Glenmary Challenge, Summer 2014

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

Summer 2014

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Care of Creation

Honoring our covenant with God

Year of Consecrated Life

Vacation Bible School Mission programs impact children and adults

‘Waking up the world’ in 2015

Glenmary Home Missioners Founded by Father William Howard Bishop in 1939, this Catholic society of priests and brothers, along with numerous coworkers, establishes the Catholic Church in smalltown and rural America. 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, it staffs missions and ministries throughout Appalachia and the South.

Glenmary missioners serve in areas where less than three percent of the population is Catholic, a significant percentage have no church affiliation and the Father William poverty rate is almost twice the national average. Glenmary is Howard Bishop known for deeply respecting the Glenmary Founder many cultures encountered in the home missions—Appalachian, Native American, African American and Latino among others. Its missionary activity includes building Catholic communities, fostering ecumenical cooperation, evangelizing the unchurched, social outreach and working for justice.

Glenmary Challenge This 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.)

Publisher: Father Chet Artysiewicz Editor: Jean Bach Assistant Editor: Dale Hanson Art Director: Tricia Sarvak Staff Writer: Margaret Gabriel Planning-Review Board: Father Gus Guppenberger, Brother Jack Henn, Brother Curt Kedley, Patrick McEntee, Kathy O’Brien, Susan Sweet, Father Don Tranel

Glenmary Home Missioners P.O. Box 465618 • Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618 513-874-8900 • 800-935-0975 www.glenmary.org • info@glenmary.org © 2014, Glenmary Home Missioners. Reprint permission granted upon request.

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Passing on the faith FROM THE EDITOR / Jean Bach

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s planning continues for Glenmary’s 75th anniversary celebration this October, I’ve had the opportunity to browse through the rich photo archives here at Glenmary Headquarters in Cincinnati.

When I started working on the cover story for this issue, I came across a 1950 photo of Father Francis Wuest surrounded by children holding copies of The New Baltimore Catechism in Appalachia, Va. The children spent their winter break from school cramming months worth of religious formation and sacramental preparation into a short two-week span. This session was, in all probability, followed by several weeks at a summer Bible school.

Things have changed over the past seven decades. Year-round religious education programs are now in place at Glenmary missions, and the summer Bible schools have evolved into Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs.

In addition to being a way for Catholic—and non-Catholic—children to learn more about the Catholic faith while having fun, the impact of VBS goes well beyond the children who attend.

(See page 9.) For some adults, it’s an opportunity to connect or reconnect with the Church. For others, it strengthens ecumenical ties. And for yet others, it’s an opportunity “not to be served but to serve.” (Mt 20:28)

Jean Bach

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ather Gerry (Pete) Peterson (page 14) and Jettie Pettit (page 17) could very well use that verse from Matthew’s Gospel to describe their ministries as a missioner and as a member of Glenmary’s Bruce, Miss., mission, respectively.

They are living examples of how the call to be missionary is being answered by clergy and laity alike in mission areas to ensure—as Father Wuest did in Virginia—that the faith is passed on and the Church is present to all. 

jbach@glenmary.org

about the cover: A volunteer at the 2013 Vacation Bible School in Erwin, Tenn., works with a participant to design a “bead” that was later added to a paper-plate-and-yarn rosary created by the children.

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THE MAGAZINE OF C ATHOLI C MISSIONERS TO RURAL AMERI C A

Summer 2014

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Vo l u m e 7 7 / N u m b e r 2

Cover Story

9 photo / courtesy St. Michael mission

Vacation Bible School

The VBS programs at Glenmary missions are much more than fun summer programs for children. The programs are opportunities for Catholics to nourish their faith and for others to learn about the faith or even reconnect with the Church.

Feature Story

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Care of Creation

Through sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church, all Catholics have been charged with protecting God’s creation in its many forms.

Care of creation, Page 15

Departments & columns

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From the President / Father Chet Artysiewicz

One of Pope Francis’ initiatives is not receiving much attention: the Year of Consecrated Life.

Glenmary News & Notes

Brother David entertains and challenges; mission office inspires; era ends in Mississippi.

Brother David, Page 5

Then & Now

The number of missions increased, and new methods were developed, during Glenmary’s second 25 years.

Missioner in Action

Father Gerry (Pete) Peterson doesn’t seem to know the meaning of the word retirement.

Then: 1972, Page 12

Partner in Mission

Jettie Pettit is determined to help keep Glenmary’s missionary charism alive in northeast Mississippi.

Final Words / from our readers

Readers reflect on Spring 2014 issue and share compliments, memories and appreciation.

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Father Pete, Page 14

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from the president / Father Chet Artysiewicz

Celebrating consecrated life Pope calls religious sisters, brothers and priests to ‘wake up the world’ in 2015

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t appears that Pope Francis has captured the imagination of the world. On a daily basis, it seems, some statement or action is attributed to him. While the media finds certain items newsworthy (if not controversial), I suspect one of his initiatives won’t garner much attention: designating 2015 as the Year of Consecrated Life, set to begin in the autumn.

In announcing the year, Francis—a Jesuit and the first religious-order priest since 1831 to be elected pope—asked religious sisters, brothers and priests to “wake up the world” through their testimony.

In popular media, a headline about such a year might pale in comparison to “Pope does his own laundry” or “Francis prepares dinner for the cardinals” (neither of which would surprise me!). But for the worldwide Catholic Church, his proclamation of such a year provides an important recognition of those who have dedicated their lives to the Church.

The contributions of these women and men religious have helped both establish and carry out Christ’s mission, which the Church strives to continue. Just through their work here in the United States—which constitutes a minuscule fraction of the ministry provided in the history of the Church—these individuals have created a gigantic legacy.

For instance, can you imagine how many children of immigrants have been educated by these religious? Or how many hospitals and nursing homes have been staffed by those whose ministry was healing, comforting and providing hope?

