyler.

St. Paul's church, located a block south and a block east of the Schuyler railroad station was the first Catholic church in Colfax County. It was erected in the early 1870's by Father Ryan of Fremont and Columbus. Its use was given to the Czechs in Schuyler after St. Augustine's parish was established in Schuyler in 1878.

From 1890 to 1893 the Rev. John Hodyc was pastor of Heun, with missions at Wilson, Dry Creek, and Tabor. Tabor, which is in the south end of Lincoln Precinct of Colfax County, had been served by the pastor of Olean until 1890. Suceeding Father Hodyc were the Rev. John Vlcek, 1894 to 1897; the Rev. Charles L. Zak, 1897 to 1905; the Rev. Joseph Drbal, 1905 to 1915; the Rev. Joseph Bata, 1915 to 1917; and the Rev. Francis Szczepuchowski, Joseph Bartik, and Leopold Blasko.

In January 1920 the Rev. Anthony Folta was appointed to Heun. He built the present parish house in that year and a new brick church in 1928. Successors to Father Folta were the Rev. Francis J. Oborny, 1931 to 1937; the Rev. Anthony F. Tuma, 1937 to 1952; the Rev. Vaclav Kovar, 1952 to 1958 and the Rev. Anthony J. Pluhacek, who as served the parish from 4 December 1958 to the present [September 27, 1978].