By Andrew Winter
1. The Marian Sisters of the Diocese of Lincoln are specific to our diocese, and apart from a daughter convent in Beloit, Kan., they do not exist anywhere else in the world. Their motherhouse, “Marycrest,” is located near Waverly, where 37 sisters live together under the rule of St. Francis. They are not cloistered.
2. The Marians’ founders, Sisters Marta Silna and Theresa Gottvald, were originally Mercy Sisters of St. Francis serving in Czechoslovakia. At that time, Czechoslovakia was part of the Soviet Union, and the Communist government seized the sisters’ convent. The two finally fled the country via the underground—at one point hiding in a pickle truck to escape detection—and escaped to Austria. There they served as nurses for a while, but they ultimately wanted to come to America.
3. They had trouble immigrating to the U.S. Sister Marta obtained entrance to Canada, but Sister Theresa did not. Marta was reluctant to go, but finally left Sister Theresa in Austria. Shortly afterward, Sister Theresa made it to America, but Sister Marta had to stay in Canada for two years before she should come into the U.S. Finally, in 1953, the two sisters were reunited.
4. Bishop Louis Kucera heard about the two religious sisters, thanks to a refugee Czech priest who came to Lincoln. He knew the sisters, and encouraged Kucera to bring them in. As Kucera needed staff for St. Thomas Orphanage in Lincoln, Kucera gladly invited them, and the sisters even more gladly accepted.
5. The sisters had great difficulty communicating with their motherhouse in Czechoslovakia, and eventually decided to become an entirely separate community. Bishop James Casey renamed them the Marians in 1961. Their habit evolved from all black to all gray, and after the orphanage closed in 1963, the sisters moved out to Marycrest Motherhouse in Waverly.
6. The community grew, and today serves a wide range of apostolates across our diocese. The sisters serve in three schools in Lincoln, three schools in rural Nebraska, and one school in Beloit, Kan. They also serve in hospitals, prisons, and the Chancery. The Marian Sisters also teach at the Villa Marie School for Exceptional Children, which is located next door to Marycrest.
7. The sisters rise at 5 a.m. every day, and begin with Morning Prayer and Mass. Most sisters are absent from the convent for the majority of the day as they go out to their places of work. Those who stay behind work around Marycrest and share lunch. The evening consists of a holy hour, dinner, Night Prayer, and recreation three days a week, with Grand Silence at 9 p.m.
8. The process of becoming a Marian Sister begins with postulancy, wherein the postulant discerns if she is able and willing to lead the life of the Marians, while the sisters decide if she is compatible with the community. After nine months she enters the novitiate, a two-year period in which she receives her habit and religious name. After that is temporary profession, during which the sister renews her vows annually for five years. If after this she is ready to join the Marians for life, she makes final vows and become a fully-professed sister.
9. Aside from their other apostolates, the Marians also host several retreats annually. These include: Come and See days, Father-Daughter retreat days, and Marian Camp. Marian Camp, for girls in grades 6-9, takes place at Camp Kateri in McCool Junction. They will host an open house at Marycrest Saturday, Aug. 15, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
