Glenmary Challenge Spring 2021

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F C AT H O L I C M I S S I O N E R S T O R U R A L A M E R I C A

G L E N M A R Y. O R G SPRING 2021

A Season of New Beginnings preparing for a new mission

Father Don ready for the challenge bernice’s journey

Growing up in the missions

Time for Hope

FROM THE EDITOR / John Stegeman We are a Catholic society of priests and brothers who, along with numerous coworkers, establish the Catholic Church in small-town and rural America. Founded in 1939 by Father William Howard Bishop, Glenmary is the only religious community devoted exclusively to serving the spiritually and materially poor in the rural U.S. home missions. Today, supported entirely through freewill offerings, we staff missions and ministries throughout Appalachia and the South.

Glenmary missioners serve in areas where frequently less than one percent of the population is Catholic, a significant percentage have no church affiliation, and the poverty rate is often twice the national average.

Glenmary is known for respecting the many cultures encountered in the home missions. Our missionary activity includes building Catholic communities, fostering ecumenical cooperation, evangelizing the unchurched, social outreach and working for justice.

GLENMARY CHALLENGE Our quarterly magazine has three goals: to educate Catholics about the U.S. home missions, to motivate young men to consider Glenmary priesthood or brotherhood, and to invite all Catholics to respond to their baptismal call to be missionary by partnering with Glenmary as financial contributors, prayer partners, professional coworkers and/or volunteers.

Glenmary Challenge is sent to all donors, to U.S. diocesan clergy and to anyone who requests it. (To begin receiving issues, use the contact information below.)

In last year’s spring edition of this magazine, we had no mention of the pandemic. After that it became a staple of our 2020 coverage. I had hoped that by the time the spring 2021 edition came around, we’d be back to business as usual.

Obviously, that is not the case. It is disheartening that what we hoped might be a few days or weeks of lockdowns has turned into a year-long pandemic without a clear end in sight, but there is reason to hope. Vaccines are rolling out across the nation, albeit slowly. As I write this, case numbers are trending downward in parts of the country.

Still, spring is here and that brings good things.

The possibility for safer, socially distant outdoor gatherings is returning. It’s the season when many children will make their first confessions and first Communions. At the very least, we’ll soon be able to feel the sun shine warm upon our faces. Spring is a season well attuned to hope.

In the Glenmary world hope is running strong. On the first day of spring, we will celebrate the priestly ordination of three men, increasing the society’s ability to bring sacramental care to Mission Land, USA. In May, a religious brother will make his Final Oath, adding another missioner to the number serving the home mission cause. In June, five men are scheduled to profess their First Oaths, taking the next step on their path toward lives as missioners.

Even amid this pandemic, there is cause for hope. I can’t promise life will return to what we called normal anytime soon, but I can see there is good in the world we have. Let us give thanks to God, the giver of all things good and bringer of hope.

GLENMARY HOME MISSIONERS P.O. Box 465618 · Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618 513-874-8900 · 800-935-0975 · challenge@glenmary.org © 2021, Glenmary Home Missioners.

Reprint permission granted upon request.

ON THE COVER: The novice class of 2021 is the largest in recent years. The novices follow in the footsteps of Glenmary’s founder, Father William Howard Bishop, who challenges us all to help spread the Catholic faith in Appalachia and the South.

VOLUME 84

NUMBER 1

A Season of New Beginnings

Young and motivated, meet the five novices discerning a future of mission to rural America. page 10

08

poverty against poverty

14

time well spent

16

growing up with a mission

∙

by john feister

Many Glenmarians received stimulus checks. That money is being used to help the poor.

Before founding a new Glenmary mission in Smith County, Tenn., Father Don Tranel was given time to pray and prepare.

Glenmary’s St. Michael the Archangel parish in Unicoi County, Tenn., led Bernice Luquin to a life of missionary discipleship.

Publisher: Father Dan Dorsey Editor: John Stegeman Asst. Editors: Omar Cabrera, John Feister Art Director: Cassie Magnotta

Planning-Review Board: Lindsay Braud, Luke Carey, Br. Craig Digmann, Br. David Henley, Lucy Putnam, Fr. Kenn Wandera, Fr. Aaron Wessman

Photo by John Feister

Our Lady of the Fields, ‘Pray For Us’ FROM THE PRESIDENT / Father Dan Dorsey Imagine walking across a frozen pond or creek in early winter after a few days of icy weather. With each tentative and cautious half step you listen for the sound of cracking ice knowing the farther you get from the bank the thinner the ice becomes.

That image from my youth captures what the past 12 months have felt like: uncertainty, fear, isolation and unsure footing. Mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing and not touching your face are now an integral part of all of our lives.

Who among us could have predicted a year ago the extent to which our lives would be altered? Even now as we attempt to anticipate the future, our vision is unclear and uncertain.

There is a saying that in every crisis there is opportunity. Perhaps in the context of our Glenmary charism we may ask, “What is the missionary opportunity in all of this?”

