Winter 2020 Glenmary Challenge

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

Called to Be Church in Appalachia Anniversary looks to the future

las posadas gifts from the missions WINTER 2020 G L E N M A R Y. O R G

Winter warning

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.)

B

ack in the mid 1990s my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio had a bit of a blizzard.

Roughly two feet of snow fell in just a couple of days and all the adults were in a bit of a tizzy. I was in middle school, so for me that snow was like manna from heaven.

School was cancelled, and I was in for a day of snowball fights, sledding and making snow forts with my friends. I would spend as much time out in the snow as possible. When I came home, Mom would make some hot chocolate and I’d sit under a blanket on the heater vent until I was so warm I could hardly stand it.

Many of you reading this are likely to have similar memories of winter wonderlands. As the weather turns colder though, I urge you to remember in your prayers and your giving people for whom winter weather is a serious threat.

Some of the people Glenmary serves live in poorly insulated trailers or homes with insufficient heat.

Winter weather can keep people away from the grocery or food pantry assistance they may need. Glenmary works to help these families. Some of our missions do coat drives, our volunteer program prepares huge amounts of firewood and our missioners connect people with the services they need to survive the winter.

If your life, like mine, has been blessed more with abundance than with want, the winter is a good time to remember these words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Giving to the poor among us can be a gift for them, and an occasion of grace for us.

Merry Christmas.

GLENMARY HOME MISSIONERS P.O. Box 465618 · Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618 513-874-8900 · 800-935-0975 · challenge@glenmary.org © 2020, Glenmary Home Missioners.

Reprint permission granted upon request.

ON THE COVER: Catholic Committee of Appalachia President Ed Sloan, with Father Brian O’Donnell, SJ and Charleston Catholic High School teacher Andrea Null Herrick, walk in a Charleston, W.Va., march for environmental justice.

VOLUME 83

NUMBER 4

A Future in Appalachia

Catholic Committee of Appalachia has a colorful history—and a promising future. We talk to some young leaders about what’s next. page 10

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by john feister

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father aaron ’ s gifts from the missions

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las posadas in the mountains

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wise missioner : father gerry peterson

The story of the Three Kings can be a story for each of us. We need only to recognize the valuable gifts we have at hand.

Mission families pray their way towards Christmas, following the Holy Family looking for room at the inn.

He’s the oldest Glenmarian, but he’s anything but old-fashioned; he’s lived a life of mission ministry ahead of the curve.

Publisher: Father Dan Dorsey Editor: John Stegeman Asst. Editor: John Feister Art Director: Cassie Magnotta

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

artwork by gentile da fabriano

Christ, Our Light in the Darkness FROM THE PRESIDENT / Father Dan Dorsey

O

photo by john feister

ur families have so many wonderful Christmas traditions! There will be different memories, though, of Christmas 2020. Sometimes our best memories are born in life’s surprises.

Life before COVID-19 takes on a dream-like quality for me. Before lockdown I would go to a local nursing home and celebrate the Eucharist. This home serves only those who have memory issues. Many attendees would seem to be asleep while others might talk constantly! One resident would continually try to blow out the altar candles. Another would stand up throughout the Mass and attempt to wheel fellow residents out of

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the room.

The thought crossed my mind more than once: What is the point of this?

However, over weeks and months of ministering at the home I began to love the people who attended. I realized that I was less concerned about how much they were comprehending. Their vulnerability touched my heart, and their fragility spoke to my life.

One afternoon just after the consecration I looked at each of the residents and my eyes were opened to see that in most ways I am no different than those who made up the tiny congregation. I may function at a higher level but the person in the wheelchair is me—for I am oftentimes confused, vulnerable, lost and “sleeping” through life.

It occurred to me how all of us yearn for a place to call home, how relationships are so vitally important in our lives and how the simplest gesture can bring warmth and comfort.

I knew then that the light, the clarity, the joy, and the hope of Jesus Christ was shining brilliantly into

OPPOSITE PAGE: The birth of Christ brings light to the world. RIGHT: Glenmarians and staff at the Cincinnati headquarters greet local supporters on Founder’s Day. Even the pouring rain couldn't dampen anyone’s enthusiasm!

glenmary news & notes

photo by john feister

the darkest corners in that room, indeed into the entire home.

The mission of Glenmary is to go to the “forgotten and neglected” people in the rural sections of our beloved country—to leave the 99 and go in search of the one. I fondly recall my first Christmas as a priest—there was one person at Mass, and he wasn’t even Catholic!

