GlenmaryChallen e
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 US 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 US 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 US diocesan clergy, and to anyone who requests it. (To begin receiving issues, use the contact information below.)
Box 465618 · Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618
513-874-8900 · 800-935-0975 · challenge@glenmary.org
Past, Present, and Future
This summer the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary a historical milestone filled with triumphs and failures, joys and sorrows, individualism and community. This story is repeated across centuries and cultures, including here at Glenmary.
Reflecting on our nation’s remarkable yet complicated history gives us an opportunity to learn from the mistakes and successes of our forebears, as individuals and as an apostolic society. On page 16 you’ll read about Glenmary’s archivist and how her work in preserving our history has helped current missioners.
As we reflect on the past, we also look to the future. There are so many wonderful things to look forward to new and expanding missions, vocations prospects, and the excitement of the unknown. Our new mission in Livingston, Tennessee, is a testament to what the future can hold.
Father Charles Aketch is also working for the future of Glenmary. In June he was named the newest director of vocations. He is grateful to take on this challenge as he works to find more vocations to serve in the missions.
While the future is looking bright, I can’t help but be thankful for where we are now. Just last month Brother Jude Smith made his final oath. We’ll share more about that joyful event in the next magazine. In the meantime, you’ll find an uplifting essay from Brother Jude detailing his work as an ombudsman on page 12.
I’m so thankful for the past, present, and future of Glenmary. I hope you join me in praying for Brother Jude as he enters this next phase of his life and for an increase in vocations.
Lindsay Braud, editor
lbraud@glenmary.org
GlenmaryChallen e
FROM SERVING MISSIONS TO SHAPING VOCATIONS
By Theresa Nguyen-Gillen | PAGE 08
11 12 15 16
HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS
Through service projects and daily Mass, St. Michael’s youth put their faith into action. By Lorena Reynoso
GIVING A VOICE TO THE VULNERABLE
As a certified ombudsman, Brother Jude Smith provides a ministry of presence and advocacy to patients living at long-term care facilities. By Brother Jude Smith
WORKING TOGETHER IN MISSION
Volunteers from Maria Stein, Ohio, support Glenmary’s new parish in Tennessee. By Lindsay Braud
BRINGING THE PAST TO LIFE
Glenmary's archivist keeps the mission of Father Bishop alive through his diaries and old photographs. By Theresa Nguyen-Gillen
Publisher: Father Dan Dorsey
Editor: Lindsay Braud
Assistant Editors: Laney Blevins,
Omar Cabrera, Theresa Nguyen-Gillen
Design: Emilie Winner
Planning-Review Board
Chris Phelps, Lucy Putnam, Father Aaron Wessman, Father Kenn Wandera, and Father Vic Subb
Father Charles Aketch shares a spiritual reflection on WEEN 1460 AM radio in Lafayette, Tenn. Photo by John Feister
Photo by Omar Cabrera
Photo courtesy of Br. David Henley
Photo courtesy of St. Michael the Archangel mission
Thumb
ON THE
Scale
from the president
Father Dan Dorsey
In his groundbreaking book, The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World , Father Aaron Wessman writes in the introduction, “Negative polarization and division in the United States are affecting all that we hold dear: our country, communities, schools, places of worship, relationships, and families. The scene is heartbreaking.”
In my bedroom, I keep a photo of my great-grandfather, Egidius Mueller, dressed in his Civil War uniform. I often look upon his image and ponder his life and his world. An immigrant from Baden-Baden, Germany, he fought for three years in the Union Army, enduring some of the bloodiest battles of the war.
This July marks the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, it left over 50,000 casualties. Ponder that for a moment. It is staggering! Green fields turned red. One can imagine the sorrow echoing across generations: “I killed my brother with malice in my heart. Hatred destroyed my family.”
Times have changed, but history continues to teach us the cost of polarization: death, destruction, and division even among those we love. Today, we encounter an additional kind of battlefield: social media. The forums offer only a glimpse of a per-
“… it is only by God’s grace that we are spared from the same blindness or failure we so quickly recognize in others.”
son or a situation, yet we are quick to make sweeping judgments based on our own beliefs and experiences.
