The census will be the fourth the Marian Sisters have conducted with pastor Father Kenneth Borowiak.
Southern Nebraska Register
Over the next several weeks, parishioners of St. Joseph Parish in Friend will conduct a door-to-door census.
The project aims to answer the Lord’s call from the Gospel of Matthew: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19)
The Marian Sisters of the Diocese of Lincoln will knock on doors and ask residents if they would answer a few census questions.
“Soon after I came to Friend in 2024, parishioners said to me, ‘Father, you should go and visit this person,’ and ‘Father, I know this person would return to Church if you only reached out to him,’” pastor Father Kenneth Borowiak said.
He said the comments are the same for every parish – he has experienced it several times.
This will be the fourth parish census the Marian Sisters have overseen with Father Borowiak. They conducted a parish census with Father Borowiak and parishioners at Assumption Parish in Dwight and its mission St. Wenceslaus in Bee, St. Stephen Parish in Exeter and St. Michael Parish in Lincoln.
“These one-on-one personal visits with people in their homes are very effective,” said Mother Cecilia Ann Rezac M.S., incoming prioress of the Marian Sisters. “It gives people an opportunity to talk about their relationship with the Lord and His Church,” she added.
Sometimes during a census, people will explain how they stopped going to church.
Often, Father Borowiak said, people leave the Church after a disagreement with a priest, a sister, or others in church leadership. Sometimes it is due to a misunderstanding over a particular church project or a misconception about an aspect of Church teaching. Sometimes a change in one’s personal life experiences can cause someone to leave the Church. Still others simply “drift,” he said.
“There are a lot of reasons why people become inactive in the practice of their religion,” Father Borowiak said. “In the end, the reasons don’t matter. What is important is that we give people an opportunity to come back.”
Members of St. Joseph Parish helped Father Borowiak establish the process for the door-to-door census. Parishioners helped create a parish map, showing residences in rural areas of Saline, Seward and Fillmore counties.
“Communication is key” in getting the word out to residents, Father Borowiak said. He will send a bulk postal patron letter about the upcoming census to all box holders.
In addition, Father Borowiak met with local law enforcement and the Friend City Council, as well as the other ministers in Friend, to explain the upcoming census.
When the Marian Sisters meet with residents and parishioners, they will ask the people they visit to answer a few questions. They will also offer resources about the Catholic religion.
While the Sisters will knock on every door, the primary goal of the census is to reach out to Catholics and challenge them to a deeper relationship with Jesus. A special focus will be on inactive Catholics, inviting them back to an active practice of the faith.
“We are not trying to proselytize or lure people away from other churches,” Father Borowiak said. “We want to meet all our neighbors and invite them to encounter Jesus.” Anyone wishing to meet with one of the other ministers in Friend will be referred to that church.
Mother Cecilia Ann said helping with the census fits right into the Franciscan charism of hospitality, which is a hallmark of the Marian Sisters.
The Marian Sisters were established as the first Lincoln diocesan religious community in 1954. Their charism is to “Do God’s Will joyfully in imitation of Mary and Saint Francis.” The Marian Sisters teach in Catholic elementary and high schools and staff Villa Marie School for Exceptional Children. They also serve in diocesan offices, in the St. Gianna Program of Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska, and in health care with CHI Health and Holy Family Medical Associates.
Father Borowiak went to Marycrest Motherhouse April 24 to give a presentation to the Sisters who will visit his parish. He covered preparing for the census, how it will be conducted, and what follow-up work will take place. As the project nears, the Sisters who have engaged in census work previously are sharing best practices and helpful tips with those who will be doing census work for the first time.
Mother Cecilia Ann said the Sisters have made the census a priority by rearranging their other duties and even home visits to see their families, so as to be available for this work.
“We will naturally be sure to have good walking shoes, clip boards, bottled water, sunscreen, writing utensils, and open hearts and ears as we interact with the wonderful residents of Friend!” she said.
Of course, in addition to the practical plans, the Sisters are praying for the success of the door-to-door census in Friend, as are parishioners of St. Joseph and many more. Mother Cecilia Ann noted the working of the Spirit in the prayers of the people praying for the success of the census endeavor.
“This is the work of the Holy Spirit,” Mother Cecilia Ann said. “We are His instruments.”
Father Borowiak said the previous census projects saw great success. Twenty years ago, more than 10 people took instructions and joined the Catholic Church at St. Stephen in Exeter as result of a census.
A notable encounter the Sisters had in Lincoln was with a physician and his family more than 10 years ago. When the doctor came to the door, he told the Sisters: “We have been waiting for 20 years for someone to reach out to us.”
In that case, after an unfortunate encounter with a priest, the entire family had quit going to Mass; the parents pulled their children out of their Catholic school.
But after the visit from the Marian Sisters, the entire family took instructions in the faith, received the sacraments and became very involved in St. Michael Parish.
“This is the parable of the one lost sheep in Luke’s Gospel,” Mother Cecilia Ann said. “We have to go out and invite people back.”