The setting was not in a magnificent cathedral but in a simple doublewide trailer.

One might ask, “Why?” Why would you leave the security and certainty of the 99 in search of the one?

Glenmary’s missionary ministry is similar in many ways to my experience of going to the nursing home and celebrating Mass. It is difficult and challenging and often there is little response from the people you serve. But then grace overwhelms, your eyes are opened, and you see the face of Christ in those you serve.

It then becomes clear what a privilege it is to serve.

In this most unusual of times, when it seems we are swallowed up by darkness and confusion, let our gaze never stray from the Word, who is Jesus.

Jesus is one tradition whose presence can never be changed by the circumstances of time and place.

In fact, in the darkest of times, his light shines the brightest. Merry Christmas!

Glenmary HQ welcomes community

ou t reach / Local Mass goers have drive-by visit

On Oct. 19 Glenmarians and staff from the national headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio welcomed back members of the local community to the campus in a safe and creative way, with a Founder’s Day drive-by event.

The day celebrates the Feast of St. Isaac Jogues and companions, also

known as the North American Martyrs. It also is a day for Glenmarians to celebrate the life of their founder, Father William Howard Bishop.

Despite rainy weather, Glenmary priests, brothers and office staff gath-

ered near the novitiate house to wave at drivers who made a loop through the campus. Many Glenmarians and staff held signs, and First-Vice-Presi-

dent Father Aaron Wessman blessed cars, their drivers and passengers with holy water.

Prior to the pandemic, daily Mass at Glenmary’s Our Lady of the Fields

chapel was open to the public. While the Glenmary community continues

to celebrate Mass, the public has been unable to attend since March 13.

Glenmary has celebrated a regular Holy Hour to pray for an end to the pandemic.

“I thought it was well attended by the folks who have shared the Eucha-

rist with us at the chapel,” said Father Ed Gorny, a Glenmary senior member who lives at the residence. “Many of them indicated they can’t wait for the virus to be over so they can worship with us again. We miss them too.”

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Raffle success

support / $160,000 raised Glenmary president Father Dan Dors-

ey drew the winners of the 2020 Coun-

try Raffle on Sept. 4 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The $5,000 winner was Martin

Louis of Lakewood, Ohio. The $3,000

winner was Dorothy Fairbanks of Deer

River, Minn., and the $1,500 prize went

to Monica Gallico of Concord, Calif.

Eleven $100 prizes were also awardphoto by john feister

ed, as was a handmade quilt.

Glenmary launches ecumenical site

This year’s raffle raised $160,805 to

support Glenmary’s mission. More than 4,000 people participated in the raffle.

While donations were not re-

quired to enter the raffle, those who

support the Country Raffle help Glen-

mary priests, brothers and lay co-

outreach / Ecumenical Commission aims at Christian unity

workers continue nurturing the Cath-

The Glenmary Ecumenical Commission has launched a new website aimed

without an effective Church presence.

at bridging the divide between Christians. The website can be found at GlenmaryUnity.org.

“The purpose of the website really is to start a conversation between

Catholics and Evangelicals on deepening Christian unity,” said Nathan

Smith, director of Catholic-Evangelical Relations for Glenmary. “The website will include resources to support others in the work of Christian unity, in-

cluding timelines to get folks up to date on the current state of ecumenical

olic Church in areas of our country Without outside support, Glenmary

missioners and coworkers could not

care for the spiritual and material needs of all those living in mission

counties throughout Appalachia and the South.

dialogue. I’ll regularly include stories of Catholics and Evangelicals working together and the site will act as a platform for others to connect with Glenmary regarding the work of Christian unity.”

The Glenmary Ecumenical Commission has a national role in fostering

relations between Catholics and Evangelicals on behalf of both Glenmary and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The commission is

nominations, and the director. The commission seeks to reduce alienation, enhance understanding and foster reconciliation between Evangelicals and Catholics through dialogue based in friendship.

ABOVE: Glenmary Ecumenical Commission members Methodist Pastor Joan Fischer and Father Aaron Wessman dialogue at a pre-pandemic gathering. RIGHT: Glenmary President Father Dan Dorsey pulls a winner for the 2020 Country Raffle.

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photo by brother david henley

made up of three Glenmarians, three representatives from Protestant de-

Serving kindness

ministry / Novice leads effort

Glenmary’s Holy Family Mission in Macon County, Tenn., has begun a collaboration with the Westmoreland Food Bank in neighboring Sumner County.