We might ask ourselves: when we are weighing the faults of others or assessing a situation, are we tempted to “put our thumb on the scale” (Bryan Legenfeld)? How unfair is that? And how do we feel when others do the same to us?
“There but for the grace of God go I.” This proverb calls us to humility and gratitude. It reminds us that it is only by God’s grace that we are spared from the same blindness or failure we so quickly recognize in others. It cautions us against judgment and invites us to see our shared human vulnerability.
Fr. Dan's greatgrandfather, Egidius Mueller, fought in the American Civil War.
Fr. Dan Dorsey at Glenmary headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Photo by John Feister
As Glenmary Missioners, we minister in remote, rural areas of the United States. There, we Brothers, lay coworkers, and priests — are called to proclaim, through both our lives and our words, the Good News of Jesus Christ, that he died for all and desires unity for all. We are called to see in the wounded stranger on the roadside our sister and brother; to heal, to bind wounds, to listen, and to love.
14), a cautionary teaching of Jesus about humility, prayer, and justification before God. While the selfrighteous Pharisee boasts of his good works, the humble tax collector asks for mercy. Jesus declares that it is the humble man who goes home justified.
through blessing boxes, teaching youth the joy of serving in their community, and more.
At the core of our missionary ministry is the love that impels us to share with others what Jesus has shared with us:
Above all, as missioners, we serve with humility. For we, too, are fallen. We, too, are blind. Recall the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–SERVICE / Blessing Box
As you read through this summer issue of The Challenge, you will notice a consistent theme across the many and varied ministries. Each, in its own quiet way, seeks to break down polarization where it serves advocating for and visiting folks in long-term care facilities, sharing food with the hungry
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:20–21).
May we be instruments of that unity in a divided nation.
Glenmary News & Notes
Blessing Box
Serves Those in Need
Holy Family Parish in Blakely, Georgia, recently installed a blessing box in front of the church. Parishioners and children from the religious education class donate items that
are now available to take for anyone in need. Items include nonperishable food and household supplies like toilet paper and soap.
What started as a project for the local chapter of the American Heritage Girls quickly grew into a parish initiative. Parishioners, along with Father Neil Pezzulo, Brother Jude Smith, and Sister Imelda Ngwitu regularly fill the box with much needed items. Toiletries
are the most sought after items and tend to move fast. It can be difficult to keep the blessing box stocked, Father Neil explains.
“We opened the blessing box because there was a need in the community. It’s a simple way to help people without them having to knock on the door and ask,” says Father Neil. “The ultimate goal was to give people more dignity when asking for help.”
Youth from Holy Family Parish fill the new blessing box.
Photo by Tammy Watford
INTERNATIONAL / Pontifical Publication
Glenmary Featured in International Magazine
Father Tom Charters and Glenmary Home Missioners were featured in the April 2026 edition of Mondo e Missione (World and Mission) magazine. This monthly magazine of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions is one of the oldest missionary publications in Europe. Founded in 1872 under the title Le Missioni Cattoliche, it has become one of the leading missionary magazines in Italy. In each issue, World and Mission tells the story of the Church and society in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania through the stories of missionaries.
The article titled In missione nell’America profunda, or On mission in the American heartland, focuses on Glenmary’s work in Appalachia and the rural South. The author focuses on Glenmary’s history, current work, and the realities of Catholicism in the United States.
Read the article online: www.mondoemissione.it.
Franciscan Sister Starts Work in Georgia Mission
Sister Mary Jane Atieno of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anna in Kenya arrived in the United States this spring to begin working at Glenmary missions in Southwest Georgia. After a brief orientation at the Glenmary headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sister Mary Jane traveled to Georgia to begin serving in the mission alongside Sister Imelda Ngwitu, FSSA.
