About San Francisco de Asis · Omaha, Nebraska
San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi Parish) is a Roman Catholic parish in South Omaha, Nebraska, part of the Archdiocese of Omaha. Founded in the late 1890s by Polish Franciscan missionaries to serve Polish immigrants working in South Omaha's meat-packing plants, the parish at 4513 S. 32nd Street is today a small, multicultural community whose regular worship is celebrated in Spanish and English (with occasional Q'anjob'al Maya) under the pastoral care of Rev. William J. Safranek and Deacon Rolando Lorenzo Nicolas. The parish is widely known as a spiritual home for Omaha's growing Guatemalan Maya population, especially families from the Santa Eulalia region of Huehuetenango.
- Established
- 1898
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. William J. Safranek
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Omaha
Why belong here
San Francisco de Asis is a small, multilingual parish in the heart of South Omaha where Spanish-speaking, English-speaking and Q'anjob'al Maya Catholics worship side by side. Under pastor Fr. William Safranek and Deacon Rolando Lorenzo Nicolas, the parish is a recognized spiritual home for Omaha's Guatemalan Maya community, offering Mass and sacramental preparation in Spanish, a youth group, RCIA-style formation, and a deacon-led ministry that walks with families through baptisms, quinceañeras, weddings, funerals, and visits to the sick and homebound.
Mass times at San Francisco de Asis
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
History of San Francisco de Asis
The parish was founded in 1898 by Polish Franciscan missionaries to serve Polish families who had come to South Omaha for work in the meat-packing industry. The Franciscan Fr. Theobald Kalamaja, O.F.M., is credited with establishing St. Francis de Paula church in South Omaha, and the present church building was dedicated in 1909 under the name St. Francis of Assisi. For decades the parish anchored Polish Catholic life in South Omaha, then known as an immigrant landing place. As the Polish community assimilated and moved on, the parish's identity shifted toward the Spanish-speaking and, more recently, Q'anjob'al Maya Catholic communities now rooted in the same neighborhood.
- Founded ca. 1898 as St. Francis de Paula for Polish immigrants
- Current church dedicated 1909 as St. Francis Assisi
- Founded by Franciscan priest Fr. Theobald Kalamaja, O.F.M.
- Located in South Omaha, historically a Polish immigrant gateway
Parish Identity Today
Today San Francisco de Asis is a small, multicultural parish whose Sunday Mass is celebrated in Spanish, with elements reaching English-speaking and Q'anjob'al-speaking members of the community. The parish is well known in the Archdiocese of Omaha as a spiritual home for families from the Santa Eulalia region of Guatemala — Maya Catholics who suffered persecution during Guatemala's civil war and have rebuilt their lives in Nebraska.
- Sunday Mass: 11:30 AM
- Parish roster includes English, Spanish and Q'anjob'al-speaking members
- Parish contact email [email protected] reflects an active Hispanic catechism program
Clergy & Leadership
The parish is pastored by Rev. William J. Safranek, who also serves as head priest of a four-church partnership within the Archdiocese of Omaha that includes San Francisco de Asis. Assisting him is Deacon Rolando Lorenzo Nicolas, a Q'anjob'al-speaking Guatemalan immigrant ordained in 2023 — believed to be the only permanent Catholic deacon from the Q'anjob'al highlands of Guatemala ministering in the United States. Deacon Nicolas has become a central figure in parish life: he assists at Mass, counsels couples, youth and inmates, presides over baptisms, funerals and weddings, leads the parish youth group, and is also known for singing and playing the marimba.
- Rev. William J. Safranek — Pastor
- Deacon Rolando Lorenzo Nicolas — ordained May 6, 2023, Archdiocese of Omaha
- Pastored within a four-church partnership led by Fr. Safranek
Faith Formation & Hispanic Ministry
The parish's Hispanic Ministry — reflected in its catechism-oriented email address ([email protected]) — focuses on forming Spanish-speaking families in the faith and preparing them to receive the sacraments of initiation. Catechism classes are offered for children and youth, with separate formation for parents. Sacramental preparation covers Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation and Marriage, and the parish also supports families preparing for quinceañera celebrations. RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic) is available for adults inquiring about the faith.
- Catecismo (catechism) for children, youth and adults
- Sacramental preparation: Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage
- Quinceañera preparation
- RCIA / OCIA — Becoming Catholic
- Youth group led by Deacon Nicolas
Maya (Q'anjob'al) Community Ministry
San Francisco de Asis is the principal spiritual home in the Archdiocese of Omaha for the local Maya community from Santa Eulalia, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Deacon Rolando Lorenzo Nicolas serves as the bridge between these families and the wider Catholic community, helping them navigate spiritual and civic life in Nebraska while helping Nebraska Catholics understand their new neighbors. Q'anjob'al language and the marimba are part of the parish's lived liturgical culture, and members of the community often participate in traditional dress (huipil) at Mass.
- Sunday readings and prayers occasionally in Q'anjob'al
- Deacon Nicolas presides over baptisms, weddings and funerals for the Maya community
- Cultural traditions (huipil, marimba) integrated into parish life
- Connection to the IXIM Spirit of Solidarity group linking Omaha with the Diocese of Huehuetenango
Pastoral Outreach
In keeping with the corporal works of mercy, the parish reaches beyond its walls through the deacon's ministry of visiting the sick, the homebound, those in hospital, and inmates; by walking with couples preparing for marriage; and by supporting youth through the parish youth group. The parish also hosts traditional celebrations such as Las Posadas and other feast-day observances that bring the broader Omaha community together.
- Visits to the sick, homebound, hospitalized and imprisoned
- Counseling for couples and youth
- Las Posadas and feast-day celebrations
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) explanation of Hispanic traditions for the wider Omaha community
Contact & Location
The parish office can be reached by phone and email, and the parish's official Facebook page is its primary online presence. There is no dedicated parish website at this time.
- Address: 4513 S. 32nd Street, Omaha, NE 68107
- Phone: (402) 733-8811
- Email: [email protected]
- Official Facebook: facebook.com/stfrancisofassisiomaha
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Theobald Kalamaja, O.F.M.founded parish ca. 1896-1898
Franciscan missionary from Lubostrom (Prussia/Poland) who founded St. Francis de Paula church in South Omaha while pastoring the Polish Immaculate Conception parish in Omaha.
- Rev. William J. Safranekcurrent pastor (as of recent reporting)
Head priest for a four-church partnership in the Archdiocese of Omaha that includes St. Francis of Assisi.