Rev. James D. Conley, D.D., S.T.L. | Diocese of Lincoln website

Father Ferdinand Boehme, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, passed away on June 23 at the age of 64.

A funeral Mass was held on June 28 at St. Augustine Church in Schuyler, officiated by Bishop James Conley and priests from the Diocese of Lincoln. The burial took place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Schuyler, with Kracl Funeral Chapel managing the arrangements.

Born in Seattle and raised in a Catholic family, Father Boehme attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before entering the seminary in 1991. He served as a deacon at St. Peter Parish in Lincoln in 1996 and was ordained in 1997.

His first assignment as a priest was as parochial vicar at St. Patrick, St. Ann, and Sacred Heart parishes in McCook. In 1999, he began serving St. James in Curtis, St. Joseph in Farnam, and St. William in Wellfleet.

In 2011, he served at St. Mary in Wymore, St. Joseph in Barneston, and St. Mary in Odell. He was appointed pastor of St. Joseph in Superior and Sacred Heart in Nelson in 2018 before becoming Dean of the Lawrence Deanery in 2021. He retired this June due to illness.

In an interview with the Register on the 25th anniversary of his ordination in 2022, Father Boehme emphasized the importance of praying for vocations: "He encouraged Catholics to simply tell young people to consider being a priest or religious in an authentic way."