“My first weeks with the Glenmary Missioners have been deeply moving, despite challenges adjusting to the new environment and some sickness,” says Sister Mary Jane. “I’ve found great joy encountering people at church and visiting the needy in their homes... I’m eager to learn and work with the people here.”
Sister Mary Jane was surprised to find that church attendance can be very low in the United States, which is a sharp contrast to Kenya. “Yet this makes me grateful for Glenmary’s vision. They thoughtfully plant faith in these forgotten areas where people thirst for God,” says Sister Mary Jane.
Photo courtesy of Fr. Aaron Wessman
Sister Mary Jane Atieno was greeted at the airport by Fathers Charles Aketch, Joseph Maundu, and Aaron Wessman.
Fr. Tom Charters, pictured blessing palm leaves, was recently interviewed for an international publication.
Photo
of St.
CELEBRATION / Annual Festival of
Glenmary Celebrates God’s Love with Neighbors
Some 300 people participated this spring in the Festival of Mercy at Glenmary's headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, where they enjoyed a day of faith, fellowship and fun.
The festival featured a variety of activities for all ages, including games, opportunities for prayer, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Local parishes
around the missions
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
On March 21, Fathers Samuel Mungai and Kenn Wandera celebrated their fifth anniversary of ordination with Mass and cake. The celebration took place at St. Teresa of Kolkata mission in Maynardville, Tennessee, where Father Samuel is the pastor. Father Tom Charters and several parishioners of St. Michael the Archangel in Erwin made the trip, where Father Kenn was previously associate pastor and pastor.
WELCOME HOME
joined in the celebration by hosting booths with food and refreshments, creating a welcoming and festive atmosphere.
Visitors also had the opportunity to explore the Father William Howard Bishop Memorial Museum to learn more about Glenmary’s history and mission.
The festival, which has been running for five years, continues to be a meaningful tradition, inviting all who attend to experience God’s love and mercy in a joyful way.
A noteworthy 27 people were welcomed into the Catholic Church through our missions on Easter Vigil this year. The largest group of 15 came from St. Teresa of Kolkata mission in East Tennessee. Others received the sacraments of initiation at St. Peter the Apostle and Holy Family in Middle Tennessee, Holy Family in Southwest Georgia, and St. Joan of Arc in North Carolina.
CARE FOR CREATION
The Glenmary Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) department invites all its missions to join a Care for Creation initiative Small monetary grants are available to support projects such as replacing individual water bottles with 5-gallon reusable water dispensers, or swapping out styrofoam products for compostable paper goods. For more information contact Polly Duncan Collum at pduncancollum@glenmary.org.
Mercy
Children play musical chairs at Glenmary's annual Festival of Mercy.
Photo by Lindsay Braud
From Serving Missions to Shaping Vocations
AFather Charles Aketch becomes Glenmary’s next director of vocations.
By Theresa Nguyen-Gillen
fter nine years serving in the missions, Father Charles Aketch is starting a new role.
On June 1, he became Glenmary's director of vocations, making him the first African to hold this position.
“It was a shock,” Father Charles says, remembering when he first heard that he was being considered for the position. Ironically, the news came after he spent an entire day promoting vocations at his parish.
It was a Vocations Fair Day last year at Holy Family in Macon County, Tennessee, where Father Charles has served since his diaconate ordination in 2018. Glenmary’s vocations office came to the parish to share a prayer vessel that included a crucifix and rosary used by Father Bishop, Glenmary’s founder. Father Aaron Wessman celebrated Mass. Then in
the afternoon, Father Charles participated in a vocations panel that answered questions such as “How do I know God’s call?”
“Ir a la iglesia,” go to church Father Charles had answered.
After the day was over, “I find Father Aaron waiting for me,” Father Charles recalls. “And he told me that the council [is] think[ing] about it, that I could take it over from him.” Father Aaron, a member of Glenmary’s executive council, has been the interim director of vocations for the past two years.
“I admire Father Charles as a missioner and pastor, and I know the Glenmary Council shares this same admiration,” says Father Aaron. “He has a deep love for Glenmary and our missions. He is a hard worker and a tireless servant. For these and other reasons, Father Charles was a great choice for vocation ministry.”
by
Fr. Charles talks with a parishioner at Holy Family in Tennessee, where he's served since 2018.