More recently, the U.S. Church has benefited from the experience of so many religious returning from ministry in Latin America. Given the changing demographics of our country, it was these experienced ministers who have helped address the needs of an immigrant population for which many of us priests, sisters and brothers were unprepared.

Certainly our Glenmary missions have benefited from the dedication of those Pope Francis wishes to recognize. In addition to our priests and brothers, the Glenmary Sisters and the Glenmary Lay Missioners have also dedicated their lives to living the evangelical

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counsels and ministering in mission regions throughout Appalachia and the South.

Numerous other religious orders have also contributed to the home mission cause, serving parishes directly or in complementary ministries. They have ministered in the hospitals and clinics established in Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina; as multicultural workers in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma; and as pastoral coordinators and associates in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia. The Church’s ministry in Mission Land, USA, would be far poorer without Father Chet Artysiewicz their contributions.

No doubt many of the men cartysiewicz@glenmary.org and women who lead lives consecrated to God will be embarrassed to be highlighted during the year— Glenmary priests and brothers included. But they are living testimonies of how to live in the spirit of the Jesuit motto, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam—“For the Greater Glory of God.” Their lives are dedicated not to their own aggrandizement but to service to others. They honor God by ministering to the People of God, often those most overlooked by society.

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he religious-life landscape in the United States is far different from the one I knew as a child, where the Sisters of St. Benedict taught me from grade school through high school. I owe a debt of gratitude to them for helping me realize my vocation.

The reality is that most U.S. religious orders of men and women have seen decreases in membership over the past five decades. The reasons for these declines are complex. Today there are many additional ways to serve in the Church outside of religious life.

I’m not sure where the Holy Spirit will lead religious congregations and societies in the future, but I rejoice at Pope Francis’ leadership in recognizing and giving thanks for the consecrated women and men who have served the Church and inspired many—including me.  DONATE NOW

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Glenmary

Iowa students challenged to share gifts

news &notes photo / Rob Kundert, Divine Word College

v o c at i o n s

Brother David Henley entertains, encourages Iowa sixth-graders [iowa] With a ready smile and a sense of humor as quick as his hands as they juggled balls, Indian clubs and, yes, flaming torches, Brother David Henley asked his young audience to think about two simple questions: “What gifts do I have? What gifts do I have that I can share?”

He told them that “just as Jesus shared his gifts with us and showed God’s love, we can share our gifts and show God’s love to others.”

Brother David, director of Glenmary’s Vocation Office, was the keynote speaker at the Sixth-Grade Vocation Day held at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, in March. Divine Word is home to men studying in Glenmary’s aspirancy program.

This annual event raises awareness of religious life in the minds of sixth-graders through a series of presentations by religious sisters, priests, brothers and a deacon.

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Juggler with a Message: Brother David Hen-

ley, director of Glenmary’s Vocation Office, used his juggling skills to get the attention of and share a vocation message with more than 250 Iowa sixthgraders.

students today have never met a religious sister or brother and may not have daily interaction with a priest or deacon, compared to decades ago when men and women religious were an integral part of the Catholic education system.

Brother David got the attention of the more than 260 students in attendance. The students were a great audience for the one-time professional juggler as he spoke about being aware of God’s call in their

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lives. He delivered his message while sharing with the students one of his gifts—the ability to catch and toss multiple objects while maintain-

ing a steady stream of one-liners and snappy repartee that kept them all laughing.

The personal stories of presenters often make a positive connection with the students. Brother David, for instance, became aware of Glenmary while in high school and worked as a lay volunteer with Glenmary before and after he worked as a juggler with a circus.

“We all have gifts, and we’re all called to share those gifts with the people of God,” he says. “The kids should realize that by following their call they can do the same.”

Speaking at such events is just one of the ways that the staff of the Vocation Office shares information about Glenmary and encourages young people to consider a Church vocation, especially with Glenmary.

Adapted, with permission, from the March 23, 2014, issue of The Witness, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Dubuque.

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the leader in home mission ministry Glenmary Home Missioners

Summer 2014

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@GlenmaryMission

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P ast o r a l m i n i st r y

Training lay leaders in N.C. Workshop helps participants develop ministry skills [north carolina] Glenmary’s St. Joan of Arc mission in Plymouth was the site of a Latino Pastoral Leadership Formation Workshop open to parishes in the Albemarle deanery in the Diocese of Raleigh.

The 32 participants—28 of whom were from St. Joan of Arc—received certificates of completion in April after attending monthly sessions in January, February and March to develop parish leadership skills.

The workshop provided “training to help them become more effective lay leaders in their own mission and parishes,” says Lorraine Vancamp of Glenmary’s Department of Pastoral Ministers and Pas-

toral Services (DPMPS). “It was designed to give them the confidence to take on pastoral roles and develop the tools they need to be effective in those roles.”

The workshop, which has also been presented in Arkansas and Mississippi, is a collaborative effort of DPMPS, the Congar Institute for Ministry Development and the Glenmary Commission on Justice.

“It takes everyone working together to lead a parish,” Lorraine says. “We hope that through this experience, participants will grow in understanding their distinct vocation to ministry as originating in their common call through baptism.”

A Glenmary Gift Annuity: One Very Bright Idea!

Plan for your financial future and be part of Glenmary’s future ministry efforts by establishing a Glenmary Gift Annuity!

 Father Mike Kerin, pastor of Holy Spirit mission in Windsor, N.C., finds unique ways to reach out to and connect with the larger, primarily nonCatholic community. In February, he traveled to schools throughout Bertie County to share information with faculty and staff about stress and offer stress reduction techniques. In addition to using exercises such as Tai Chi and Chi Gung, he recommended praying, walking, getting enough sleep and spending time outdoors.  The members of St. Michael the Archangel mission in Erwin, Tenn., celebrated Earth Day on April 22 by hosting a program about caring for creation.

