The building has classical proportions based on orthodox function. The choir and organ reside in a loft in the back of church, above the main entrance. The tabernacle and altar of sacrifice are centrally placed in a traditional format. The nave, or main body of the church, is 80 feet long and at the center of the church. Porcelain tile similar to slate runs from the narthex (lobby) into the church gives the appearance of slate, and the sanctuary is covered in limestone. The wood trusses that form the ceiling are exposed in a design that was common at the time of the martyrs. Stone throughout the interior and exterior of the church is another traditional element of the building. The interior walls are comprised of burnished and split-faced block, while the exterior features red brick and split-faced block. A slight slope of twelve inches in the interior floor makes the sanctuary more visible to all.

The altars, pulpit and baptismal font are covered in black and beige granite. The main altar, called the altar of sacrifice, is where the Eucharist is offered. The high altar displays the brass tabernacle and is the focal point of the church. The domed tabernacle is plated in brass with a resurrection scene depicted on the front doors, standing 36 inches tall and 25 inches wide. Majestic guardian angels are stationed on either side of the tabernacle, standing 52 inches in height and bearing a red lamp stand. The candlesticks throughout the sanctuary are of an antique traditional brass “rope twist” design.

The statues are fiberglass moulds of classical pieces finished in antique stone that give the appearance of marble. To the right of the sanctuary is the Holy Family Shrine, a three-in-one relief of Jesus, Mary and Joseph measuring three feet by six feet. This statue is very appropriate for the parish, which has many young families. To the left of the sanctuary is a five-foot statue of the first Indian saint, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Two large angels serve as fonts for people to bless themselves with holy water upon entering the church.

The crucifix in the center of the church features a six foot hand-painted wood corpus from around the year 1700. It was recently brought to this country from a monastery in Germany. The corpus of Christ was cleaned and restored by Laurie Rodaway from our parish and Fr. Karl Pikus from St. Francis Chapel. Cheever Construction attached the restored corpus to a rough-cut cross approximately 20’ in length comprised of Honduran mahogany. The size, semblance, and placement of the cross are intended to give the crucifix an authentic appearance similar to the actual cross of Our Lord.

The stained-glass windows - each ten feet tall by three feet wide - represent the patron saints of the parish, the North American Martyrs. These were Jesuit priests and lay missionaries who came from France in the 1630’s and 1640’s to serve the Huron and Iroquois Indians living in present-day New York state and Canada. All nine stained-glass windows were designed by Rohlf Studio and artist Alex Sidorov. (Mr. Sidorov also designed the windows for St. Gregory the Great Seminary near Seward, while working for a different studio.) The windows depicting the eight Martyrs are detailed, pictorial and recognizable, as opposed to the more abstract images of most modern stained-glass art. Each window features a palm branch, representing martyrdom, and other symbols of their missionary work.

The ninth window is located above the front entrance of the church, and is called the Rose Window. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, since it was on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7th) in the year 2001 that the Parish Building Committee received a letter from Bishop Bruskewitz authorizing them to begin planning for the construction of a new church.

The pipe organ is a van Daalen tracker with 16 stops, 18 ranks, and 936 pipes, of which 32 are wood. It was built in 1978 by Jan van Daalen, a native of the Netherlands who immigrated to Minneapolis in 1969 and established himself as one of the respected builders of tracker-type organs in this country. A tracker organ means the key desk console (keyboard) is connected directly to the instrument by tracks and levers. The entire instrument is housed in a free-standing oak case which serves to focus and blend the sound. This is the same historic design incorporated in organ building since the 1600’s. The pipes vary in length from eight feet to just three-eights of an inch, and are made of tin and lead, or of wood.  The organ produces tonal characteristics which would be described as “baroque” or “classic”. Because of the manner in which the organ is constructed, maintenance costs are minimal, and the organ can be expected to serve for one hundred fifty to two hundred years or more without major repair.

The organ was acquired from the Blessed John XXIII Chapel at 37th and Sheridan Blvd (the former location of Sheridan Lutheran Church which was purchased in 2004 by the Diocese of Lincoln). The Bedient Pipe Organ Company here in Lincoln disassembled, packaged and transported the organ to our parish in February of this year. After construction was nearly completed, the organ was then reassembled in the choir loft of the new church in June. An Organ Key Donor Fund was established to help pay for some of the cost of relocating this fine instrument. Donations of $100 were given by parishioners for each of the keys and pedals. Thanks to the genuine generosity of our parishioners, we raised $13,500.

The Stations of the Cross are very traditional-looking antiques that were hand-painted by German monks onto thin sheets of tin around the year 1900. They were acquired from another church in this country that was being closed and restored by an artist from the University of Nebraska. Jerry Buettner of our parish designed and built the new rough-sawn wood frames and then installed the restored stations in the new church. Parishioner and bronze sculptor Fred Hoppe provided the bronze Roman numerals and the small cross atop each station.

The parish hall measures 5,200 square feet, and allows seating for up to 240 people at table. It is built with concrete masonry walls and brick veneer, wood clear span trusses, composite wood deck, and asphalt shingles. The interior finish has been constructed to tie in well with the Sanctuary corridors, using burnished and split-faced block walls, and porcelain tile. The hall flooring was installed by Brad Gose of our parish. The hall features two large bay windows, a sound system, and combined chair storage/custodial closet with a mop sink and a washer and dryer, thanks to the generosity of the Goemann Family. Adjacent to this closet is a small food and drink serving area with a sink and electrical outlets for roasters and coffee pots. We were also blessed with a 8’ x 16’ side-by-side cooler/freezer with a combined capacity of 112 sq. ft. donated by Midwest Tile. The extra food storage capacity is greatly appreciated.

A comprehensive landscaping endeavor was undertaken by parishioners to make improvements in the courtyard flower garden areas and parking lot islands. Kristy Malousek from Lanoha Nursery designed the islands and the courtyard gardens to give the parish grounds an attractive appearance. Other landscaping include: drainage improvement in the courtyard areas west and south of the school; retrenching and seeding of the south side of the property; installation of sprinkler system around the entire church, school, parish hall, and perimeter of the parking lot. Parishioners volunteered their time, talent and treasure towards our landscaping project, including donating over $21,000 to this endeavor.

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