Photo
Theresa Nguyen-Gillen
“ How do I know God’s call?
Creating relationships
After professing his final oath with Glenmary in 2018, Father Charles talked about how his family played an important role in his vocations story. In a Glenmary Challenge article published that same year, he shared how his grandmother converted to Catholicism as an adult and instilled a deep faith in her children. Father Charles also spent time as an altar server growing up. “All these things played into my vocation,” he had said.
He took those lessons with him when promoting vocations as a pastor. “First of all, I had to create a relationship with the parents,” he says.
“It's important for the parents to be involved in the life of their kids because they're the first priests of their lives. They're the first nuns of their lives. They're the first catechists of their lives. So anything that they see, they can promote,” says Father Charles. “It's not easy to get a priest, a Brother, or a nun whose vocation has not been nurtured by the parents.”
After connecting with parents in the parish, the next step was giving the teenagers “a sign of responsibility in the parish,” whether that was becoming an altar server or teaching religious education to other children in the parish.
Building these relationships resulted in Father Charles sending the largest vocations retreat group the vocations office had ever seen. Even before joining the vocations team, “Father Charles has been readily and expertly involved in promoting vocations,” says Father Aaron.
Being an altar server growing up helped Fr. Charles discover his vocation.
“It's important for the parents to be involved in the life of their kids because they're the first priests of their lives.”
"Listen to what God is telling you," Fr. Charles advises discerners.
In January 2024, Fr. Charles led a vocations retreat in Mexico.
Photo by Br. David Henley
Photo by Theresa Nguyen-Gillen
Photo by Br. David Henley
Continuing noble work
Since March, Father Charles has been working in the vocations office and learning more about the role from Father Aaron.
“That’s my main agenda now, learning from my forefathers” or past vocations directors, says Father Charles, “just to see how I can swim in this ocean.”
“I can see in Father Charles someone who is willing to learn from the experiences and insights of others who have been involved in vocations in the past,” says Father Aaron. “He asks great questions and comes with a lot of energy, joy, and curiosity. I know that he will excel in this ministry when he takes over the role as director in June.”
Although serving in this role isn’t what he was initially expecting, Father Charles feels grateful to take it on. “I think it’s a noble work because without a vocations director, I don’t think we can have a society,” he says.
As the vocations director, “you’re the backbone of the community because you’re the person who is outside there looking for I mean with the vocation office, all of them who are here looking for people who will go on with the work of our founder,” he says. “It’s an honor.”
Assistant Editor Theresa Nguyen-Gillen holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
What advice would you give to someone who is discerning their vocation?
Listen to what God is telling you. Sometimes you think that God is telling you to be a couple to marry, but no; to become a priest, but no; to become a Brother, but no. Just listen to what God is telling you and then after that, praying with it. And then having a spiritual director — share with him what’s happening in your life and from there, things become clearer.
I don’t think most of the young people now have what is called a spiritual director. ... When I was in the parish I would ask people to get [a] spiritual director whether a priest, a married person, a Brother, a religious man.
Fr. Charles is learning from Br. David (far right, first row), who led the vocations office for several years.
HANDS AND FEET OF Jesus
In the hills of rural Appalachia, the small but vibrant parish of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Unicoi County, Tennessee, becomes the center of something extraordinary each summer.
For five days, middle school youth set aside their vacations for Faith in Action Team (FIAT), a week filled with service, prayer, and learning what it truly means to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Youth gather with Fr. Tom Charters, celebrating a week of service, faith, and community.
At St. Michael’s, parish youth discover the greatest gift they can give is their time.
BY LORENA REYNOSO
St. Michael’s is dedicated to nurturing faith in an area where Catholics are few and far between. FIAT gives young parishioners the chance to grow spiritually while making a visible impact on their parish and community.
Projects at the church are designed to leave a lasting mark so the youth can see how their hands helped shape the parish’s growth.