The Council of Creatures: A Musical featured seven creatures speaking to humankind about “the human destruction of God’s good Earth and their suffering because of it.” The program was open to the public.  Father Francois Pellissier has been appointed to serve in outreach ministry in Georgia. He is serving primarily at the Steward Detention Center in Lumpkin, which is home to more than 1,100 detainees and inmates awaiting return to Mexico. He is also involved in ministry at nearby state and county prisons.  Father Aaron Wessman has been granted permission to pursue further theology studies in Leuven, Belgium.

Benefits include: • A partially tax-free life income • A charitable deduction • Tax savings when funded with cash or securities • Satisfaction from helping establish the Catholic Church in home mission counties

 Two former Glenmary missions (St. Paul the Apostle in Cleveland, Ga., and Holy Redeemer in Beaver Dam, Ky.) and one current mission (Christ the King in Scottsville, Ky.) are celebrating 50th anniversaries this year. Each parish is planning a celebration this summer.

For more information and a sample proposal, please contact: Susan Lambert, Planned Giving Officer 800-935-0975 slambert@glenmary.org

 Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz was ordained and installed as bishop of the Diocese of Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 6, 2014. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Scranton in 1977, where he served until his appointment as bishop.

•

Calculations are not meant to give legal or accounting advice. A donor should seek the guidance of an estate and/or tax professional to understand the consequences of a gift. All information is strictly confidential. Glenmary gift annuities are not issued in Hawaii or Alabama.

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Around the Missions

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photo / tricia sarvak

missionary by baptism: Jodi Mott speaks to a classroom of sixth-graders at St. John the Baptist School in a suburb of Cincinnati. She often quotes Pope Francis during her presentations, telling the students that “all of us in the Church are disciples, always and for our entire lives; and we are all missionaries, each in the place that the Lord has assigned us.”

m i ss i o n e d u c at i o n a n d m i n i st r y

Educating and (hopefully!) inspiring young missionaries Presentations are just one way Glenmary increases awareness of home missions, missionary call [ohio] As a former parish youth minister, Jodi Mott likes to talk to young people. “I love to see that light bulb go on and to witness those ‘aha!’ moments.”

In her role with Glenmary’s Mission, Education and Ministry Office (MEMO), Jodi has the opportunity to speak to young people in Catholic schools in and around Cincinnati to provide information about Glenmary and missionaries in general.

“But most important of all,” she says, “is encouraging young people to respond to their baptismal call to be missionaries in their own lives.

“Just this past January, Pope Francis encouraged all Catholics to be ‘missionary disciples called to bring the Gospel to the world. Each of the bapw w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

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are planted by the Holy Spirit through these mission education visits?” she says. “Perhaps one day a county in need of a Catholic church will find that need filled by one of the young people who has heard Glenmary’s message.”

Glenmary also offers mission education resources such as maps and county Fast Facts.

In addition, Glenmary’s Educate & Inspire mission education materials include two Catholic Vacation Bible School kits, a confirmation supplement, a spiritual and practical mission trip guide and kits for children in grades 1-4 and 5-8.

tized, whatever their role in the Church or the education level of their faith, is an active agent of evangelization.’”

That’s the message Jodi uses to begin each presentation. “From there, the conversation naturally flows to a place where the students realize that missionaries aren’t only in far-off places. They are here in the United States, in their own classrooms and carpools, on their athletic fields and in their families.”

Often she shares information about the home missions with children living in highly Catholic areas. They are usually shocked to learn there are elementary and high schools in mission counties where only one student in an entire class is Catholic.

“Who knows how many seeds Summer 2014

for more information: Contact Jodi Mott at 800-935-0975 or jmott@glenmary.org. Or visit www.glenmary.org/mission-ed. 

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Era comes to an end in Miss.

Integration, social outreach, innovative programs marked missionary presence in Diocese of Jackson [mississippi] When Glenmary missioners first arrived in West Point and New Albany, Miss., in 1965 to establish mission communities, 10 years had passed since the state’s school districts were ordered by the Supreme Court to desegregate, and the Voting Rights Act was about to be signed into law.

During that tumultuous time, Fathers Joe Dean and Bob Rademacher (respective pastors of the two new missions) worked to call together integrated faith communities in the heart of the national civil rights movement.

In the almost 50 years since those first missioners moved to Mississippi, Glenmary has established and/or staffed 12 missions in the state. Many of those missions were the first integrated congregations in their counties.

Missioners tried to meet the needs of all those living in the region, regardless of background, race or denomination.

In 1974 a summer camp was held for local youth near the Glenmary mission in Amory.

The camp was one of the first in the state to be fully integrated.

Eventually, it evolved into Camp Glenmary, which continues to welcome campers every June. The two weeks of Camp Friendship are open to low-income kids in northeastern Mississippi, followed by two weeks of Catholic Camp, a time when Catholic young people from that same area gather as a group for the unique experience of not being in the minority.

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sippi will come to an end on June 29, when the last three Glenmary missions will be returned to the pastoral care of the Diocese of summer camp: An integrated summer Jackson: Immac- camp was held outside Amory, Miss., ulate Heart of in 1974 for almost 40 at-risk children.

Mary in Houston, The camp was an outgrowth of the ecuSt. Luke the Evan- menical Three Rivers Regional Ministry gelist in Bruce, (TRRM) launched by Glenmary in Misand St. Christo- sissippi in 1972. TRRM was an effort pher in Pontotoc. to share resources, personnel, talents, “As we leave the ideas and finances across parish, counDiocese of Jack- ty and denominational borders to meet son, we rejoice local needs. that today, the Church is present in counties where our missioners have established Catho- Catholic communities in several lic communities, and numerous states. In all, four missions were outreach programs are now in called together and established place,” says Father Chet Artysie- in Mississippi by lay leaders in Eupora, Ackerman, Ripley and wicz, president of Glenmary.

But, he adds, there is sadness Bruce.