I suggest that a missionary response is contained in this beautiful prayer written by Glenmary Father Steve Pawelk to our patroness: 4

GLENMARY CHALLENGE

glenmary.org

Our Lady of the Fields, The Seed of your womb Is the Hope of the earth.

Help us sow this seed To all those in need.

In the soil of sorrow, Help us sow fields of comfort.

In the dry ground of discrimination, Help us sow fields of rich harmony.

In the hard clay of doubt and despair, Help us sow abundant fields of hope and care.

O Mary, Our Lady of the Fields, Patroness of Glenmary, Pray for us.

Our mandate is to reach out to those in need. Father W. Howard Bishop, Glenmary’s founder, exhorted his young missioners to “Adopt all of the people in your mission area as your own. Christ died for every one of them. They are yours because you are his ambassadors.”

Let that sink in. We (and I include you, our partners

in mission) are the ambassadors of Jesus Christ!

For those who have lost loved ones during this pandemic, let us give comfort. During this time of heightened awareness of the racial divide, let us be the seeds of harmony by promoting dialogue. For those who despair as they gaze into the future, let us be beacons of hope.

As ambassadors of Jesus we are empowered to embody this prayer.

More often than not our missioners labor behind the scenes, quietly, without fanfare. An excellent example of this is contained in the ministry in one of our Glenmary brothers in North Carolina, who would be embarrassed if I mention him by name. He volunteers at a nursing home in the town where he lives and paints the rooms of the residents. Why? He describes this as his beautification ministry.

He replaces the institutional white of their rooms with a brighter, more cheerful color.

As we conclude the Lenten season and celebrate the glory of Easter, I invite each of you to pray the Our Lady of the Fields prayer with us. Let us implore our Blessed Mother to intercede for us to have her Son, shower his Holy Spirit upon us that we might embody the sentiment of this prayer.

Mary, Our Lady of the Fields, pray for us.

glenmary news & notes Father Frank leaves legacy of unity

e cumeni sm / Long-time ecumenist passes the baton

After 54 years of working for Christian unity, Glenmary Father Frank Ruff has

retired from Glenmary’s Ecumenical Commission. Father Frank was a founding member of the commission in 1967 and has served on it ever since.

“It’s been really fulfilling to see that more Catholics are seeing the neces-

sity of Christian unity,” Father Frank said. “Christian unity is learning to put the law of Jesus into practice, of loving others. Don’t judge first, and if you can help it, don’t judge at all. Just love.”

Father Frank’s work on the commission focused mainly on Southern

Baptists. He was the first, and for years the only, Roman Catholic presence at the Southern Baptist Convention.

“I saw the depth of the faith of Southern Baptists better than I had,” Fa-

ther Frank said. “You don’t have to focus on the limitations of another faith.

Focus on the good and the depth of the faith and the depth of their generosity.

“More and more Protestants are wanting to see that unity that Jesus put

into the Church,” he added. “It has been fulfilling seeing more Protestants

and more Catholics want to love others. One of the things that kept me going is my deep commitment to Jesus’s will that all his disciples be one.”

Glenmary Father Kenneth Wandera is the most recent addition to the

Ecumenical Commission, continuing this important ministry of Glenmary.

Photo by John Feister

OPPOSITE: Father Dan Dorsey’s arms are outstretched in hope for the future, outside of Our Lady of the Fields chapel. RIGHT: Father Frank Ruff fosters ecumenism, here at Texas’s Abilene Christian University, with Churches of Christ theologian Keith Stanglin.

Spring 2021 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

5

Sun to power HQ

stewardship / Care for creation

As part of Glenmary’s ongoing commitment to be good stewards of

creation, solar panels will soon be

installed at the society’s headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“In 2019 the Glenmary community

voted to affirm that we would seek to Photo by Father Charles Aketch

care for creation,” said Father Aaron Wessman, Glenmary first-vice-presi-

dent. “Our investment in solar panels

is one way that Glenmary can reduce its carbon footprint, and so reduce

our negative impact on the planet.

Glenmarians have always been connected to creation, because of serv-

Mission helps feed 500 families

ing in rural America, and so our hearts

m in i st ry / New church facilities allow mission involvement

has been given to us.”

On Jan. 27 volunteers from Glenmary’s Holy Family mission in Macon Coun-

cost-effective, renewable energy for

ty, Tenn., handed out food to more than 500 families in need.

The food distribution program is run by the State of Tennessee and a

partnership with three local churches—Community Connection Church, Lafayette United Methodist Church and the Methodist Hispanic Fellowship.

Holy Family’s involvement came about because the mission parish’s new-

ly constructed church has a sizable parking lot and a design that allows for

are inspired to cherish God’s gift that

The solar panels will provide

the main office building, chapel and

Glenmary residence on the property.

The plans call for two rows of 248

panels, each covering an area of 475 feet by 110 feet.

cars to line up. Holy Family’s current building was dedicated in 2019, replacing the small basement church where the congregation had met for years.