But FIAT is about more than beautifying church grounds. Out in the community, the youth assist elderly or disabled parishioners with yardwork and home care tasks that can feel overwhelming without help.
One of FIAT’s most meaningful traditions is baking cookies for farmworkers. After attending Mass in an open barn with no AC, the youth deliver cookies to farmworkers who spend months away from their families. It is a humbling reminder of sacrifice, faith, and resilience.
For the youth of St. Michael’s, FIAT is more than just a week of activities. It is a living lesson that sometimes the greatest gift we can give is our time. And in offering theirs, these young people are building not only gardens, trails, and shelters but the Kingdom of God itself.
Lorena Reynoso is the director of religious education at St. Michael the Archangel parish in Erwin, Tennessee.
In the open air and under God’s sky, Faith in Action youth worship alongside farm workers, witnessing the beauty of a shared faith.
GIVING A Voice TO THE Vulnerable
For the past five years, Brother Jude Smith has devoted a significant part of his ministry to supporting residents at long-term care facilities as a certified long-term care ombudsman.
BY BROTHER JUDE SMITH
He received his first certification in 2021, but this ministry began long before when he cared for sick friends and family. After moving to Georgia in 2024 for a new assignment, Brother Jude was recertified so he could continue this “patient and holy work,” he says.
At Early Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Blakely, Georgia, Brother Jude works closely with Resident President Dennis Mayne in advocating for patient rights.
“I met Jude about four years ago,” says Dennis. “He is a good man, a very good man.” Together, Dennis and Brother Jude listen. “We want the residents to feel like what they’re saying is heard, and they feel comfortable about speaking out for themselves.”
Walking into a long-term care facility is like stepping into a world where time moves differently. Behind each door is a story: a teacher who inspired countless students, a farmer who tilled the land, a grandmother who held her family together through hard times. Too often, however, these stories are hidden beneath the routines of institutional living. Residents can feel powerless. They are usually dependent on others to provide for all their basic needs food, medication, showering, mobility, or even listening to their concerns.
It is here that the ministry of a long-term care (LTC) ombudsman comes alive.
What is a long-term care ombudsman?
Ombudsmen are trained advocates who investigate complaints, mediate conflicts, educate residents on their rights, and work with staff and administrators to improve quality of life. Most importantly, they are a consistent, independent presence able to visit facilities unannounced, listen without bias, and speak on behalf of those whose voices may be unheard.
Br. Jude Smith and his CPE directors celebrate after he completed his program training at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida.
Photo courtesy of Br. Jude Smith
A ministry of listening and advocacy
When I first began my work as an ombudsman in Knoxville, Tennessee, I thought of it as advocacy. Over time, I realized it was also a ministry. I was entrusted with visiting 12 facilities across the Knoxville district, each one with unique challenges. Some days, I was investigating serious allegations of neglect. Other days, I was simply holding a resident’s hand as they told their story. Always, I was there to make sure no one felt forgotten.
One woman in a Knoxville district facility quietly told me that she dreaded mealtimes. Staff members were in such a hurry that residents often went without assistance in eating. By the time someone
My role was not to solve a problem, but to simply sit, listen, and pray with him.
returned, her food was cold. With her permission, I carried her concern to the administration, and together we arranged a plan for meal support that preserved her dignity. What may have seemed like a “small” issue to others was life-changing for her.
In another facility in Southwest Georgia, a young woman with a tracheotomy simply wanted to shower and wash her hair. The young woman and her mother made this request several times, but nothing changed. Beautifully stated, the young woman was less concerned about herself than about others who could not speak for themselves, which is often more than you could imagine. With their permission, I addressed her needs to the nursing administrator. That same day the young woman finally received a full shower.
By speaking up and trusting the ombudsman, she improved the quality of life and restored dignity for herself and others in that care unit.
My work also involves accompanying residents at the end of their lives. I remember visiting a hospice resident who had no family nearby. He told me, “I just don’t want to be alone.” My role was not to solve
by Omar Cabrera
Br. Jude works with residents at Early Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, advocating for their needs.