Numerous outreach efforts in leaving a region that has been such an important part of Glen- such as sheltered workshops, mary’s history as a missionary day care centers and food pantries were begun by missioners society.

The decision to move on to and coworkers in Mississippi, areas of mission need in other with many still in existence. And states is based on Glenmary’s Glenmary missioners and costrategic plan to consolidate workers have been on the front mission efforts geographically, lines in welcoming the influx of which enables missioners and immigrants who have arrived in lay coworkers to better collabo- the state to find employment.

“As we leave Mississippi, I am rate and support each other.

Glenmary’s mission efforts in heartened to see so many of our Mississippi were often ground- missions thriving and the membreaking in ways other than in bers of these missions continuing on with Glenmary’s missionthe area of race relations.

In the early 1990s, lay profes- ary charism of nurturing the sional coworkers were hired and faith and reaching out to those trained by Glenmary to start most in need,” Father Chet says.

Summer 2014

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creativity and prayer: Children attending the 2013 Vacation Bible School (VBS) at St. Michael the Archangel mission in Erwin, Tenn., created a rosary out of yarn and hand-decorated paper plates. At the end of each day a new decade was added to the rosary, and the children and volunteers then prayed the decade together.

vacation bible school Connecting children—and adults—to God, faith

By Jean Bach

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ome things are guaranteed to happen during the summer: the weather gets warmer, nature turns greener, ice cream sales increase, kids begin summer vacation, and Vacation Bible School programs kick into high gear in communities both large and small.

The Vacation Bible School (VBS) experience that is familiar to millions of children today—a fun summer camp where they learn about God through Bible lessons, prayer, music, crafts, games and skits and enjoy lots of food—is a far cry from its origin.

The first VBS was held in 1894 and organized by a Sunday school teacher who was frustrated that she didn’t have enough time to teach the Bible during the regular school year. So she developed a model whereby children would attend four weeks of class during the summer to study the Bible. This model eventually evolved into Vacation Bible School.

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ithin Glenmary, a similar evolution has taken place over the past 75 years. Father Bishop, Glenmary’s founder, often spoke about the need to “catch up” mission kids who didn’t have the opportunity for a Catholic school education. This needed religious education and sacramental preparation was accomplished during summer programs led by women religious and volunteers in mission areas.

Kathy O’Brien, who will celebrate her 40th year as a Glenmary Lay Missioner this summer, first came to Glenmary in the early 1970s to serve as a volunteer at catechetical Bible school programs. “We traveled through the South holding two-week programs for Catholic children who needed sacramental preparation,” she says.

As year-round religious education became standard in mission parishes, the catechetical experience transitioned to the VBS “summer camp” model. But in Glenmary missions,  Summer 2014

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‘The VBS gives (the kids) a chance to just be kids for a week without any responsibilities or worries.’

photos / courtesy st. michael mission

summer program. Among other things, it’s an opportunity to evangelize, re-evangelize and “bring home” Catholics who no longer attend Mass.

According to Susan Sweet, it’s a “wonderful tool” to help share the good news of the Catholic faith with county residents. Susan, who currently serves as pastoral coordinator of the Glenmary mission in Cuthbert, Ga., says when children who aren’t Catholic attend, they and their parents become more familiar with the Catholic Church and Catholics in the county.

“I’ve seen attitudes change (because of VBS),” Susan says. “It’s as if people discover that ‘Hey, these Catholics are just like us and we, as Christians, believe in the same fundamental things!’”

This realization can help strengthen ecumenical bonds between Catholic missions and area churches, especially when the churches join together to host an ecumenical VBS. In her ministry as pastoral associate at St. Michael the Archangel mission in Erwin, Tenn., Kathy says she has seen firsthand how the experience of VBS has brought people to the Church—and back to the Church.

“Adults often reconnect to the Church through their children,” she says. That was the case for several families who took the first steps in returning to the Church after their children attended the 2013 VBS in Erwin. “The parents got to know me, Father Tom (Charters, the pastor), Brother Tom (Sheehy) and the members of the mission. Through those relationships, the fire of their faith was gradually rekindled.” learning: A volunteer Susan adds that helps a participant discover organizing a VBS also the art of tie dyeing a T-shirt “helps build a stronger during last year’s VBS at St. community within the Michael the Archangel mis- mission as Catholics sion in Erwin, Tenn. This work together to reach year, members of the misout to the larger comsion will once again host a munity.” In a small VBS for mission children. mission, it’s not un10

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photo / courtesy st. john the baptist church

 VBS is much more than just a one-week, fun

relationships: Volunteers from St. John the Baptist Church in Savage, Minn., have helped lead VBS programs at Immaculate Heart of Mary mission in Houston, Miss., for the past 11 years. As a result, leaders from both churches have developed lasting relationships with each other and with the children served at the VBS.

usual for every member, young and old, to have a role in running the VBS.

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hile all of these “by-products” of VBS are extremely valuable in mission settings, the core reason that Glenmary missions host VBS each summer is to help connect children to God and their faith through fun activities—with an emphasis on fun!

Fun can sometimes cost money, though. There are many and varied VBS kits that cost upwards of $200 and contain the themes, activities and guides for weeklong programs. But Glenmary missions don’t have the financial resources to purchase such kits, so parish leaders like Kathy rely on their creativity.

“I have never bought a VBS kit,” she says. “I just choose a Bible verse and build activities for each day around that theme.”

Last year Kathy and members of St. Michael had just two weeks to come up with a theme and activities to keep 50 children and the youth leaders engaged. The event was a huge success.

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he ideas and activities for a mission’s VBS can sometimes come from a great distance when parish volunteers arrive to coordinate the program at a Glenmary mission. This year’s VBS in Cuthbert, the mission’s first, is being led by volunteers from its adopting parish, St. John Neumann in Charlotte, N.C. “They wanted to do a project for us so they are planning our June VBS,” Susan says. Volunteers will travel from North Carolina to staff the program.