“This was our first time doing it,” said Father Vic Subb, pastor, who noted

the parish would host a distribution again in March. “We even gave people

a flyer about the church, so it was also an evangelizing moment. It really was a good thing.”

Father Vic said he heard from many people who were unable to attend

the giveaway because of a lack of transportation, so he and parish volunteers loaded their own vehicles with boxes and made special deliveries. and 24 percent of families live below the poverty line.

ABOVE: Glenmary Father Vic Subb, center, and volunteers braved the cold to help feed 500 families. RIGHT: Workers unload solar panels to be installed at Glenmary’s national headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.

6

GLENMARY CHALLENGE

glenmary.org

Photo by Omar Cabrera

In Macon County, Catholics make up just 1.8 percent of the population

© 1984 by John Feister

Servant of God Thea Bowman was a dynamic force for racial healing. Her message rings true today, especially in light of the events of 2020. She spoke to a Glenmary Commission on Justice gathering in 1984.

Together With Full Hands by father les schmidt

There is an unforgettable woman, a Franciscan sister, whom some Glenmarians knew years ago, before her untimely death. She had something to say to today’s racially polarized country.

Sister Thea Bowman, now a Servant of God, being considered for beatification, ministered from central Mississippi. Her grandfather was a slave; she was a beacon of healing the racial divide. I think her message points to Glenmary’s future.

Sister Thea was a woman of the arts, who would resonate deeply with the poetry of young people today who seek a racially united future in our country. In her singing, in her public speaking all over the United States, in her training of rural school teachers in Mississippi, she would frankly state the challenge that we still face today.

She often told us, “The old folks used to say, you walk together and you may get tired, but you don’t

get weary.” Walking together is the path toward Glenmary’s future. We are changing and growing, healing and transforming, reading the signs of the times and moving forward.

We’ve had a mission of bridging cultures since the beginning. It was our founder, Father William Howard Bishop (who personally received me into his new society back in 1951), who saw a Church open to all people. He saw a Church who should extend across boundaries of comfort, with a mission to reach everyone.

One in God, brother and sister, nobody is excluded: This was Father Bishop’s insight. Everyone is at the welcome table.

That insight is all the more pressing today, as the cultures of the world come ever-closer together, even in our own rural missions.

People of the world are showing up in formerly isolated small towns. It is a moment of rejoicing, a moment

of opportunity, a moment of mission in the broadest Christian sense.

It is not only about new arrivals.

When we speak of Glenmary spirit, it is at least partially this: We go to the margins, we go to the struggling and the suffering, to those at the edges. We make them welcome at the table. No one is excluded, left out, left behind. That’s the mission of Glenmary, that same thing Sister Thea promoted to parish workers in Mississippi: “I’m different. You’re different. And we can come to one another with full hands.”

If you get a chance, search for Sister Thea on the Internet. See the love and beauty, the challenge and acceptance that radiated through her. That is the spirit of Glenmary. It is one of hope, it is one of inclusion. It is a spirit that brings people together for the good, to fulfill the mission of Christ the Redeemer. Said Sister Thea, “If you walk with me, then we can build the Kingdom.”

Spring 2021 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

7

Poverty Against Poverty Many Glenmarians received stimulus checks.

That money is being used to help the poor. by john feister

Glenmary chose, from the beginning, not to apply for any of the US government’s Paycheck Protection Program funds. But the federal government also provided economic stimulus checks to most individual taxpayers. That included most Glenmarians.

“At Glenmary, we decided, with this windfall, to make sure that the funds went specifically to serving the poor and their needs at this moment,” says Brother David Henley, Director of Vocations. It was a moment inspired by the oath of poverty. Every Glenmarian who received a relief check contributed it to a common fund.

Local Glenmarians were encouraged to identify the greatest needs and use the funding to help address them. Glenmary’s administration helped to keep things coordinated, accountable and well documented.

“We try to live a simple lifestyle, in solidarity with the poor,” says Brother David. This fund was a way to keep to that oath of poverty each Glenmarian makes.

Photo courtesy of Holy Family Catholic Church

Father Vic’s Deep Concern Like much of the country, Macon County, Tenn., was hit hard by the pandemic. Father Vic Subb, pastor at Glenmary’s Holy Family parish, was grateful to hear of the relief funds. He had started hearing about trouble early. “We’ve had a large group of people in the Hispanic community with COVID-19. Not surprisingly, some have been hospitalized,” reports Father Vic. “One family has a little girl who has been hospitalized. Her parents can’t work, because if you live in a house with someone who’s positive, you can’t work. There’s a risk that there would be no money to pay for rent. I paid for their light bill, or they’d live in darkness.”

With the fund, Father Vic helped them to stay afloat until Mom could return to work.

“We received $1,500 just the other day, and I was able to give out $300 yesterday to a family that has COVID, and then I gave out $300 to another family that has COVID.” There has been a stream of need. The day after this interview, Holy Family hosted an ecumenical emergency food bank, hosted by parish volunteers. “We’re expecting 1,100 families to come!” he says, with a tone of urgency.