Glenmary novice Thomas Nguyen

has volunteered at the food bank photo by deacon larry rossini

since mid-September. Thomas has

also brought students from Holy Family’s youth group to volunteer.

Thomas got involved at the sug-

gestion of Pastor Father Vic Subb.

He is now a regular, helping the food

bank feed approximately 75 families

each week. The food bank is affiliated

Mission to start mobile pantry

with a local Protestant church, pas-

ministry / Local partners place trust in Glenmary pastor

runs the program.

St. Teresa of Kolkata Catholic Church has been selected by a community

up my perspective and built up my

tored by Charlie Millson, who also

board to administer a $25,000 American Cancer Society grant to start a mobile food pantry.

The board consisted of a variety of local organizations, including the

Union County Health Department.

“[St. Teresa of Kolkata] was chosen to help in the administration of this

grant by the board because they are a trusted community partner,” said

Beth Sexton, a health educator with the Union County Health Department.

“I think (volunteering) has opened

servant’s heart,” said Thomas. “Saying, ‘How are you,’ is also very impor-

tant in this kind of ministry. As Charlie says, The only kindness these people may get all day is the kindness they get from us.”

“Father Neil (Pezzulo) is a beloved leader in the community.”

Sexton said the mobile food pantry will get fresh foods to underserved

populations throughout Union County, specifically focusing on areas where

there are no other food pantries. Target populations include the elderly, children, those below the poverty line and minorities.

Sexton said. “As a board, we believe that Father Neil already has a won-

derful connection with many of these groups. We are hopeful that this will be a wonderful partnership that serves many of the hungry in Union County.”

ABOVE: Glenmary Father Neil Pezzulo and St. Teresa of Kolkata parish are starting an ambitious mobile food pantry effort. RIGHT: Glenmary Novice Thomas Nguyen, right, smiles with Westmoreland Foodbank director Charlie Millson.

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photo courtesy of thomas nguyen

“Father Neil shared that these goals were in line with his mission,”

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photo by john feister

It isn’t uncommon for parishioners to offer a gift to their priest, but few gifts stand out to Glenmary Father Aaron Wessman like the white towel, piece of art, and crumpled dollar bill he received while ministering in eastern North Carolina.

Three Gifts from the Missions

There is more to most gifts than meets the eye.

But all are about gratitude. by father aaron wessman

A

towel, a piece of art, a crumpled dollar bill.

When I think about what’s really important during this season of giving, these gifts give me pause.

‘Remember us’ The first gift I’d like to talk about is a white towel. If we’re being honest, it’s not the most exciting of gifts. When we have a birthday, we don’t rip open a box hoping there’s a white towel! But this was such a special gift to me.

Throughout the world, immigration is a struggle. In our Glenmary missions, this struggle has a human face to it.

The folks I’m discussing are here legally on migrant worker visas. In eastern North Carolina these people labor for

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six months out of the year in a crab meat factory near Lake Mattamuskeet. They live in squalid, overcrowded trailers with poor air conditioning. There are bugs everywhere, and for the six months they are here, they are away from their families.

In the mission we would bring them food, water, clothes, cockroach killer, and celebrate the sacraments with them. Our sanctuary was an outdoor carport, surrounded by roosters, dogs and bees. The floor was dirt mixed with broken glass bottles. But this was our sanctuary and the people would become overjoyed to receive the Eucharist.

The last time I was there I opened the Prayers of the Faithful up to anyone who felt moved to share. The matriarch of the community said, in Spanish, “I’m so grateful for Glenmary, so thankful you are here and that we can experience Jesus in the Mass.” Then she began to cry.

The separation from her family was too much.

Person after person spoke and the Prayers of the

Faithful lasted 20 minutes. I didn’t know how to close things down, so rather than offer a closing prayer I gathered them together and we embraced.

After Mass the matriarch who began the prayers came up to me. She said, “Father, I’m really embarrassed.

I don’t have anything to give you, but we want you to remember us. So, the thing that we have is this white towel. Accept it as a gift.”

Fire of faith In eastern North Carolina, I saw that passing the faith to the younger generation was a challenge. We had young people in the missions and I wanted them to know they could be leaders in the faith as well.

I thought, “Why not create a whole bunch of servers?” But I soon learned that was easier said than done!

After weeks of little interest, I finally gained headway when I mentioned to a couple of girls in the mission, “you’ll get to use fire!” For whatever reason, this was what attracted them to serve. So, I got two.

The great thing about young people is they watch. The other young people saw that these two girls were able to do what they were doing, and it looked fun and exciting—especially using the incense. In time, we had a dozen servers.