Because the mission has only two very young children as members, she’s “opening the church to the neighborhood” by passing out invitation fliers to those living in the area. “We’re hoping to have 20-25 children, the majority of whom have never been in a Catholic church or around Catholic people!”

Members of St. John the Baptist Church in Savage, Minn., are also preparing for VBS this summer at the Glenmary mission in Houston, Miss. In July, volunteers from the parish will make the 15-hour drive to help lead a program for the 11th consecutive year. This year, of the 35 volunteers who have signed up, 50 percent have participated before. Many of the adult volunteers first came as children.

“We have a lot of veterans who continue to help us out,” says Andi Little, the director of faith formation at the Minnesota parish. The connection between the two churches began as an adoption relationship and has grown into much more.

In the past, the parish sent volunteers to Mississippi to do home repair work. The idea of leading a VBS came about as a multigenerational opportunity to volunteer for those “who can’t swing a hammer,” Andi says.

When the group returns to Mississippi, it’s like “coming home.”

And they never forget that their work isn’t about themselves. giving thanks: Prayer “It’s about working to and religious education provide a summer exare always part of a misperience for kids,” Andi sion VBS program. Here says. “So many of those Father Tom Charters, who come to the VBS eipastor of St. Michael the Archangel mission, leads ther work or have to take care of younger siblings participants in a prayer during the summer bebefore lunch. w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

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fun: Kathy O’Brien (left) helps VBS participants begin a craft project during last year’s VBS at the Erwin, Tenn., mission. This year the program will use the Book of Genesis as the source for daily prayer, reflection and activities.

cause their parents are working in the (sweet potato) fields and local furniture factories. The VBS gives them a chance to just be kids without having any responsibilities or worries.”

She stresses that volunteers from the 2,500-family parish, located south of Minneapolis, lead the VBS with teen leaders from Houston and nearby Vardaman. “We see our role as mentoring the process so that one day there will be a team in place that can take over and run with the program.”

One of the more popular aspects of the Houston VBS is the afternoon reading program that pairs children with “reading buddies” to help with reading comprehension. Although the children speak English, they are eager to learn more and improve their comprehension skills.

“I tell our volunteers to remember they are third,” Andi says. “What we want or need is less important than what Jesus wants us to do and what we need to do for those we are serving. We are God’s hands.”

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ollowing last year’s VBS in Houston, Glenmary Father Bob Dalton (who is a senior member living and ministering in Houston) reflected on the week. But his words summarize the desired outcome for all VBS programs in Glenmary missions: “These kids have seen a shining example of what the Church is to be about….You never know whose life (volunteer or participant) has been changed” during the week of VBS. This year, thanks to the evolution of an idea for a simple summer Bible school first used in 1894, hundreds of volunteers and mission-county children will have the opportunity to be part of that “shining example of Church” once again.  Summer 2014

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photos / glenmary archives

Then: 1965-1990

Building on the foundation Looking back at the second 25 years of Glenmary Home Missioners

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uring 2014, this section of Glenmary Challenge is being devoted to celebrating, in photos, the society’s 75 years of home mission ministry in 25year increments. Father William Howard Bishop, Glenmary’s founder, laid a sturdy foundation for the home mission society during its first 25 years. Missioners spent the next 25 years building on that foundation.

The number of missions continued to increase in both new states and those where missioners were already serving.

And as missioners became more experienced and knowledgeable about how best to serve mission areas, they found ways to share that knowledge with the larger U.S. Church. In addition, they developed and implemented initiatives to better serve the unique, diverse needs of those living in mission counties.

 1965: Missioners expanded to Mississippi, call-

ing together missions in West Point and New Albany. A year later, more missions were established and/or staffed in Aberdeen, Houston, Okolona and Pontotoc. A former jail (above) served as the first gathering space for Catholics in Pontotoc. This building—which was the best that could be found at the time—had no running water or other amenities.

 1966: Fa-

ther Bernie Quinn served as the first director of the newly established Glenmary Research Center. In addition to providing applied research to Glenmary leaders, individual missioners, Church leaders and the larger society, the GRC began publishing the religious census in 1971 and the subsequent decennial studies up to the 2000 study.

In addition, the GRC has provided the U.S. Catholic data for each study from 1971 to the present.

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 1967: As president of Glenmary, Father Bob

Berson (right, with C. Brownlowe Hastings of the Southern Baptist Convention) assigned Father Frank Ruff to regional work in the South, which included attending the annual Southern Baptist Convention to help further ecumenical understanding between the two denominations. Until the early 2000s, a Glenmarian attended each convention, representing the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue.

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 1969: The Glenmary Education De-

partment, which eventually evolved into the Department of Pastoral Ministers and Pastoral Services (DPMPS), first used a mobile resource center to provide missioners and members of mission communities with educational materials. Later, the DPMPS office was headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.

 1971: The new Headquarters building opened in Fair-

field, Ohio. The former Headquarters and seminary in nearby Glendale were sold, and the proceeds were dedicated to funding apostolic projects in the missions. As a result, a large number of outreach programs such as sheltered workshops, day care programs and youth shelters were funded in mission areas. Many are still in existence today.

 1976: The Backroads

 1972: Property in Lewis County, Ky.,

was purchased and became the Glenmary Farm. Initially the Farm welcomed men considering missionary priesthood and brotherhood. It later became home to the Glenmary Group Volunteer Program. To date, more than 22,000 volunteers have passed through the Farm.

Ministry initiative was launched with the goal of serving the poorest of the poor. Brother Tom Kelly (right), Brother Ralph Riehle, Brother Curt Kedley and Father Charlie Hughes lived and worked in South Georgia as part of this ministry of presence. The missioners—who served by doing home repairs and working to meet the spiritual needs of local residents­­—were often the first Catholics many residents had ever met.