Photo
a problem, but to simply sit, listen, and pray with him. Advocacy sometimes requires taking action; other times it means being present.
The challenges of advocacy
This ministry is not always welcomed. I have walked into facilities where staff were wary of my presence, uncertain if I was there to find fault. Creating trust takes time and patience. You have to build relationships with residents, the staff, administrators, and anyone involved in the residents’ care. Some facilities are chronically understaffed, leaving caregivers stretched thin and residents vulnerable. At times, administrators resist outside involvement, worried about scrutiny.
A Glenmary mission connection
under-resourced. Some residents rarely receive visitors. To show up unannounced not as an inspector, but as a friend and advocate is a profound witness of Christ’s care for “the least of these.”
The heart of the ombudsman program is simple: every person deserves dignity. No one should suffer neglect, isolation, or abuse. For those of us in mission, this ministry is a way to live out the Gospel in a very practical way, by standing up for the vulnerable and ensuring that each life is honored.
The heart of the ombudsman program is simple: every person deserves dignity.
When I received my first Glenmary assignment in Blakely, Georgia, I wondered if this ministry would still find a place in my life. To my joy, it did. I reached out to the local district ombudsman, Sylenthea Streets, and got trained for the state of Georgia. With the help of Sister Imelda Ngwitu, we now reach out to nursing homes and other state-licensed facilities across eight counties.
In rural mission areas, facilities are often small and
As Matthew 25 reminds us: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” To advocate for a resident who feels powerless is to advocate for Christ Himself.
I invite you to keep this ministry in your prayers. Pray for the residents who long for companionship and justice. Pray for the caregivers who labor under difficult conditions. Pray for the ombudsmen who walk into these facilities, carrying with them not only federal authority, but also the presence of Christ.
Because every resident has a story worth honoring. Every voice deserves to be heard. And in the quiet hallways of long-term care, where time moves slowly, God is still at work.
Brother Jude Smith made his final oath on May 23. He has served in Tennessee and Georgia.
Photo by Lindsay Braud
Photo by Omar Cabrera
Sr. Imelda and Br. Jude visit residents at a nursing home in Early County, Ga.
Br. Jude works with Dennis Mayne to support residents at Early Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Working Together IN MISSION
Volunteers from Maria Stein, Ohio, support Glenmary’s new parish in Tennessee.
BY LINDSAY BRAUD
Anew three-panel dividing wall, handcrafted from birch plywood and pine trim, stands as a warm and inviting backdrop for the altar at Glenmary’s new mission parish in Overton County, Tennessee. This work was recently completed thanks to the efforts of SON Ministries from Maria Stein, Ohio.
Last winter, the growing Catholic community in Livingston was grateful to finally move into a space they could make their own. The building, however, needed some renovations to make it feel more like a church. That’s when Brother Jason Muhlenkamp reached out to his friends at SON (Serving Our Neighbors) Ministries.
This ministry formed more than 40 years ago to spread the Gospel and serve others through mission opportunities. Brother Jason grew up in Maria Stein, and his parents still attend Christ Our Light family of parishes there. Hank Kaiser, who is a member of SON Ministries, says that “as a group, we decided to follow Brother Jason wherever he would be assigned, if possible.”
And they have done just that. In the past, this volunteer ministry has financially supported other Glenmary projects. Since 2018, they have traveled to Georgia to volunteer in Glenmary missions. They also support an orphanage in Haiti and several other organizations in Ohio and Kentucky.
Approximately eight people from the ministry spent a week in Livingston fixing up the new parish. “The group was very well received, and the people we interacted with were very grateful,” says Hank. “It was such a blessing for our group to help them get their church to where they wanted it.”
The group worked on several projects to benefit the church. They built a confessional, replaced doors, added shelves, built a base for the Tabernacle, and installed two exterior signs that say, “Catholic Community of Overton County Tennessee.”
“The presence of SON Ministries in the Livingston community was of great impact,” says Lorenzo Aju. “The enthusiasm that the team put into making the interior modifications was surprising and exemplary.”