8

LEFT: Holy Family’s Marian devotion helps focus care of the poor.

GLENMARY CHALLENGE

glenmary.org

Photo by Father Steve Pawelk

Filling in Some Gaps in South Georgia “When the schools in Early County went virtual,” says Brother Jason Muhlenkamp, “people didn’t have devices or have the Wi-Fi to do it.”

He’s talking of the families who live from month to month, struggling against a 29% poverty rate in this South Georgia county. “So we decided that we could partner with Family Connections in Early County schools to work together, to provide for them.” The pooled relief money from Glenmary, and another donor, allowed them to help fill that gap.

The parish also reached to find ways to get food to the families most in need. “We were getting calls for food,” he says, which meant that families, already living on less, were desperate.

LEFT: Novice Cyrus Samba works with local Georgia schoolchildren.

Photo courtesy of Marco and Daisy Tavares

Shoring Up People’s Faith The Tavares family is an evangelization team that travels from parish to parish across Glenmary’s missions and beyond, reaching out to Hispanic families. The relief money from Glenmarians helped Marco Tavares to expand his local radio outreach.

“We bought an FM transmitter and microphone,” says Marcos, a seasoned radio catechist. “The FM transmitter is being used in the communities during our events. This way people can hear the preaching while they are in their cars,” he says.“That equipment will help us to deliver our ministry, regardless of the pandemic, keeping a safe environment in the parishes,” he says.

Photo courtesy of St. John Paul II Catholic Mission

RIGHT: Marco Tavares and Father Charles Aketch reach out in faith.

‘We’ve been able to do some good’ In Union County, home of St. John Paul II mission, food shortage is a common pandemic crisis. “Three times now we’ve gone out,” says Father Neil. “We bought more food and it’s distributed as people need it.” Working from the parking lot outside of the rented church is the safest way. “We set it up and announced it would be from one to four, and that we didn’t have that much.

When I got to the church at 12:30 p.m., people were lined up in front, out in the cold. Pretty much all the food was gone by one o’clock—the time it was supposed to open up!” He has spent considerable fund money helping people with utility bills, too.

LEFT: Parishioners and novices provide food at St. John Paul II.

Spring 2021 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

9

A Season of New Beginnings Five novices hit the road for Appalachia and the South to discern a future of mission with Glenmary. by john feister

Photo by John Feister

Glenmary is blessed to have five novices this year. Novices, literally “new ones,” are on a year of discernment.

They learn about Glenmary, pray together, and listen to God calling. Part of the year is spent living in the Glenmary Novitiate House under the guidance of Fa-

10

GLENMARY CHALLENGE

glenmary.org

thers Steve Pawelk and Tom Kirkendoll, a stone’s throw from Glenmary’s leadership and senior members. The other part of the year, about five months, is spent in the missions, living and working with Glenmarians.

Glenmary’s novices returned recently from missions in eastern North Carolina, south Georgia, and eastern and central Tennessee. Four of them (Cavine, Cyrus, Fredrick, and Joseph) are from Kenya; for them it was a completely new experience. The fifth, Thomas, is a Texan of Vietnamese heritage. Their whole year, of course, has been colored by the pandemic. But they found ways to serve, anyhow. Here is a glimpse from each novice.

LEFT: Fathers Tom Kirkendoll (left) and Steve Pawelk are novice directors. ABOVE: Last August, the Glenmary community blessed and sent novices off to their mission experiences.

Photo by John Feister; All others courtesy of Father Steve Pawelk

Early County, Ga. Cyrus Samba Age 30

Macon County,Tenn.

Thomas Nguyen Age 26

Among home visits, Cyrus visited the daylily farm of parishioner Mary Netherton and her late husband, Jim.

The Amazing Grace (Westmoreland) foodbank offered a service opportunity for Thomas.

Georgia is a long way from Kenya. But Cyrus at least expected people in south Georgia, majority AfricanAmerican counties, to have some familiarity with his home. He was surprised otherwise. “They didn’t know where Kenya is,” he says with a laugh. “Some didn’t know where Africa is at all!” Cyrus spent his mission experience in Blakely, Ga., at the house with Brothers Jason Muehlenkamp and Levis Kuwa. The mission covers two counties; Father Mike Kerin lives in Randolph County, in Cuthbert. Cyrus worked there, too.

“I did evangelization, mission to the unchurched, social outreach, among other things.” It was a rich experience, he says. Brother Jason was his supervisor, so Cyrus got to see up-close the work that he and Baptist Pastor Darrel Alexander do among the very poor. “I had my own timetable and schedule for everything,” he says. “Every day I had something to do—I could go out, maybe visit people, take some stuff to people, or maybe go to the hospital in Blakely.” After coming home for lunch, he was at it again, “doing my ministry until late evening. “We could identify the people who have nothing,” he says. Those very poor needed his help the most.

The Marian statue’s effect was a topic during Father Steve’s visit.