 1990: Father Frank Ruff (center) served as presi-

dent of Glenmary during the society’s 50th-anniversary year. He, along with former presidents Fathers Bob Berson (left) and Charlie Hughes, concelebrated the anniversary Mass. During the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, missions in Pennsylvania were turned back to the local diocese for continued pastoral care and new missions were opened in Alabama. Glenmary also began implementing a new initiative of establishing mission churches with lay leaders.

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missioner in action / by Dale Hanson

Not yet time for retirement At 84, Father Pete Peterson serves in a new ministry ‘with great missionary spirit’

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hen Father Gerry (Pete) Peterson, 84, took Glenmary senior membership in 2001 at age 71, he had already spent 40 years serving missions in four states, and another five years as Glenmary’s assistant novice director.

But like many senior Glenmarians, he has chosen to stay active in ministry well past age 70 and continue serving those in need. “With God’s help,” he says, “I’ll do as much as I can for as long as I can.”

Father Pete has been serving since last September as sacramental minister at two Knoxville (Tenn.) diocesan parishes. But he has taken the initiative to carry out several key ministry efforts that go beyond his position title.

Father Pete decided in 2013 to move to Tennessee and live in community with two other Glenmary senior members in Kingsport.

About that same time, the pastor of St. Henry in Rogersville (Hawkins County) and St. James in Sneedville (Hancock County) had to retire due to illness. Bishop Richard Stika contacted Glenmary’s president, Father Chet Artysiewicz, to ask if one of the Glenmary priests in Kings­ port could serve as sacramental minister at the two parishes. Father Chet recommended Father Pete, who readily volunteered.

“The parishioners think of me as their pastor because I’m in residence and very active,” Father Pete says of church members, who have welcomed him with open arms. “And Deacon Bob Lange’s work as parish administrator here lets me concentrate on sacramental and pastoral ministry.”

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photo / heiskell phipps

HOME VISIT: Father Pete Peterson visits a St. Henry parishioner near Rogersville, Tenn.

s a veteran missioner, Father Pete immediately looked for ways to build up the two parishes. Each is the only Catholic community in a county where fewer than 1 percent are Catholic. He began contacting inactive Catholics in Hawkins County and inviting them to come back to church at St. Henry.

“I’ve spent nine to 12 hours a week calling and visiting folks, and I have more to do,” says Father Pete. “Last September, St. Henry’s Sunday attendance was 50-65 people, and now it’s 85-90. Also, the parish used to have Masses only on Sunday and Tuesday evening, but we’ve added five noon weekday liturgies.”

St. James in Sneedville has had a maximum Sunday Mass attendance of eight people this spring. But because it’s 45 minutes away, Father Pete hasn’t yet tried reaching out to that area’s inactive Catholics.

He also visits homebound parishioners. One man—who hadn’t been to church for quite some time—was so inspired by the elderly priest’s efforts that he began occasionally attending Mass again. In addition, Father Pete has taken on leadership of St. Henry’s RCIA program. In the past year, one woman completed RCIA, and six to eight parishioners attended sessions to renew their knowledge of the faith.

He’s already planning for the next group.

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rom Deacon Bob’s perspective, “Father Pete is a true Glenmarian with great missionary spirit. The parishioners love him because he’s so down-to-earth, friendly and ready to serve.”

Father Pete doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. “I announced at Easter Masses that I agreed to Bishop Stika’s request to stay on for at least another year. They gave me a round of applause.” He told them he’s glad to serve them and that they “keep me feeling alive.”  14

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Care of Creation

As people of faith, Catholics are called to protect both vulnerable persons and the planet by living out their faith in harmony with all of God’s creation.

By Father Neil Pezzulo

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s I gathered with my fellow Glenmarians for morning prayer a month ago, I noticed that the leaves on the trees outside the chapel windows were getting ready to bloom.

But then one day turned into two and two turned into three and still no flowers came forth.

I was beginning to get impatient. After all, the calendar said it was spring, so I expected new life, new colors and new energy.

That experience gave me the opportunity to reflect on the entire process that springtime begins and the new creation that happens during the season. I could not help but think about the creation story from Genesis: “‘Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear’…

God called the dry land ‘the earth,’ and the basin of the water he called ‘the sea.’ God saw how good it was….” (Gn 1:9-11) “‘…See, I give you every seedbearing plant all over the earth and every tree that

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has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air…, I give you all the green plants for food.’ And so it happened. God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.” (Gn 1:29-31)

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ater is the very foundation of our lives— without it, there is no life. Since the very creation of the world. God has invited us into a covenant with creation and has used water to seal this relationship.

At the center of this covenant is our responsibility to care for creation and not destroy what God has entrusted to us. All that we need to live can be found here on Earth, and it’s up to us to use these gifts wisely and to honor our covenant with God. Beginning with our baptism, water flows over us throughout our lives. It renew us in God’s love and reminds us of our call to honor—through all our words and deeds—all that God has given us.  Summer 2014

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 Caring for creation is more than just a slogan tions between our lives and actions and the world

that gets tossed around each year on April 20 (Earth Day). It is a requirement of our faith. As Catholics we are also called to reflect on how our care or lack of care for creation affects the least of our sisters and brothers—the poor and vulnerable in society (Mt 25:40). We, as people of faith, are called to protect both the vulnerable and the planet by living out our faith in harmony with all of God’s creation.

Respect for nature and respect for human life are inextricably related. “Respect for life, and above all for the dignity of the human person,” St. John Paul II has written, extends also to the rest of creation (The Ecological Crisis: A Common Ways to Care for Responsibility).

Just as all life is God’s Creation sacred, so too is the foundation of that • Be mindful of unnecessary water life, which is water. It usage. refreshes us, cleans us • Use compact fluorescent light and sustains us both bulbs (CFLs). spiritually and physi• Use earth-friendly cleaners. cally. We need water • Look for the Energy Star on new to live our lives, grow appliances. our crops and build • Use alternate forms of transportaour futures. tion such as carpooling, mass transit or bicycling.

