He celebrated Mass in the Moores' log dwelling, which was located three miles west of the present town of Wood River.

[2] After the railroad arrived in Hall County in 1868,[3] it was decided that a church should be built.

The Union Pacific Railroad donated the land in Grand Island in 1869 and a church, named St. Mary's, was built under the direction of the Rev.

The cornerstone was laid on May 7; the building was completed in July, and the new church was dedicated in September 1877.

Bishop James O’Connor of Omaha laid the cornerstone for the new church on August 15, 1888; the building was dedicated on July 7, 1889, by the diocesan vicar general, the Rev.

Four years later, Pope Benedict XV added four additional counties to the new diocese.

In 1917, the see city was moved from Kearney to Grand Island, and the diocese was renamed accordingly.

The new cathedral was designed by Brinkman & Hagan[1] and was modeled after Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.