Thomas is a Texan novice who’s already had a rich exposure to Glenmary’s missions, while a pre-novitiate student in the Glenmary House of Formation at St. Meinrad Seminary. He went to a different town this time, rural Lafayette, Tenn., home of Holy Family mission parish. There he took in mission life at a bustling young parish with Fathers Vic Subb, Charles Aketch, and Brother Larry Johnson.

“There was a group that wanted to have some kind of space for sharing, so they asked for a catechism based renewal-type class.” That was a refresher course.

He also spent time working with Amazing Grace Food Bank in nearby Westmoreland. “I worked with the pastor of the Church of Christ church there,” he says. “Pastor Charlie Millson has been pastor for about 14 years, and is leading the food bank there.” Often it is social-service ministry where ecumenism is forged.

The household’s weekly community night back in Lafayette was a highlight: “We would share meals, watch movies together afterwards, talk or just share stories, and have time with one another.” Those bonds of brotherhood can go a long way in ministry.

Martin County, N.C. Cavine Okello Age 29 It was the new Marian statue that gave Cavine an opportunity to sow understanding in Martin County.

He worked there with Father John Brown. “I think it is perhaps the most beautiful statue in all of Martin County,” says Cavine. “Everyone wants to come and have a look at it.” Then come the questions. “Even if Spring 2021 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

11

you walk into Wal-Mart and say, ‘I’m serving in the Catholic mission parish in Williamston,’ they ask you about the statue!” he says.

Do Catholics worship Mary? “That was exactly the question,” he recalls. Actually, it is a stumbling point for many non-Catholics. Cavine found it as an opportunity for mission. “When I would do my manual work outside the church, you could see many people slowing down and looking at the statue. I washed it sometimes, because we wanted it to shine. Someone would come into the lot, walk over and say ‘Hi! I just wanted to stop and look at the statue. Do you have time to tell me, What is it? What do you people do with it? Is it like your small God?’” It was a good opportunity for him, he says. “I tried to explain that we don’t worship Mary.” A long conversation could follow, sharing our common faith in Jesus Christ.

Union County,Tenn.

Fredrick Ochieng’ Age 34

Union County,Tenn.

Joseph Maundu Age 34

Fredrick knows that help with studies can make a difference forever in the life of a young student.

Music can be a key to mission, as Joseph demonstrates with his lessons to children in Maynardville.

“The people are welcoming.” That’s the spirit of small town life that Fredrick experienced as he went between Maynardville and Rutledge, Tenn. He went to work among Father Neil Pezzulo and Brother Joe Steen.

“My experience emboldened me, and motivated me to one day be a pastor,” he says enthusiastically.

“One thing that I find so different here is the understanding of poverty,” says Fredrick. He observes that in Kenya, to be poor means to be without food, or a roof overhead. It goes to show how different our perceptions can be, depending on where we live. “In the U.S., maybe you find people who have just lost their jobs, they cannot pay for their mortgage, they just cannot manage their bills—but they still drive cars, because they need to go to where they’re going to go to get to the next job. In Kenya, if you have a car, you’re not considered poor!” he says. On the other hand, he observes, in Tennessee you can’t survive cold weather without better shelter, unlike Kenya where it is warm all year.

“Basically, though, people have the same needs, in different contexts,” he says. And he saw real poverty during his mission immersion. “I worked in food pantries,” he recalls, “five of them. People came in droves.”

12

GLENMARY CHALLENGE

glenmary.org

It was line dancing on Tuesday mornings that got Joseph talking to people in Maynardville. “I would have the opportunity for meeting people and learning their situations,” he says, “where they live, their faith, where they go to church.”

Then, on Tuesday evenings, there was ecumenical Bible study, “where we would meet people from different churches. We had a Quaker, we had Baptists, Catholics, and we had other guys who were not going to any church!”

On another day there was tutoring children in nearby Grainger County, and on another, doing manual labor with Brother Joe, building the new church. “It was like a free gym!” he says, with his trademark smile.

Sunday, though, might stand out the most. “I would go to Holy Mass, then in the afternoon I would go to a Baptist church, and in evening come back for a Spanish Mass.” Actually he visited “very many churches,” Joseph says, during his mission experience, six he can name. “I had very good relationships with the pastors.”

At the end of his experience a pastor told him, “You know what, Joseph? You are a brother. My family and I love you very much.” That affirmation Joseph will remember as the work of the Holy Spirit.

Wise Missioner

interviews on glenmary spirituality

father fid levri : a restless spirit

Father Fid Levri can easily relate to many of those living in Glenmary areas. Like them, he grew up in a family of immigrants. Many southern families have straddled the line between north and south, looking for jobs and perhaps racial dignity.

Others came further. Miners, like the Levris, came to Appalachia from Europe.

At age 86, 45 years in Glenmary, movement and stillness are themes in his life.

Q: How do you connect to the immigrant story?

A: You know, I was born in northern Italy. My parents came here in 1935 because they were poor and there were jobs here. It was the coal mines in Western Pennsylvania that attracted my father. His friends were over here, you know, and so he knew he'd have a job. He came back to Italy and married my mother. After a few years they were together in America.