The last weekend at my mission a family came up to me and gifted me a beautiful image.

It was a large cross-stitching of a chalice with the Eucharist.

The family said to me, “Father, you have no idea how difficult it has been for us to be parents who try to raise their kids in the faith. Every Sunday morning it was like pulling teeth just to get them out of bed. They were typical teenagers.

“Now our kids wake us up on Sunday morning. They make sure we arrive early! Our kids are making sure we don’t miss Mass. Father, you have given us the gift of faith.”

No gift could say that better.

Turned tables Glenmary missions are diverse. A mission parish might have 50 people in rural America but sometimes there are 10 to 15 cultures represented. One culture represented in North Carolina was a wonderful group of Filipinos.

Each January they celebrated Sinulog, a celebration of when Christianity came to the Philippines 500 years ago.

The celebration draws people from all over the United States.

My job was to go around the town to businesses and ask people to donate gifts that we could raffle off to pay for the celebration, but also to fund our mission.

I learned that it is tough to have to beg. By and large people were very generous but sometimes it would not work out. It was exhausting.

I had come to the end of an exhausting day of doing this. I was leaving the grocery store parking lot and I saw a man coming. I knew him. He was a local, semihomeless person who was often begging.

That day, I just didn’t have the patience. I knew I should be charitable, but I just couldn’t find the charity in my heart. As he reached me he told his same story. I’d heard it a million times and I know there’s a chance it’s not true. So, I said to him, “I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”

It wasn’t true. I could have helped him. I didn’t stop there. I told him, “Actually, I’m going around asking people to help our church because we need money.”

And I left.

The next day I went back to the store and as I left, the man found me. I was prepared to turn him down again. Then he extends his hand, holding a crumpled dollar bill. And he said, “Father, I want to donate to your

church.”

As we celebrate Christmas and look forward to the arrival of the magi and their gifts, may Christ grant us clarity of vision to know the true worth of the gifts we have received.

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A Future in Appalachia As the Catholic Committee of Appalachia celebrates 50 years, young leaders keep looking ahead. story by john feister

W

hat might the future of the Catholic Committee of Appalachia (CCA) look like? That was the question that a younger generation of churchworkers considered at the recent 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking organization. “A lot of the ideas we had were really largely rooted in community. That is a hunger that I’ve heard in personal conversations with several other younger members of CCA,” says Sarah George, who operates a volunteer program, Emmaus Farm, in Lewis County, Kentucky.

Not so long ago a Glenmary volunteer, she’s a CCA leader, currently serving on its board of directors. She hears that longing for community support from other workers in Appalachia, saying, “Whenever we do any sort of meeting or annual gathering, I feel like the first and last things we all say to each other is, ‘We need to do this more often.’”

The CCA was always a combination of loosely-knit friendship and support, and has a history as a collaborating spot for Appalachian social-justice causes. Members are connected in some way to

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photo courtesy of cca facebook page

COVID-modified “It was quite the undertaking, but we had a lot of fun putting it together.” That’s CCA President Ed Sloane, speaking of the COVID-19-modified 50th Anniversary celebration. Ed, Sarah, Michael and others, confronted with the sudden pandemic shutdown, took the ball and ran with it. They organized and conducted online Zoom conferences with various talks over a four week period this past September and October, including an evening with the “elders” (as the younger members call those people from the 1970s). There was a film about the region, a streamed liturgy led by Diocese of Lexington Bishop John Stowe, a breakout session of younger members and a series of topical panels.

The idea was to nurture community, and thus to “empower CCA members to be church in their communities,” says Ed. “CCA is a member-driven organization.”

A list of the types of folks who share membership of CCA gives a flavor of who’s driving. There are groups,

such as Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, that confront legislative policies that favor unethical corporate behavior. These include, to name a few, ruining local drinking water, removing the tops of mountains in pursuit of coal, releasing toxins into the environment.

There are literacy programs, nurses who operate clinics, farms demonstrating sustainable agriculture, advocates for ecology concerns in the spirit of Pope Francis, a network of nonprofit housing construction companies that have literally built thousands of homes, anti-opioid advocacy groups, and many more. “CCA members are encouraged to bring their faith into local movements for justice,” says Ed. “These local engagements shape CCA’s agenda for collective action.” CCA currently has three hundred members, with state chapters in Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee.

