Kenneth Vavrina
Encyclopedia
Father Ken Vavrina is a Roman Catholic priest and activist in Omaha, Nebraska
. He has been involved in many events in North Omaha
since returning to Omaha from various mission work abroad in 1993.
Vavrina was born into a Czech family in Clarkson, Nebraska
. After being ordained in 1962, he served in Omaha, South Sioux City, and on the Winnebago Indian Reservation
. He decided that his mission should go abroad in 1977, and after meeting with Mother Teresa
's Sisters of Mercy
in Rome
, he flew to Yemen
to work with lepers. After four years in Yemen
, he was jailed and subsequently deported. He then went to Calcutta, India
, to work directly with Mother Teresa. From 1993 to 1996 he headed the Catholic Relief Services
mission in Liberia
, a period which brought him into contact with Liberian President and Dictator, Charles Taylor. He returned to the United States in 1996, and became pastor at St. Richard's Catholic Church in 1998 in North Omaha
and at St. Benedict The Moor Church, where he currently serves.
, with the Hispanic Catholic community in South Sioux City, and at Sacred Heart in predominately black North Omaha. In 1973, he gathered donations of medicine from Omaha's Creighton University
and brought them to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
in South Dakota
, where members of the radical American Indian Movement
were holed up in a standoff with the FBI in what is known as the Wounded Knee Incident
. Ken remained at Wounded Knee until the shooting was ended, helping treat the wounded and administering religious services to the Native American Catholics there.
, and decided that his mission to be to serve the poorest of the poor. On July 13, 1977 he flew to London
to meet with the Sisters of Mercy, then to their headquarters in Rome. His first posting was in Yemen where he worked in a leper village and said mass for the Sisters living there. He then joined the Catholic Relief Services in Italy
as a part of the group giving aid in the wake of an earthquake there. In 1986, he went to Calcutta, and he eventually became the head of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) mission there. In 1993, he left Calcutta and went to Liberia. He headed the CRS mission in Liberia until 1996, when bouts with malaria forced him to return to the United States.
. In 1998, he was called to St. Richard's where Priest Daniel Herek was removed after being convicted of sexual assault of a child.
in Omaha (which totals approximately 7,500 and is largely black Christians from Southern Sudan), and prominent Sudanese peace activists such as Bishop Paride Taban
have worked with Vavrina and St. Richard's .
Most of the students at St. Richard's Catholic School are African American, and Ken has been a part of that community in North Omaha as well. He is a member of various North Omaha minister's organizations, and has been outspoken in his attempts to calm racial tension in Omaha
. When Albert Rucker shot and killed Omaha policeman Jason Tye Pratt, and was himself killed in the shootout that followed, Vavrina invited Rucker's children to attend school at St. Richard's, saying that these children are innocent victims.
Vavrina has also been vocal in Omaha media, frequently writing letters to the Omaha World Herald newspaper and the Omaha Catholic Voice news-monthly calling for peace in Iraq
, forgiveness of terrorists and criminals, and openness of the church towards homosexuals.
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. He has been involved in many events in North Omaha
North Omaha, Nebraska
North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha...
since returning to Omaha from various mission work abroad in 1993.
Vavrina was born into a Czech family in Clarkson, Nebraska
Clarkson, Nebraska
Clarkson is a city in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 685 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Clarkson is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
. After being ordained in 1962, he served in Omaha, South Sioux City, and on the Winnebago Indian Reservation
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
. He decided that his mission should go abroad in 1977, and after meeting with Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
's Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he flew to Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
to work with lepers. After four years in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, he was jailed and subsequently deported. He then went to Calcutta, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, to work directly with Mother Teresa. From 1993 to 1996 he headed the Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the U.S. bishops, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 90 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and...
mission in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, a period which brought him into contact with Liberian President and Dictator, Charles Taylor. He returned to the United States in 1996, and became pastor at St. Richard's Catholic Church in 1998 in North Omaha
North Omaha, Nebraska
North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha...
and at St. Benedict The Moor Church, where he currently serves.
Early priesthood
Vavrina was ordained in 1962, and his initial posts were on the Winnebago Indian Reservation in northeastern NebraskaNebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, with the Hispanic Catholic community in South Sioux City, and at Sacred Heart in predominately black North Omaha. In 1973, he gathered donations of medicine from Omaha's Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
and brought them to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, where members of the radical American Indian Movement
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
were holed up in a standoff with the FBI in what is known as the Wounded Knee Incident
Wounded Knee Incident
The Wounded Knee incident began February 27, 1973 when about 200 Oglala Lakota and followers of the American Indian Movement seized and occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation...
. Ken remained at Wounded Knee until the shooting was ended, helping treat the wounded and administering religious services to the Native American Catholics there.
Global mission
His mission turned global when he visited the slums in Bangkok, Thailand. While there, he and reflected on a recent speech he attended given by Mother Teresa at Boys Town, NebraskaBoys Town, Nebraska
Boys Town is a village in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 818 at the 2000 census. Boys Town is a suburb of Omaha.The village of Boys Town was established as the headquarters of the Boys Town organization, also known as "Father Flanagan's Boys' Home", founded by Father...
, and decided that his mission to be to serve the poorest of the poor. On July 13, 1977 he flew to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to meet with the Sisters of Mercy, then to their headquarters in Rome. His first posting was in Yemen where he worked in a leper village and said mass for the Sisters living there. He then joined the Catholic Relief Services in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as a part of the group giving aid in the wake of an earthquake there. In 1986, he went to Calcutta, and he eventually became the head of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) mission there. In 1993, he left Calcutta and went to Liberia. He headed the CRS mission in Liberia until 1996, when bouts with malaria forced him to return to the United States.
Back to Nebraska
Upon returning to the United States, he worked in the small town of Silver Creek, NebraskaSilver Creek, Nebraska
Silver Creek is a village in Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 441 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Silver Creek is located at ....
. In 1998, he was called to St. Richard's where Priest Daniel Herek was removed after being convicted of sexual assault of a child.
Mission in Omaha
He is very involved in the Omaha community. He has invited African refugees in Omaha to take part in a Catholic African mass he helped set up at St. Richard's, and to attend St. Richard's Catholic School. This has put him in close contact with the Sudanese refugee populationLost Boys of Sudan
The Lost Boys of Sudan is the name given to the groups of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War , about 2.5 million killed and millions were displaced...
in Omaha (which totals approximately 7,500 and is largely black Christians from Southern Sudan), and prominent Sudanese peace activists such as Bishop Paride Taban
Paride Taban
Paride Taban is a Sudanese Emeritus Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and is co-founder of the New Sudan Council of Churches. Taban was Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Torit in southern Sudan from 1983 until 2004...
have worked with Vavrina and St. Richard's .
Most of the students at St. Richard's Catholic School are African American, and Ken has been a part of that community in North Omaha as well. He is a member of various North Omaha minister's organizations, and has been outspoken in his attempts to calm racial tension in Omaha
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska occurred mostly because of the city's volatile mixture of high numbers of new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and African-American migrants from the Deep South. While racial discrimination existed at several levels, the violent outbreaks were within...
. When Albert Rucker shot and killed Omaha policeman Jason Tye Pratt, and was himself killed in the shootout that followed, Vavrina invited Rucker's children to attend school at St. Richard's, saying that these children are innocent victims.
Vavrina has also been vocal in Omaha media, frequently writing letters to the Omaha World Herald newspaper and the Omaha Catholic Voice news-monthly calling for peace in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, forgiveness of terrorists and criminals, and openness of the church towards homosexuals.