Q: How did you wind up at Glenmary?

A: I was ordained in 1967 in the Diocese of Greensburg. I stayed there for six years serving in two different mission parishes as an associate, three years in each one. But I wasn’t content with the diocese. It wasn’t fulfilling for me. The bishop said, “Why are you so restless?”

Maybe I was just flittering around too much. But in Glenmary it’s okay to be restless. I need to do things. I can’t just sit around!

Q: You sound busy. What kind of prayer is best for you?

A: I might pray before the Blessed Sacrament every morning at 5:30 a.m. for an hour using my laptop for Scriptures. I have my own meditation booklets as well, but I am not satisfied with my prayer life. I need to go deeper.

I need to be more spontaneous.

I’d like for my prayer to come from the heart and not just from the head. You know, I feel like it’s too mechanical right now, and I’m not pleased with that. But I’m going to do something.

There’s a program with John Michael Talbot [a popular contemplative]. He’s got a program

on Zoom. It goes for 52 weeks, a long time. He’s talking about Inner Room spirituality. One example of that is the Jesus prayer, [“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” repeated in contemplation]. He’s going to explain in practice the Jesus prayer, but to do 52 weeks of that he’ll need a lot of materials. That one prayer wouldn’t keep us very long!

Q: What about the rest of us—any advice?

A: We’re used to saying prayers, but they’re just words unless they come from the heart. You have to really be embedded in it, so a lot of prayer has to be spontaneous and even silent.

I think it’s a sign of a balance in a person’s life that they have a sense of humor, by the way, because in spite of everything you know, so many things are just unexplainable. I always ask, Who am I, really? That’s the big question.

I’d like to add something, knowledge that I believe the Holy Spirit gave me years ago. While pastor at Holy Redeemer Church in western Kentucky, I saw a billboard, “There is no excuse for child abuse.” I include abortion, which I consider the ultimate child abuse, in that.

—John Feister

Spring 2021 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

13

Courtesy of Father Don Tranel

Photo by David Shankbone

As Jesus often prayed in nature, Father Don Tranel rekindled his passion for Glenmary’s unique and crucial ministry during his 2020 sabbatical in Colorado Springs, Colo. He began a new mission in Tennessee in January.

Time Well Spent

Father Don Tranel enjoys the precious gift of time on sabbatical as he prepares to take on the founding of a new mission. by father don tranel

Photos by Father Don Tranel

Jim Croce in his 1973 hit single “Time in a Bottle” says “There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do.” Amen to that! I have always had an acute awareness of time and I often challenge myself regarding my time management skills. I recently completed eight-and-a-half years of ministry as Glenmary’s Director of Development, which was preceded by my being a mission pastor in Arkansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Mississippi and Georgia. My superiors honored me for these rites of passage and years of mission ministry by granting me a sabbatical before beginning my next task.

Sabbaticals are wonderful! I was graced with the pre-

14

GLENMARY CHALLENGE

glenmary.org

cious gift of time, minus the expectation to produce and minus stress. How great is that! I chose to do my sabbatical at The Mercy Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This location appealed to me as I love an adventure and I had never been to this part of the country before.

The wisdom of participating in deliberate prayer and rest is an honored tradition in the Church, and Jesus promoted this time away. In Mark Chapter 6 we read, “The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile.’”

Jesus prayed with and for others but he also saw value in praying alone, especially prior to significant decisions and events. Jesus often prayed in nature and we see him dedicating long periods of time in prayer.

My personal deserted out-of-the-way place was Colorado. I could see Pike’s Peak from the window of the room where I stayed. I frequently visited “The Garden of the Gods,” which was in my neighborhood. I was close Father Don says, “The tiny chapel [capacity 12] at The Mercy Center evoked the holy for me and brought a sense of peace as I pondered my transition to a new, challenging mission ministry.”

New Mission Territory Smith County

Trousdale County

Smith County is 222

years old and has never been home

Photo by Brother David Henley

to Seven Falls, which is promoted as “The Grandest Mile of Scenery” in Colorado.

I will never forget my sabbatical. I am blessed with memories that will sustain me and enhance my ministry forever. My experience was amplified by the reality that, due to the pandemic, there were only five of us on sabbatical. Lifelong friendships were formed as we shared engaging and timely classes, and socialized together.

Arguably the precious gift of time was the best part, however. Unlike Jim Croce’s song, there was enough time for me to do the things I wanted to do.

There was time to pray for myself and my transition into the ministry of trying to establish a Catholic Church in Smith County, Tenn. There was time to pray for so many others that requested I hold them in prayer.

There was time to journal. There was time to read, rest and socialize. There was time to be silent, be still, to empty myself before God, to say nothing and feel so understood and confident of God’s enormous love for me.

So, how does one know if the sabbatical was effective or worked in terms of preparing me for my challenging new mission assignment of trying to start a Catholic Church in Smith County, with residence in Brush Creek, Tenn.? Some things are certain. I believe in the efficaciousness of prayer and I walked on Holy Ground.

to a Catholic church.

