Father Tom Fangman
Pastor
Born in Omaha Fr. Tom Fangman went to Christ the King Grade School, Creighton Prep High School, and graduated from Kansas University, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Fr. Tom attended Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis where he earned two master’s degrees: counseling and theology. Fr. Tom was ordained a priest in 1992 by Archbishop Daniel Sheehan. His first assignment was at St. Philip Neri in North Omaha. Next he became associate pastor of Sacred Heart in Norfolk, NE where he was also a theology teacher at Norfolk Catholic. Fr. Tom became pastor of Sacred Heart in Omaha in 1998.
For the past eleven years, Fr. Tom has served as Pastor of Sacred Heart Church and School. The parish is known for its diversity, commitment to the poor, welcoming spirit, and lively liturgies. It is a wonderful place for Father Tom because he loves and thrives in Sacred Heart’s Spirit and mission!
Fr. Tom serves as the Executive Director of Christian Urban Education Service (CUES), which is the fundraising arm of Sacred Heart School located in the heart of Omaha’s inner city. The school is very important to Fr. Tom because he believes that education and faith formation are everything when helping kids grow into loving, caring human beings. Fr. Tom works to provide opportunities for at-risk neighborhood children and encourages students to strive for success, reach their potential, and become industrious citizens. Through Fr. Tom’s leadership, the school is strongly supported by the business community and CUES has raised millions of dollars to help operate the school.
In addition to being the Pastor of Sacred Heart Church and School, and Executive Director of CUES, Fr. Tom is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Heart Ministry Center, which serves the poor in Sacred Heart’s neighborhood. Fr. Fangman brought the Heart Ministry Center back to the Sacred Heart campus in 2002. The center was established to help those in need and Fr. Fangman worked with community and business leaders to raise more than $650,000 to fund a new, larger and debt-free center which opened in May 2005.
Fr. Tom loves the Omaha community and considers himself blessed to be able to give back to it. Currently, Fr. Tom serves on the following local boards: CUES, Heart Ministry Center for Sacred Heart Church, Root to Fruit, (part of the Mammal Foundation), Creighton Prep Alumni Council, Omaha 100, Domestic Violence Board of Catholic Charities, and the Creighton University Community Affairs Committee. In the past, Father Tom has served on the Priest’s Council and Personnel Board of the Archdiocese of Omaha.
In his free time, Fr. Tom loves to bike, swim, ski, read, and spend time with family and friends. In February, 2009, Creighton University gave Fr. Tom Fangman the Archbishop Daniel E. Sheehan Award. This award recognizes a priest or brother from the Archdiocese of Omaha who has distinguished himself for service to society, to the Church and to Catholic education. Congratulations, Fr. Tom, from your parish, for an award well deserved!