• Plant a garden and grow extra vegetables to donate to a food pantry or homeless shelter.

• Hang laundry to dry instead of using an electric dryer.

• Consume less and share more.

• Combine car trips for errands.

• Buy food locally.

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e cannot ignore the ethical and moral dimensions of caring for the creation that surrounds us or simply shrug it off as something someone else will do. Perhaps even more dangerous is to simply not attempt to live up to our end of the covenant we share with God. But, unfortunately, that is happening in many parts of our country and our world.

In January of this year in Charleston, W.Va., a massive chemical spill in the Elk River tainted the water supply for 300,000 residents, leaving them without this life source. And as pastor of two western Arkansas missions, I saw firsthand the effects hydraulic fracturing (used to tap natural gas resources) can have on the environment and in the lives of people whose water supply has been contaminated and whose land has been damaged.

In addition, because of the continued water shortages in the western United States due to long-term drought, people are being forced to take steps to conserve this precious commodity. They can no longer shrug off their responsibility.

When we begin to see and honor the connec-

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that sustains our life, we then begin to more fully live out our faith.

This issue is so important that Pope Francis brought it to our attention in his March 2013 inaugural address: “I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.”

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ope Francis invites us to reflect on our responsibility to be protectors of creation. As a disciple of the Church, I take that invitation seriously. I can’t simply focus on environmental issues on Earth Day. I need to incorporate protection and wise, cautious use of our God-given resources into my everyday life. The implications and responsibilities of this challenge can seem overwhelming, but they are not insurmountable.

Through sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church, all Catholics have been charged with protecting creation for future generations.

This challenge has launched a prayerful discernment within me and caused me to reflect on what I can do to live out my faith more fully by helping to care for creation. (See information box to the left).

It seems that when we are at the beginning of springtime, our thoughts and prayers return to creation. Perhaps it is the newness of spring and the excitement that comes with it. Or perhaps it is a result of our celebration of Lent, which leads us directly to the Resurrection—the ultimate expression of new life.

Water plays such an important part in this new life we are in the midst of celebrating. I’m inspired to help protect it.

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s I continued to wait (impatiently) for spring to show itself outside the chapel windows, I was once again sitting in the chapel and I noticed it began to gently rain.

The nourishment of water was exactly what the plants needed. The next morning the trees and flowers had blossomed and the grass had turned a deep shade of green. Spring had finally arrived outside Our Lady of the Fields Chapel. The beauty of God’s creation broke through the darkness of winter. The color and new life of spring had arrived, thanks to a steady spring rain—thanks to  the gift of life-giving water.

Father Neil Pezzulo is a member of Glenmary’s Committee on the Environment and serves as first vice president on Glenmary’s Executive Council.

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Partner in mission / by Margaret Gabriel

Missionary spirit lives on ‘Unashamedly Catholic’ Jettie Pettit determined to keep missionary charism alive

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photo / dale hanson

s Glenmary moves toward the return of its last three Mississippi missions to the pastoral care of the Diocese of Jackson at the end of June, missioners know that their mission communities have been immersed in the Glenmary spirit of nurturing the faith and engaging in social outreach. In Bruce, Miss., that spirit will live on, in part, through Jettie Pettit.

New Catholics and those who move to this northern Mississippi community appreciate the welcoming nature of St. Luke the Evangelist mission; Jettie is a key to that atmosphere.

She joined the Catholic Church as an adult, and was a member of an Oxford, Miss., parish when she was invited to participate in a discussion about establishing a Catholic community in Bruce.

In 1996 Jettie joined the new Catholic community that was eventually called together Leader: Jettie Pettit serves as there. Since that music leader at St. Luke mistime, she has been sion in Bruce. On Sundays she an integral part has little room because attenof the mission’s dance is at capacity. growth, serving as a music minister, lector and religious education teacher for the high school members of the mission.

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efore converting to Catholicism, Jettie was a member of an evangelical church.

In all her years as a Catholic, she has maintained the qualities of an evangelist in her spiritual “personality.”

“I tell the students that they’re called to mission and encourage them to share their faith with their friends, to live it out,” Jettie says.

She speaks to the young people of the importance of evangelization, but says that living their lives with integrity and justice will w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

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be as effective as any words they might use.

That means staying away from drugs, bullying and gossip, which isn’t easy for 21st-century teens. “Living their faith means being kind and gentle,” Jettie says.

Father Bob Dalton, a Glenmary senior member who serves as sacramental minister at Glenmary’s Mississippi missions, calls Jettie a “stalwart” in Bruce, one who is always present in the community.

“She is unashamedly Catholic in a heavily Protestant area,” Father Bob says. “And she knows everybody in the county after years of teaching high school math. She has a real commitment to the Church and to the needy.”

Jettie recently retired as director of the Catholic Charities office in Vardaman, a nearby town where Glenmary has established a small chapel. “With her enthusiasm, she really dedicated herself to her job,” Father Bob says.

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hat enthusiasm for her faith and outreach to those in need makes her a natural partner in mission for Glenmary.

And she’s determined to see that Glenmary’s home mission charism remains strong and vital in Bruce and the surrounding region after the last mission is turned back to the diocese.

“I feel a deep connection to Glenmary,” Jettie says. “The missioners have infused their spirit into the area, their concern for the poor and the outcast and those who have been forgotten.”

Jettie is also grateful to Glenmary for connecting the missions in Calhoun, Chickasaw and Pontotoc counties more fully with the diocese. “They brought us to the forefront,” she says. “We no longer felt like orphans. They fostered us until we could stand on our own.”

The Bruce mission’s small worship space is often standing-room-only. She recalls asking her son to pray that God would give them a bigger church to accommodate the growing congregation. “He told me, ‘God gave you a bigger church. You just need a bigger building to house the church!’”