Lorenzo and his wife Nicolasa spent years establishing this vibrant, new Catholic community. He also helped with the building renovations, getting to know the folks who shared their time and talents with the Glenmary mission. Throughout the week, local families organized dinners to welcome and thank the volunteers.
“The support was very valuable for the community. Everyone was impressed and happy with the changes made, of course, all very grateful,” says Lorenzo.
Lindsay Braud is the director of communications and marketing for Glenmary.
Volunteers from SON Ministries worked hard to update the new parish in Livingston, Tenn.
Photo courtesy of Lorenzo Aju
BRINGING THE Past to Life
Glenmary’s archivist keeps the mission of Father Bishop alive through his diaries and old photographs.
BY THERESA NGUYEN-GILLEN
There are still a few living Glenmarians who met and knew Father William Howard Bishop, who founded Glenmary in 1939. He died in 1953 at the age of 67, explains Lucy Putnam, Glenmary’s archivist. For some, it doesn’t feel like that long ago. “But for a lot of people, that’s a long time,” she says.
So, for those members who never personally knew the founder, how do they stay connected to his mission and vision for the society? That’s where Lucy comes in.
Lucy, who has been the archivist for 23 years, is the keeper of the keys to all the historical writings, photographs, and artifacts that pertain to Glenmary and Father Bishop. “Early on, I decided I would make each department use this information to further the mission,” she says. “It’s making these records accessible, and it’s a good story to tell.”
1984
Br.
by Lindsay Braud
“ Preserving history is important because you need to know where you came from to know where you’re going.”
One project toward accessibility is digitizing old photographs. Lucy’s had the help of an intern this year, Jacob Craddock, a history student at Xavier University.
Jacob has spent several weeks importing and categorizing photographs into a digital library.
Some of those photos include Brother Larry Johnson professing his final oath in 1984; Father Tom Kirkendoll celebrating a baptism on Easter Vigil in Dodge County, Georgia, in 1995; and Father Dominic Duggins and his building committee in 1991 looking over construction plans for a new church in Choctaw County, Oklahoma.
“Preserving history is really important,” says
Fr. Dominic Duggins (left) consults with his building committee on the construction plans for a new church in Choctaw County, Oklahoma.
Larry Johnson professes his final oath.
Photo
Jacob, “to have photos digitized because the paper will fall apart” and then one day they might be lost.
Understanding the history
Another project that’s been years in the making is transcribing and annotating Father Bishop’s diaries. The first volume of his diaries dates from 1915 to 1919, the years right after he became a priest.
“I’m going through and annotating them and pointing out, OK, this is this person, and this is what he’s doing here,” Lucy says. “Tying his letters and family members and all this other stuff into it, which is really bringing life to the diary.”
At the time of Father Bishop’s writing, it was also a different time in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council. Lucy’s notes work to explain the circumstances and environment that he lived in.
“In one of the diaries he buys his first car in 1917,” she says. “I’m describing what kind of car it is.”
One hundred years ago, there wasn’t a gas station on every corner or the same kind of road infrastructure we have today. Father Bishop, traveling through rural areas, writes one day that he “still has a long way to go 10 hours,” says Lucy.
In another diary entry, Father Bishop writes about making long distance phone calls. That’s another topic where Lucy annotates, as newer Glenmarians who read his diary might not know what a long-distance phone call is.
Understanding the context of how Father Bishop began the missions “puts a real human face to it,” Lucy says.
Learning from experience
Today, Glenmary still continues to do historic work. In 2011, Glenmary opened new missions in Tennes-
1995
Fr. Tom Kirkendoll baptizes a new Catholic on Easter Vigil in Dodge County, Georgia.
see Unicoi, Grainger, and Union counties which hadn’t happened for a while.
Lucy told the missioners what information she needed about the establishment of these new missions for archival and record keeping purposes. “Several of the guys wrote diaries of how they called together the congregation, what they did each step of the way,” says Lucy. And afterward they came back and told her, “I’m glad I wrote it down.”
