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

Students from Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Lincoln gathered on November 9 for a “Barn Dance” at Pius X High School in Lincoln. The event, which began in 2018, has become a tradition among several Catholic schools.

Andrew Neiwald, a theology teacher at St. John’s High School in Beloit, Kansas, brought students, parents, and teachers to Nebraska for the dance. The Kansas students visit every other year to participate and serve as instructors for swing and line dancing.

While visiting Lincoln, the group from Kansas also prayed outside Planned Parenthood and attended Sunday Mass at the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.

About 150 students from various diocesan schools attended the event this year, including Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo, Aquinas in David City, St. Cecilia in Hastings, and Pius X. They were joined by approximately 50 students from Beloit.

“The Beloit students are ‘pros,’” said Gery Kenney, campus minister at Bishop Neumann. “The St. John’s students learn swing and line dancing as part of their theology classes. They then come to Nebraska and share their knowledge with us. Our students always enjoy when this event takes place and the Beloit students are really good.”

The dance has grown each year it has been held and has previously taken place at Bishop Neumann and Aquinas before being hosted at Pius X this year.

“This dance gives our students a chance to learn new skills, but also gives students a chance to make new friends from the other schools in the diocese,” Kenney said. “It has been a great avenue to intermingle our Catholic high school students. We have found that swing dancing fosters friendships and builds community.”

Kenney also noted that members of St. John’s have joined Neumann students on annual mission trips to Gallup.

“It is always valuable to build connections, to see what other Catholic schools are doing, and to bring our students together,” Kenney said. “Students learn that there is more than just what is happening in their own individual schools.”