Father Don is living

there now with the goal

of

founding

Glenmary’s newest mission parish.

Data on Smith County comes from the 2010 Reli-

gious Census, the last year information was available.

While officially listed in the census as having zero

Catholics, Catholic churches in the somewhat-nearby towns of Lebanon and LaFayette, Tenn., have reported Massgoers from the county.

Smith County has a population of about 19,000,

nearly 13,000 of whom have no religious affiliation.

The nearest Catholic church to the county seat of Car-

thage is 20 miles away. In addition, 17 percent of the population live below the national poverty line.

I had the privilege of a lifetime and it has made all the difference. I have heard it said that, “the future is not the result of choices among alternate paths offered. It is a place that is created. Created first in mind and will.

Created next in activity. The future is not someplace we are going to but one we are creating. The paths to it are not found but made and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.”

Here I am, Lord.

There was a plaque in my room while on sabbatical which read, “the will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.” This quote is almost identical to the one I chose for my ordination card in 1988. Go figure! Indeed, although no guarantee of success, I remain ready to embrace a future bright with God’s potential.

Photo by Brother Dennis Craig

I believe in the eff icaciousness of prayer and I walked on Holy Ground.

Glenmary has started two new missions in Tennessee.

Father Don leads liturgy in the chapel at Glenmary’s House of Hospitality and Formation in Trousdale County.

Spring 2021 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

15

Photos courtesy of Bernice Luquin

Bernice Luquin (right) and Zaya Andrade find joy, friendship and meaning while serving God with St. Michael the Archangel’s youth group.

Growing Up With a Mission

A young and dynamic parishioner grew her faith as St. Michael the Archangel developed into a thriving community. by john stegeman

Bernice Luquin, 20, is a committed and involved parishioner at Glenmary’s St. Michael the Archangel mission in Erwin, Tenn., but reaching that point has been a journey.

When she was a young child, Glenmary had not yet come to Erwin. With no Catholic parish in town, her

family drove 16 miles to nearby Johnson City. The distance made it harder to connect there, and her faith hadn’t begun to click.

“I was young and I remember sitting in the pew one time saying ‘I’m never going to make my children go through this because it’s absolutely boring,’” she says. “I didn’t know why I was at church or what church meant.

It wasn’t until St. Michael the Archangel came about [that things changed.]”

St. Michael the Archangel began with humble origins in 2011, meeting for its first Mass in a room at the local Elks Club. Bernice remembers those days, and she also remembers well the mission’s second location in the basement of a house. Now the parish has a permanent structure and thriving youth programs.

Bernice was an active member of the St. Michael the Archangel youth group, directed by Kathy O’Brien, left. Through the youth group she grew more connected to the universal Church.

16

GLENMARY CHALLENGE

glenmary.org

From the time her family began attending St. MiCatholic in a predominantly Baptist community,” she chael the Archangel, Bernice’s faith began to grow. No says. longer driving a long distance for Mass, she was able to Another of Bernice’s activities is sharing the Word get involved in religious classes and the youth group. of God—literally. Several years ago Pastoral Associate “Before St. Michael I wasn’t really involved,” she says.

Kathy O’Brien connected Bernice with Glenmary’s “Here I started going to Wednesday classes (for religious Mission Education Office. Glenmary provided Bernice instruction) and I got to see with Bibles which she decomy friends from school. I re- At f irst it was intimidating because rates and distributes. ally learned a lot. I didn’t even “I feel like a lot of people a lot of people don’t know much know what a crucifix was!… don’t own a Bible,” she says. about Catholics here.

So it was all these programs “I hate to say it but they also and events and lock-ins when sometimes look dull, despite I slowly started to realize what it means to be human being beautiful on the inside! I don’t think you should and to be a follower of Christ. It’s a little overwhelming have to buy a Bible. You should receive one for free. I but it’s a wonderful feeling.” want to give them to anyone who doesn’t have one.

That feeling has motivated Bernice to dive deeper.

“They are Catholic Bibles so I’ll just ask someone, During high school she was very involved in the par‘Do you want a Catholic Bible?’ And then I show them ish youth group, expanding her horizons with weeks a picture. I haven’t been rejected yet.” of service at Glenmary’s Group Volunteer Program in All that Bernice has been able to do goes back to Grainger County, Tenn. In 2017 when Hurricane Irma when Glenmary founded St. Michael the Archanwreaked havoc on Florida, another young person suggel. Bernice adds, “Glenmary has really offered us so gested they form a cleanup crew to assist in the aftermany opportunities. We’re very thankful for Glenmary. math, a trip Bernice eagerly joined. She led a parish They’ve always been there for us.” effort to take up a collection for victims of Hurricane As for St. Michael the Archangel, to Bernice it’s Laura last year and she’s even served on the Diocese of more than just a place of worship.

Knoxville’s Diocesan Youth Ministry Advisory Council.

