Staff

Fr. Thomas Schultes is pastor at Saint Mary.  He was assigned to St. Mary in the summer of 2019.

He was ordained a priest in 2012. His assignments as assistant pastor were at St. Peter in Lincoln (teaching at Pius X High School) and St. Patrick and missions in McCook (teaching at St. Patrick Grade School). He served as pastor of Sacred Heart – Lawrence, St. Stephen – Lawrence, and Our Lady of Assumption – Deweese for three years before this assignment to St. Mary.  Father is part of the diocese Engaged Encounter community and assists the diocesan finance office as his schedule allows.

Father grew up in Hastings, Nebraska, where he attended Hastings Catholic Schools K-12. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Accounting and Finance, along with a Masters in Accounting. He worked for four years on the audit staff of Grant Thornton LLP in Lincoln and then five years as the financial officer for a private company based in Lincoln. His seminary formation included two years at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, followed by four years at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

Father is the oldest of three children – his parents and siblings’ families, inclusive of 10 nieces and nephews all reside in Hastings. One of his favorite activities is simply being an uncle whenever possible. The priesthood is much like that – being an uncle to souls of all ages!

Fr. Brox grew up in Lincoln and was a member of St. Teresa Parish, where his family is still active members. He is the oldest of his family and has six siblings: four brothers and two sisters. His hobbies include watching sports, especially baseball, football, and basketball, reading, theater, music, playing board and card games, and spending time with friends doing various activities. 

After graduating from Pius X High School, he attended Southeast Community College in Lincoln for one year, before entering the seminary in the Fall of 2017. His seminary formation included three years at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, followed by four years on the East Coast at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, PA. He was ordained a priest in May of 2024. Although he has only been a priest for a short time, he has loved being an instrument of God’s grace and the gift of being able to be an “alter Christus” in the world and do his part to reveal the love and mercy of the Father. He says that he is truly thankful and blessed to be here and serve the communities of St. Mary and Lourdes!

Born in Auburn, Fr. Rynearson moved to Lincoln when just four years old where his father took a teaching position at Lincoln High School. His family belonged to Saint John the Apostle Parish where he attended school and where his mother eventually taught up until her retirement in May of 2021. 

Fr. Rynearson attended Pius X High School and graduated in 2004. He then attended the University of Nebraska – Lincoln as a secondary language arts education major. During this time, he became very active at the Saint Thomas Aquinas' Parish/Newman Center and eventually heard God’s call to go to the seminary and discern there. He entered Saint Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward in the Fall of 2007 and graduated from there three years later. Following graduation he then attended Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, PA for four years and was ordained a priest in May of 2014. 

Fr. Rynearson's first assignment was as an associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Lincoln while also teaching at Pius X High School. Three years later he became pastor of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Prague and Saints Cyril & Methodius Parish in Plasi, while also being assigned to teach at Bishop Neumann Junior/Senior High School in Wahoo. During this time, he began working on obtaining a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. After completion of his degree in 2020, he became Assistant Chief Administrative Officer at Bishop Neumann Junior/Senior High School, a position he held for two years. For the past four years he has been the pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Rulo and Saint Mary Parish in Arago, while also teaching and holding the position of Assistant Chief Administrative Officer at Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School. 

Fr. Rynearson's mother still lives in the house where he grew up. He has one younger sister who lives in Omaha and works for CHI Health. In 2015, Fr. Rynearson's father passed away from a rare and aggressive form of stomach cancer. 

We welcome Fr. Rynearson and pray for him as he begins his new position as Chief Administrative Officer at Lourdes Central Catholic School.