Longtime member Carole Warren, an educator who has deep family roots in West Virginia, wrote an essay for Catholic News Service this past August describing how CCA has supported her own work in a local literacy program over the years. “In joining CCA, I gained

photo courtesy of cca facebook page

the Catholic Church scattered across the Appalachian portions of 12 states and all of West Virginia. Michael Iafratta, one of two staff-members for the organization, says, “there’s something distinctive about what we’re called to do as the Church in the Appalachian region.

It’s always changing, because the region is always changing.” The challenge today, he says is to ask, “What is the Church called to do and be in the Appalachian region?

How do we learn from each other?”

Members of the Catholic Committee of Appalachia are involved in many ways, sometimes even including social protests, such as this one at Charleston, W. Va., the People’s Climate March, in 2017.

This screenshot at the 50th Anniversary celebration shows a few of those on the Zoom conference. Even online it was a big success, as young and old shared perspectives.

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photo by john feister

The late Glenmary Father John Rausch was a key player in CCA for decades, seen here with Todd Justice (left) at an African American heritage center in eastern Kentucky.

a network of experienced Catholics ministering in the area, endeavoring to employ a more respectful model — encouraging local people to use their own skills to help their communities prosper.”

That humble, listening approach among her CCA friends, not “do-gooders” coming into the region with all of the answers, is what first attracted her, she wrote: “Don’t assume, consult. When in doubt, ask. Don’t do it yourself, collaborate. And collaborate we did, expanding a network of successful projects and a forum for advice and sharing.”

photo courtesy of sarah george

Carving a future “I think that the younger generation is taking on the reins now,” asserts Sarah. Both she and Ed are mid-30s or younger, which bodes well for the future of CCA. “We have the benefit of having the 50-year history and tradition before us. We ask, How did they live out this mission for 50 years?” One concrete way is to look at the pastoral letters, she says, particularly the one in 2015 that best expresses community interests today. “They give specific guidance of what it means to be a prophetic

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voice, and what it means to work for justice.”

There is a longing among newer CCA members for connection outside of their local projects. There will be more Zoom meetings in the future, more frequently. It’s possible, and easy to achieve. “In CCA I get to be around other people who are actively and tirelessly doing their own ministries.”

New advocacy and other programs will follow from that. Care for the Earth, since the very beginning a concern of CCA members, is a good example. The sharing and doing of ideas, listening, responding, listening

‘I think the younger generation is taking on the reins now,’ which bodes well, asserts Sarah. again spawns social change. That’s as true for confronting coal-extracting mountain-top removal as it is for building solar-powered houses. It started with sharing friendship 50 years ago, and it will continue that way.

Lexington’s Bishop John Stowe is confident of that: “The Catholic Committee on Appalachia is really teaching the church what it means to form community,” he tells the Challenge. “It is a vital expression of the church at the grass-roots level.”

He calls to mind CCA’s latest teaching, the People’s Pastoral, “a listening process. What is heard is distilled and discerned, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit points the way. In this letter, the Magisterium of the Poor and the Magisterium of the Earth come together beautifully.”

That new style of authoritative teaching, from the ground up, along with the advocacy and community organizing that follow, is one part of what makes CCA tick. Those community-building, future-dreaming gettogethers are the other.

Emmaus Farm director Sarah George poses on an old tractor not far from her volunteer program in Lewis County, Kentucky, formerly served by Glenmary. She’s one of CCA’s leaders.

in the beginning

CCA’s Strong Foundations

d women

of neighborhoo

photo courtesy

the Church, to be part of that. Father Les and several other Glenmarians were key players, standing alongside the women who were firmly planted in community antipoverty organizations.

An immense and early project was “listening sessions” held throughout the region. “All of our hearings, our listenings, were open to everybody,” recalls Father Les. “Totally transparent, totally open. Anybody can say whatever was on their heart. That was at the bedrock.”

The idea was to take the voice of the people as a starting point.

One result became a hallmark of Catholic Social Teaching in the United States, the 1975 bishops’ pastoral letter This Land Is Home to Me, a teaching on power and powerlessness in the land of King Coal. Two other teachings came from that: one from the region's bishops in 1995 that named the environment and respect for it as a key concern, the other in 2015, the “People’s Glenmary Father Pastoral,” that, as its Les Schmidt advo cated for listening title implies, is more sessions, foundations for the bis hops’ pastoral. grassroots in origin.

Mountaintop removal, though faster for coal extraction, wreaks havoc on the land, the water, its people.