Those diaries came in handy years later when Father Don Tranel came to Smith County and established a mission in 2021. “He read those diaries,” says Lucy. And while everything that happened, recorded in those diaries, might not have been a success, they still are valuable lessons to have.
“Preserving history is important because you need to know where you came from to know where you’re going,” Lucy says. “History is not necessarily glorified past. It’s a litany of mistakes, things that didn’t work out but you learn from that and hopefully you don’t repeat the mistakes over and over. Everybody has a role to play in history. And you can’t learn from it if you don’t have it.”
Assistant Editor Theresa Nguyen-Gillen holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
Today
Lucy Putnam digitizes old photos and documents to keep Glenmary's legacy alive for new generations.
Lucy Putnam teaches intern Jacob Craddock about the Glenmary archives.
Photo by Lindsay Braud
IN LOVING Memory
Father Gerald Joseph Peterson, a Glenmary Home Missioner for 73 years, died May 13, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was 96.
Raised on a family farm in Loretto, Kentucky, Father Peterson was one of the earliest Glenmarians. He was in the second Novitiate class, in 1952 along with Glenmary founder Father William Howard Bishop, who underwent a second novitiate as part of Glenmary’s founding. “Father Pete,” as he was known, led a colorful career, punctuated by multiple pastorships and periods of study.
He received a doctorate in divinity (D. Min.) degree from Vanderbilt University. At age 59 he went to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to learn Spanish, as Spanish-speaking immigrants had begun to show up in his rural mission parishes. He was a pioneering vocations recruiter, traveling to Nigeria to recruit new Glenmarians. He was even named an honorary tribal chief while he was there.
Soon after Father Peterson joined Glenmary, his twin sister, Geraldine, became a Glenmary sister. His first assignment was in Appalachia, Virginia,
a small town in the coalfields of Wise County. He enjoyed a good story, and would sometimes share the story of his first Christmas there. He prepared the church, even setting loudspeakers outside and playing hymns to draw a crowd. A minute after midnight, the one, and only, person who attended Mass arrived and took a seat. It had snowed a trace and people stayed home. He was crestfallen. But he was never stopped by bumps in the road. Father Pete was named pastor there in 1958.
He was kind of like the Good Samaritan.
FATHER STEVEN
He served as assistant novice master from 1961–1966 and then moved on to Glenmary mission pastorates in Dahlonega, Georgia; Shelbyville, Tennessee; Clarksville, Georgia; and
Father Gerald Joseph Peterson
1929 – 2026
Winfield, Alabama. Ever the missioner, though named a senior member in 2001, he lived in the mission in Pontotoc, Mississippi, from 2001–2013, serving the needs of the local church.
Eventually Father Pete moved to a quieter setting in Kingsport, Tennessee, but soon was serving the parish in nearby Rogersville. “He called every inactive Catholic on the list and visited them,” says fellow Glenmarian Father Steven Pawelk. “In a year-anda-half, there was a 50% increase. And that was in his second retirement!” Compassion for the poor, passion for justice, and tireless creativity in meeting local needs were his hallmark, “part of who he was,” says Father Steven. A thousand people in their rural homes without transportation were delighted by his Dial-a-Bus program to provide transportation for medical appointments or groceries. He initiated a housing program, a day-care center, a dental and eye-care clinic, a rummage store, a pre-natal care program, and an emergency food service. “He was kind of like the Good Samaritan,” says Father Steven.
“Love is not passive; it goes out to meet the other. Being a neighbor is not determined by physical or social proximity, but by the decision to love.”
—POPE LEO XIV
by Lindsay Braud
The historic Coheelee Creek covered bridge was built in 1891 and sits just outside of Blakely, Ga. in Glenmary's mission territory.
Photo
Fifteen people were baptized or confirmed at St. Teresa of Kolkata mission in Maynardville, Tennessee, this Easter. Support the Home Missions at glenmary.org/donate
Photo courtesy of Fr. Samuel Mungai