Catholic priest is stabbed to death in the rectory of his church in Nebraska: Cops find suspect inside the property after cleric called 911 to report break-in at 5am

A Catholic priest in a small Nebraska community died on Sunday after being attacked with a knife in a church rectory, authorities said.

The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, 65, was stabbed during an invasion at the rectory of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, the Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement.

Gutgsell was taken to an Omaha hospital where he died from his stab injuries, church officials said. 

Fort Calhoun, with a population of about 1,000 people, is roughly 20 miles north of Omaha.

Gutgsell, 65, placed a call to 911 around 5am, in which he told police that someone was attempting to break into the rectory. 

Cops found Gutgsell injured and an alleged attacker inside. 

The suspect is a black male. Authorities took him into custody, Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson said in a statement.

Robinson said: 'This is an ongoing investigation, and the name of the suspect or manner of death will not be released.

'He is not from the area. He is not from Fort Calhoun or even Nebraska as far as we know about.' 

The statement from the local church said: 'The Washington County Sheriff's Office is investigating, and there are no further details at this time. 

'Please join Archbishop George Lucas in prayer for the repose of Father Gutgsell, for his family and for the St. John the Baptist parish community in this tragic time.' 

Mike Fitzgerald, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist, said the regular 8:30am service at the church was canceled. He told Omaha World Herald: 'Father Gutgsell has been here 11 years, and I thought he was a very holy man.

'He did a lot of things for the community. He always made sure that the (church) bulletin had everything in it that we needed to know about things going on at the church.'