Winter 2020 GLENMARY CHALLENGE

photo by jeffrey gerard

“T

he ringleaders back in 1970 were all women,” says Glenmary Father Les Schmidt, a charter Catholic Committee of Appalachia member. “They thought they needed a cleric upfront, and I was available. In that sense I was right there with them, but the ones who really planted the seed that later sprouted into CCA were almost all former Glenmary sisters.” That was the time of major rearrangement just after Vatican II, when the reemergence of lay ministry called many religious has been CCA pioneer Marie Cirillo into new roles in the decades, in mountain ministry for e. tic jus Church. working for charity and Father Les explains that 50 years ago, when Appalachia’s poverty was in the news again, church groups of all denominations formed the Commission on Religion in Appalachia. “It was an umbrella for all of the denominations that were working in Appalachia to come together, to encourage one another, to support one another, to maximize impact within the region,” explains Father Les. In 1970 the Catholics formed the Catholic Committee of Appalachia, officially sanctioned by

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A group of Las Posadas pilgrims arrive at the door, carrying a crèche, and begin a dialogue of encounter, singing from their sheets.

Las Posadas in the Mountains Smaller and simpler in eastern Tennessee, this Advent celebration opens hearts to the Holy Family. story + photos by john feister

Hail Mary, full of grace… ight is falling at Joppa Mountain in east Tennessee, and Christmas is just a few days away. A small gathering of friends are enjoying each other’s company at Glenmary’s volunteer house, preparing a festive meal.

Then a hush comes over the room as a group walks across the porch and approaches the front door. “In the name of heaven, I beg you for lodging!” cries a voice outside the door. A “disagreement” follows; it will be 10 minutes or so later before the outdoor group is permitted to enter.

Then, in come the pilgrims, two carrying a nativity crèche, leading the way. It’s Las Posadas, a faith-celebration of Mexican culture. The Holy Family has been looking for a room at the inn. And the disagreement has taken place in song.

N

Leticia Guzman keeps an eye on her son, Carlos, who hasn’t quite learned how to pray his rosary! That devotion is a key part of this celebration, as pilgrims follow the Holy Family, and celebrate their own community. Dad, Felix Ramirez, smiles in the background.

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The group begins to pray the rosary after the crèche is placed at the front of the chair-filled living room.

The Third Joyful Mystery....She gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn....”

Maria finds a seat in the back with other young friends.

“I’ve been going to Posadas pretty much all of my life— 19 years,” she says. She came to these mountains with her mother and brother from central Mexico when she was a child. There is a bustling, upwardly mobile Hispanic community in eastern Tennessee. And they are very actively Catholic. Most are legal; some don’t have the necessary paperwork. We’ll use the name Maria to respect privacy.

Las Posadas, a pre-Christmas novena prayed across the Americas, is common in Glenmary missions. The words literally mean, “places to stay” or “the inns.”

Maria explains the ceremony, which starts at the threshold. “Half the people are inside the house; the other half come to the door,” she says. “They’re carrying Mary and Joseph in the stable. They knock on the door, and sing a song explaining, they need room at the inn. The people on the inside sing back to them.” The insiders’ verses include, at first, phrases such as, “This is not an inn, so keep going…” or “If I become annoyed I’ll give you a thrashing!” The pleading Joseph finally persuades the innkeeper, who, in the end, recognizes the

Holy Family. This is the Para Pedir Posada song.

It is a Bible play, a custom with roots in the Middle Ages to help people understand and remember scriptural stories. Novenas always have nine prayer-events; Maria explains that for Las Posadas there are nine nights because Mary was pregnant for nine months. The Church celebrates all of it, as the Posadas procession goes from one parishioner’s house to another on nine nights, un-

They knock on the door, and sing a song explaining, they need room at the inn, only to hear from the group inside, ‘This is not an inn, so keep going!’ til it completes its journey. The Union County novena ends on December 23 with Mass down the mountain at Glenmary’s St. Teresa of Kolkata church.

At the doorway, some know the songs by heart; others are looking on to their neighbor’s song sheet. In the candlelight one sings to the other in the dialogue of encounter: “Enter, pilgrims; I did not recognize you!” the innkeeper side finally sings. When the nativity scene finds its home in the front of the living-room-become-stable, the rosary begins. Tonight the small assembly is praying the Joyful Mysteries, including proclaiming and meditating on the miracles surrounding Jesus’ birth. Later

The mini-procession falls in behind the crèche, carried by Mountain Manager Kevin Michael Canonico and Glenmary staffer Donna Turchi.

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“Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus....” Those gathered pray the Joyful Mysteries, the children look on; a festive meal, then piñata will follow. Las Posadas comes to 8 houses and winds up December 23, at the mission parish.

there will be a delicious dinner, and the children will break a piñata for treats.