“To me it just means home,” she says. “I talk about “She’s been active here in the parish,” says Glenmary my church all the time.…Seeing how we went from Father Tom Charters, pastor. “Here’s a college student the Elks Lodge to basically a basement and now to our from a small Glenmary mission that thinks outside the multipurpose building [is great.] We may not have a big box of just the parish or the county or the diocese.” cathedral, but St. Michael’s is home to me.”

Bernice’s approach has even made her something of an ambassador for Catholicism in the community.

“Erwin is predominantly Baptist based,” she says.

“There are a lot of Protestants. At first it was intimidating because a lot of people don’t know much about Catholics here.…I did get a lot of questions.”

Once Bernice found herself asking a friend what Mass was like at their church. The friend wasn’t familiar with the term. The exchange led to further discussion and in the end Bernice visited the friend’s Protestant church, and the friend came to St. Michael’s for Mass.

“It can definitely feel a little weird being the lonely Glenmary Father Tom Charters is pastor of St. Michael the Archangel. He and the other Glenmary staff see the future of the Church in youth ministry.

Spring 2021 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

17

letters to the editor GOD BLESS GLENMARY Father Dan Dorsey’s reflection Christ Our Light in the Darkness (Winter 2020) was most inspiring for this reader. Father Aaron Wessman’s article Three Gifts from the Missions (Winter 2020) brought tears to my eyes. God bless all Glenmarians.

Regina Motreuil · Ozone Park, NY LIFE REPEATS ITSELF I read your Winter 2020 Glenmary Challenge column Winter Warning, from Editor John Stegeman. It talks about winter 1990. Well, in November of 1950 I had the same experience.

Just proves life and man have been the same, since when! You would think by now, man’s obedience to God would have come to fruition! But we still have pharisees, sadducees,

and hypocrites! I’ll keep praying!

George Rohe · Pittsburgh, PA. THANK YOU Thank you for your work! Thank you for a magazine that is a great read from cover to cover. Stories are inspirational and full of faith!

Sister JoAnn Hohenbrink · Columbus, OH PASSING IT ON I love your magazine. I leave it at our university Newman Center so college kids can be inspired!

Doris Heine · Vermillion, SD

we want your feedback !

Send to: Editor, Glenmary Challenge, P.O. Box 465618, Cincinnati, OH 45246.

Email: challenge@glenmary.org. Comments are printed at the discretion of the editor and may be edited for clarity and space. Please include a postal address with your letter.

This Spring, Give a Gift to Glenmary!

Prayerfully consider partnering with us:

wor d s of w is d om f r om o ur f o un de r

• • • •

For more information, contact:

“We have Christ with us every

Glenmary's Planned Giving Office info@glenmary.org 513-874-8900

day. Should we hesitate

to show the world where he is to be found?”

-Father W. Howard Bishop

18

GLENMARY CHALLENGE

Save on taxes by giving a gift from your IRA Earn income from a Charitable Gift Annuity Make a gift of stock or appreciated asset Pray for Glenmary vocations!

glenmary.org

T H E W E B S I T E O F C AT H O L I C MISSIONERS TO RURAL AMERICA

glenmary.org

Are you being called?

Take Glenmary’s vocation survey to see if life as a missionary priest or brother could be for you. A simple survey could change your life!

glenmary.org/vocations/survey Follow us on Facebook!

Brother to profess Final Oath In May, Brother Josiah Kimani will promise his “whole life to the missionary apostolate in the rural areas and small towns of the United States.”

glenmary.org/Brother-Josiah

Learn more about our missions and get to know our priests, brothers, and coworkers. One thing’s for sure, life at Glenmary is never boring!

facebook.com/glenmary.org Volunteer with Glenmary Short- and long-term volunteers are welcome to experience simplicity and spirituality in the hills of Grainger County, Tenn.

glenmary.org/volunteer Support us with Amazon Smile Designate Glenmary as your charity of choice at Amazon Smile and shop as normal. Amazon donates a portion of each purchase to Glenmary.

glenmary.org/amazon-smile

Meet Glenmary’s three new priests

Follow us on Instagram

The journey to priestly ordination is complete for Fathers Kenn, Samuel, and Jose Carlos. Get to know the men who have given their lives to God.

This popular mobile app is designed to share great photos. Sign up and follow Glenmary to see the beauty of our home missions ministry!

glenmary.org/3-priests

search: glenmarymissioners Make a gift to the missions

Working for Christian unity Check out Glenmary’s new website with stories, resources and more all about ecumenism.

The missionary work Glenmary does would be impossible without support from people like you. Thank you for considering a one-time or monthly gift!

GlenmaryUnity.org

glenmary.org/support-us

Spring 2021 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

19

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

P.O. Box 465618 · Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618

Cumberland River in Smith County, Tennessee

“I am ready to embrace a future bright with God’s potential.”

—Father Don Tranel, Glenmary Missioner

c at h o l i c m i s s i o n e r s t o r u r a l a m e r i c a

U.S. Postage PAID Glenmary Home Missioners