Thanks to the efforts of Catholics like Jettie Pettit, the missionary spirit in Bruce—and northeast Mississippi—is very much alive.  Summer 2014

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final words / from our readers

‘Thank God for Glenmary’ Readers react to Spring issue by sharing compliments, memories and appreciation Issue was great

your spring issue of Glenmary Challenge was great in every respect—information, clarity, pictorials, entertainment. Although I have been aware of Glenmary for several decades and have supported them modestly, I developed a more comprehensive understanding of their mission from your coverage than I had previously enjoyed.

Thank you and your staff.

Thank God for Glenmary!

Peter Byrne Naples, Fla. Thanks to missioners

thank you for the Spring issue of Glenmary Challenge. I found the 1942 picture (“Then: 1939-1964”) and article really special since I grew up in Sunfish, Ky. ‘Adriana Trigiani’s I recognized film Big Stone Gap most of the people in the is an example of picture—and how the presence it was a real of Glenmary made joy to see my a lasting impression grandfather!

F a t h e r on a teenage Cath- Francis Wuest olic in an area that married me was only 1 percent in St. John Church, and Catholic.’ my m o t h e r and dad invited Fathers Wuest and Clem Borchers to our house for meals many times. They were the best ever.

I cooked a lot of gravy, eggs, bacon and biscuits for them.

Each year on the first Sunday of July, St. John Church members host a homecoming. We celebrate Mass together followed 18

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by lots of home-cooked food.

It would be wonderful to have some of the Glenmary priests come and share the day with us and see the changes since the mission was started.

Once again, thanks to Glenmary missioners for all you did at St. John the Evangelist Church!

Rita Durbin Louisville, Ky. 75 great years

congratulations on 75 great years of service to the Church in rural America!

I think and believe it’s just marvelous and so is our God! I, too, am celebrating this year.

I’m 75 years old and will mark 55 years of religious life. I’m loving it all.

I ministered for several summers in Vanceburg, Ky., years ago with some of my fellow Sisters of the Living Word and thoroughly enjoyed all the challenges.

Most of all, I enjoyed the beautiful, wonderful people. I have many fond memories.

Many hearty congratulations and many prayers are coming your way for a great future of hope for Glenmary.

Sister Angela Ashbey Marrero, La. fond memories

the spring issue’s article about Big Stone Gap (“Hollywood Comes to Big Stone Gap”) brought many fond memories to life for me.

I made frequent visits to Sacred Heart Church in Big Stone Gap during the 1970s and ’80s and watched its growth and

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expansion. In 1970, Eucharist and other sacraments were celebrated in the basement, along with community organizers’ meetings, coal mine workers’ gatherings, youth sleepovers, and young adult square dances.

Liturgies were later held in a chapel upstairs. Next, a small church for worship was built.

Fathers Robert Rademacher and Les Schmidt welcomed friends and strangers to share conversation, meals, and the comforts of home. In 1984 the Catholic population had increased and the parish was turned back to the diocese—the ultimate goal of Glenmary missions.

Adriana Trigiani’s film Big Stone Gap is an example of how the presence of Glenmary made a lasting impression on a teenage Catholic in an area that was only 1 percent Catholic.

Father William Howard Bishop planted the seeds for priests, brothers, women and men to live the Gospel values of justice and love for all in rural unchurched areas of Appalachia and the South. He probably never dreamed that a film would be produced in one of the missions.

Adriana’s line in the movie encapsulated his spirit. “True love energizes you, and all the other kinds exhaust you.”

Mary V. Morrison Long Beach, Miss.

Readers’ Views welcome! Send comments to: Editor, Glenmary Challenge, P.O. Box 465618, Cincinnati, OH 45246. Fax: 513874-1690 or send via E-mail: challenge@ glenmary.org.

Please include a postal address.

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w w w.glenmary.org t h e w e b s i t 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

O n line Co nte nts

What’s new New Catholics Welcomed at Missions

Each Easter a number of new Catholics join the Church at small Glenmary missions. This year two East Tennessee missions welcomed 15 people, two of whom share their faithjourney stories. glenmary.org/newcatholics

New Catholics

Departments Ways to Give

Lend prayers and financial support to the missions by adopting a Glenmary mission or missioner. glenmary.org/aam

Vocations

Curious about mission life? Take part in a summer mission trip, open to men ages 18-46. glenmary.org/comeandsee

Mission trip

News and Publications

For 75 years missioners have served the home missions. But there is still much work to be done. glenmary.org/morework

Research Center

A new map now available shows U.S. counties that are less than 3 percent Catholic. glenmary.org/grc-catalog

Catholic population map

Feature Story Former Marine Colonel Supports Missions

In retirement Col. Jack Grace has dedicated himself to assisting the Church’s—and Glenmary’s—mission efforts to share the Good News. glenmary.org/colonel

Col. Jack Grace

Gifts for graduations, weddings and more

View our memorial and Mass cards online and make a donation to honor someone special who is celebrating a milestone event. glenmary.org/cards Learn about Glenmary ’s founder

Meet Father William Howard Bishop and see how his dream of a home mission society came to be a reality. glenmary.org/vision-mission w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

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Memorial, Mass cards

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. Postage PAID Glenmary Home Missioners

photo / Maryanne Meyerriecks, Arkansas Catholic

Glenmary G l i m p s e / A new church in Booneville

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embers of Our Lady of the Assumption, Glenmary’s former mission in Booneville, Ark., gathered on April 4 to dedicate their new 5,000-square-foot church. The new church will accommodate the growing parish well. It has the capacity to seat 190 people, which is more than double the capacity of the previous church. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor (center) of the Diocese of Little Rock officiated at the Mass. Among those taking part in the consecration Mass was Father Don Tranel (second from right), who served as the last Glenmary pastor of the mission and who began the building campaign in 2009. Father Don currently serves as director of Glenmary’s Development Office.

Catholic Missioners to Rural America

Glenmary Home Missioners P.O. Box 465618 Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618