Maria, for the most part, sits quietly during the rosary, perhaps lost in thought. She herself, like Holy Mary, is experiencing a type of homelessness. She was

Participants are not all dressed up, hair done and makeup on. It’s not about any of that. It’s about coming together as we are. planning to rent a trailer from an itinerant worker, but the man returned home and evicted her. Donna Turchi, who works for Glenmary’s Group Volunteer Program, helps tell Maria’s story: “There’s still a lot of the old Mexican culture here in the U.S.,” she says. “The man

of her mother’s house wanted Maria out. Her uncle in Florida offered to put her up but expected her to be a housekeeper, so after 9 months she came back to Tennessee. Now she needs a home.” Donna has been helping her to find one.

Today, earlier, while preparations of the Posadas are underway, Donna and Maria stop at the home they have rented and are fixing up. Maria’s brother will live there, too. “Donna’s been a big part of my life since I came back,” Maria says, as we walk among rooms that soon will be a home. A chair and couch Donna turned up are the beginning of a beautiful living room. “I call her and she's always given me all these solutions to my problems,” Maria adds. “Just like, ‘Oh, I'm gonna help you.’”

Donna is like that.

Donna reflects on the beauty she sees in Mexican culture, here in the Tennessee hills. “While we’re out buying Christmas presents, every night, they’re praying and thanking God for the birth of Jesus. They don't have fancy houses. They’re not all dressed up, hair done and makeup on. It's not about any of that. It's about coming together as we are, where we are, to pray and to eat in honor of the season. They're gathered together as community.

“You can come to a Posada,” she adds, “and you won't have to understand a word. You will understand that Christ is present.”

“Oh, bellísima María…” they sing. O, most beautiful Mary. “Yo te ofrezco el alma…” I offer you my soul, so you may have lodging. Christ is present, indeed.

Maria (left) poses with Donna in the home that Glenmary has helped Maria to find and rent. Donated furniture is on the way: Maria and her brother will have a place to stay.

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GLENMARY CHALLENGE

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Wise Missioner

interviews on glenmary spirituality

father gerry peterson : embracing the new that I probably gave more to nurturing our Catholics, maybe 10% reaching out to the unchurched, and a little bit, when I could, working with ministerial associations.

H

e might be the oldest Glenmarian today, but he’s lived these 91 years with a spirit of newness. Father Gerry Peterson has seen a lot of change since joining Glenmary in 1947, from the Church’s reformed sense of mission in the 1960s (“I embraced it”) to the growing presence of international Glenmarians (he was the first to recruit Glenmarians from abroad).

He served as pastor at three missions for about 10 years each, and they all grew under his watch.

Q: What was most fulfilling for you over your long career as priest?

A: I’ve always tried to keep in mind the five categories that Glenmary is devoted to: nurture Catholics, outreach to the unchurched, helping the poor, ecumenism, cooperating with the worldwide Church.

Q: But where did you find focus?

A: Well, I gauge my service in those five categories, but I always felt

Q: I suppose each Glenmarian would have their own emphasis, based on their personality?

A: Yeah. I probably did more outreach to the poor than most.

Q: For example?

A: When I was in my second mission, after spending 5 years helping lead the novitiate, I was stationed in Dahlonega, Georgia.

I started a credit union there to help the low-income people who were being ripped off by quick-finance loans. That was in the 1960s.

Q: Ecumenism was becoming important then, after Vatican II? A: I did help to form, with other churches, outreach to the poor.

There was what we called the Christian Center of Concern. The Episcopal minister came to me and asked, “Could we work together?” I said “I don’t want to work only with Episcopalians. You talk with the Baptist minister, I’ll talk with the Methodist minister. We’ll get our churches

working together.” It’s still going, I think. I spent about 8 hours a week on it; I think we gave away fiveto-ten thousand dollars per year.

Q: What advice is on the tip of your tongue for a person starting in ministry?

A: Don’t stay in the rectory! Get out with the people—not just Catholics, but others. Work on ecumenism and evangelization of the unchurched.

Q: Is it true you were one of Glenmary’s early Spanish-speakers?

A: I had studied Spanish in Mexico in 1988 for 10 weeks, but I still talked like a baby when I came back!

I hadn’t been in Winfield, Ala., long when they asked me to come over to Houston, Mississippi, to have Mass in Spanish. It was about 75 miles, but I went over there on Sunday afternoon. There’s a lot more Spanish-speaking in our missions these days.

