Luxembourg Links from Bellwood, Nebraska, Celebrating its 150th Anniversary

On Friday 27 September, the short documentary film Luxembourg in America will be screened as part of Heritage Days 2024: it provides a glimpse into Luxembourg's heritage in the US following emigration in the 19th century and how their descendants thrive today.

Linked with this, Chronicle.lu aims to bring a series of articles linked with Luxembourg's heritage in America, the first of which addresses the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Bellwood - formerly a Luxembourg settlement in Nebraska - as it celebrates its 150th anniversary.

Bellwood, Nebraska, is located about one hour north of Lincoln; on Saturday 14 September 2024, it celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding by Luxembourg immigrants in 1874. Bishop Conley of Lincoln presided at a Mass of Thanksgiving which was followed by a picnic-style dinner and reception, an historic display and music.

The location of Presentation Parish, which is in the town of Savannah, Butler County, in what is known as the Platte River Valley, has been referred to by various names over its history: Luxemburg, Luxembourg Settlement, the Valley, Marietta (a nickname for its parochial school) and Bellwood.

The first Luxembourg settlers, P.N. and Mary Barbara Meysenburg, arrived in the region in July 1869 from Cascade, Iowa, near Dubuque. The following year, they were joined by other members of the Meysenburg family as well as other Luxembourg immigrants, many of whom had also first settled in Cascade, Iowa.

The first Mass for the growing Luxembourg community was celebrated in the P.N. and Mary Barbara Meysenburg home on 16 April 1874. Fundraising for a church building began in 1877 and the first frame church was dedicated in 1878. Over time, this church proved to be too small and was replaced with a new church dedicated in January 1891. Sadly, less than three weeks after its dedication, the church burned to the ground; the cause of the fire was never determined. The parish received a $4,000 insurance payment and the third (current) church was dedicated on 15 August 1891.

Over the years, Presentation Parish operated a parish grade school (1898-1970) and its own Marietta High School (1925-1961), meaning little Mary, which held the distinction of being the smallest accredited high school in the United States from 1928-1945.

In 1909, the parish community installed a statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg (Consolatrix Afflictorum) in the church as a reminder of the parish's Luxembourg heritage. The statue was donated by parishioners John Morbach and Nicholas Smith. It was blessed by the local bishop and carried in procession into Presentation Church by four young girls from the parish. The statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg has been a treasured part of the parish's heritage and spiritual life for 115 years.

During the 150th anniversary celebration, a sterling silver rosary from Luxembourg was presented as a gift to the parish and the statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg by Kevin Wester, Attaché for Cultural Affairs, on behalf of the Honorary Consul of Luxembourg in Wisconsin, Mike Ansay. Kevin had purchased the rosary in May 2024 during the annual Oktav of Our Lady of Luxembourg in Luxembourg city. The rosary features a medallion of the original statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg housed at the cathedral and it was blessed by His Eminence Jean-Claude Cardinal Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg.

Following the 150th anniversary celebration, the special rosary was hung on the arm of the statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg. This was a most fitting tribute to the ancestral and spiritual ties that Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish shares with the country of Luxembourg.

It is also worth noting that, while Presentation Parish celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2024, the original statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg in Luxembourg City and the devotion to her, also celebrates its 400th Jubilee in 2024. While these realities are 250 years apart, the spiritual link between these two statues continues to inspire believers both in Luxembourg and in this rural region of Nebraska.

(Pictured: Presentation Church in Nebraska; Credit: Kevin Wester)