Sometime in 1877, several men wee urged to see the Most Rev. James O'Connor, Bishop of Omaha, to discuss the possibility of erecting a Catholic church in Schuyler. The parish of St. Augustine's was organized, and teh church was dedicated in 1878. It cost $700 to construct, with an addition in the back to house two sacristies. Plain glass windows were along either side, and a belfry graced the roof at the front of the church.

The little white church was the spiritual home for the first Catholic settlers for 31 years. All nationalities attended services there. They had a choir, held catechism classes and other religious events. For more than a year, missionary priests served the church on a missionary basis.

Records of the church from 1878 until 1884 are sketchy. More complete records began in about 1882 and 1884. In 1884, Father P.J. Ploz baptized Francis Severin, son of Frank and Frances Severin, and Miriam Krivohlavek, daughter of Frank and Josepha Krivohlavek.

A wedding ceremony recorded in 1889 was that of Jacob James Hawe and Margeritta J. O'Connell. In 1890, Jacob P. Maple and Anna Roesler were united in marriage.

The church had no cemetery, so burials before 1891 were in the Schuyler Cemetery. Holy Cross Cemetery was organized in 1891. In 1899, the lots where the frame church was located were sold to St. Augustine's Catholic Church, a corporation, by Bishop O'Connor. The price to the parish was one dollar.

Until this time, the organization had no parish house. In 1899, two lots were purchased in the southwest corner of the block where the present church stands. The home of Georgia Sutherland occupied the east lot and it became a parish house. Records are not clear whether Father Jungels or Father McCarthy was the first Schuyler priest to have a parish home. The little frame church was moved that year to the extra lot on the present site. Services were held there until 1909. In 1900, the three uptown lots were sold to Henry Wright for $200.

This church was still the only Catholic church in Schuyler, and all of the Catholic community attended there. In the parish were many Czech people who did not readily understand the English language.

When the new brick church was built, the Czech parishioners used the frame church for services, and then they could have their own pastor who spoke their native language. When they built their own edifice, St. Mary's in 1914, the frame church was used for a time as a meeting place for St. Augustine's Guild.

A few years later the church was sold to J.H. Costello. He split the church in half, moved it a block north and a block east, where he constructed two dwellings at 222 W. 7th St., and the other located at 216 W. 7th St., the parsonage of St. John's Lutheran Church. The parsonage remained on the same lot until 1924.

After St. Patrick's Church of Dublin was organized, it became a mission of St. Augustine's in 1889. It remained a mission of St. Augustine's until 1917. Services were held there on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

It was an organized church when Mr. and Mrs. M.J. Higgins purchased the two lots directly east of the frame chruch in 1908. They donated the lots to the church as a site for a new St. Augustine's Church. The brick structure is of Gothic design depicting the beautiful, gracefully rounded Gothic windows. A tall spire, topped by a golden cross, is on the left hand side of the edifice. A smaller steeple balances the right hand corner. A slate roof gives elegance to the church.

Although there were only 60 families registered at St. Augustine's, many of them Czechs, who desired their own church, the building committee and Father McCarthy looked deeply into the church's possibilities for the future. They saw the City of Schuyler as a progressive town and the surrounding rural communities developing into a rich, agricultural area. They built for the future growth of the church giving it a seating capacity of 400.

The dedication of the new church was held June 1, 1909. The first baptism in the new church was John Joseph Obrachta, son of Joseph and Caroline Kohout Obrachta. The first marriage, June 28, 1909, was Julius Opratril and Tony Cech, both of Rogers. The first burials were Johanna Delany, Oct. 5, 1909, and James Dowd, Oct. 19, 1909.

The oak pews are the original pews at St. Augustine's. Father Nacke had them refinished during his pastorate. The side doors in the transept were also installed during Father Nacke's tenure. The congregation had grown until it became dangerous to have only the front entrance for an exit in case of fire. Father Downey had the wooden doors replaced with heavy glass doors. In 1976, the old garage was torn down, and a new two-car garage was built in the same location. It also houses heated rest rooms and a storage room for yard equipment.

The first parish house was purchased in 1889 from Georgia Sutherland. It was located in the southwest corner of the church block. It served as a parsonage until 1925. In 1913, the guild raised $650 to buy the north half of the church block with the intention of seeing a parish house built there. In 1925, during Father Dobson's pastorate, the new brick parsih house was constructed on the northeast corner of the block. The building cost $19,000. The first parish house was then sold and moved to 621 Denver St.

When Father Downey assumed the pastorate in 1970, he completely renovated the house. A new heating and central air unit was installed. All electric wiring was replaced and new plumbing fixtures were installed. The roof was repaired and new outdoor lighting was added. The house was completely redecorated and refurnished. Some lower floor rooms were remodeled to make more useful and comfortable accommodations.