Q: What would you tell a young person considering Glenmary today?

A: I’ve found it fulfilling, and a joyful ministry for over 60 years. I wrote all about it, 60 pages, in an autobiography I wrote. But that was my summary: fulfilling and joyful.

-John Feister

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letters to the editor CONGRATS FATHER HOLLY On World Mission Sunday (Oct. 18), I offered congratulations to Fr. Dennis Holly on his 60th anniversary as a Glenmarian.

Fr. Holly’s priestly life and ministry bear witness to both Glenmary founder Father William Howard Bishop’s vision to “serve the spiritually and materially poor in the U.S. home missions,” and the World Mission Sunday 2020 theme, “Here I am, send me”. (Isa. 6:8) Fr. Joseph Quindlen · Plymouth Meeting, Pa. ENCOURAGING MESSAGE The article in the Autumn 2020 Glenmary Challenge about the new deacons ordained was very encouraging.

I was touched by the heartfelt intentions of Dcns. José Carlos and Kenneth who are already engaged in reaching out to the people in mission areas.

My husband and I are sending a donation to further their work!

We pray that God multiplies it a

hundredfold. More importantly we will keep José Carlos, Kenneth and Samuel in our daily prayers at Mass.

Virginia Gubasta · Cincinnati, OH ALWAYS IMPRESSING After reading the entire Autumn 2020 issue, my first thought was: “Wow, Glenmary never ceases to impress!”

The article about the three deacons from countries outside the U.S. and also the volunteer and ecumenical efforts throughout your missions truly shows how farsighted and progressive Glenmary continues to be. What a blessing to read such positive and uplifting accounts. Thank you!

Rita Madak · Pittsburgh, PA TRUST IN JESUS I uncovered my summer issue of the Glenmary Challenge, which I have been saving during these pandemic months.

Are you thinking about making a planned gift?

Call Luke Carey, Director of Planned Giving, to chat about what planned gift is right for you!

• IRAs • Stocks

• Bequests • Trusts

• Annuities ...and more!

Luke Carey, Planned Giving Officer lcarey@glenmary.org 800-935-0975

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GLENMARY CHALLENGE

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Fr. Dan Dorsey’s column, A look to Glenmary’s future, states, “Studies show that uncertainty is the most stressful condition for our bodies ... In response to this darkness and uncertainty Pope Francis called for ‘a civilization of hope’ that rejects fear, discouragement and passivity, pointing to Jesus’ resurrection as the foundation of hope.”

Thank you so much, Father, for your stellar article and as you wrote, “We are in uncharted waters and nobody really knows exactly what post-pandemic life will be like.” But as a people of faith, we place our hands in God’s.

Sr. Mary Adele Bandurski C.S.S.F. · Lodi, NJ IN THE WEEDS In the Autumn 2020 Glenmary Challenge, Fr. Dan Dorsey talked about weeds. The article especially talks about dandelions and pictured a field of them going to seed.

When I was a kid in the '50s we loved to pick dandelions. So on an early Sunday morning we traveled to the farms to pick near barns. If anybody saw us we would ask permission to pick dandelions and we were never refused.

After we came home we’d clean the dandelions we had picked and used them in salads or even a delicious soup. I always found it a lot of fun.

Yes—what is a weed?

Domenick White · Rochester, N.Y. GOOD JOB! Magazine (Autumn 2020) was well written. Outstanding!

Danny & Joan Moran · Bridgeport, CT 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.

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

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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 Glenmary has an app

A Hunger for Eucharist Janice Wilson was born a Baptist. Later she felt a hunger for the Bread of Life. She’s Catholic now in part because Glenmary was there.

glenmary.org/wilson

Keep up with the latest from the home missions by downloading the Glenmary app, available on the App Store and Google Play.

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

glenmary.org/volunteer Follow us on Facebook!

From Tennessee to Ecuador and Back Again Glenmary Mountain Manager Maggie Sheehan, 23, has “fallen in love” with the communities she has served across continents.

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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 Is God calling you?

If you or someone you know may be called to religious life with Glenmary, visit our site to discern your next steps.

glenmary.org/vocations

A Missionary Rosary

Let us pray for you

Join Glenmary Father Steve Pawelk in praying the Luminous Mysteries, mission style.

Glenmarians pray for our supporters daily. Leave a prayer request online and missioners will pray for you in Our Lady of the Fields Chapel.

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

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

“These are for us, not days of despair, but days of dedication.

Let each man take his vocation as a message straight from God!” —Father Wm. Howard Bishop, Glenmary Founder

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