Glenmary Challenge Spring 2017

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

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Spring 2017

Public Prayer to move hearts Faith can move mountains. Prayer can stop mountains from being moved.

145 years of service

3 Glenmary priests mark milestones in 2017.

Enlisting the help of friends When asked to help, the Glenmary team worked together to perform the corporal work of mercy to bury the dead

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: John Stegeman Assistant Editor: Molly Williamson Art Director: Tricia Sarvak Staff Writers: Margaret Gabriel, Father John S. Rausch Planning-Review Board: Brother David Henley, Frank Lesko, Father Neil Pezzulo, Father John S. Rausch, 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 © 2017, Glenmary Home Missioners. Reprint permission granted upon request.

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The best is yet to come from us FROM THE EDITOR / John Stegeman

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am a numbers guy. I love fun facts. That said, I’m proud to stand at the helm of this magazine as we embark on a benchmark year. You’ll note to the right of this paragraph, on page 3, it reads “Volume 80, Number 1.”

Those words don’t fully convey their magnitude. They mean 79 years of bringing you news and stories from home missions. Almost eight decades of keeping the nation abreast of the important need for missionaries right here in the United States. That’s four-fifths of a century sharing the Gospel through a Glenmary lens.

You are reading the 308th edition of this magazine (three in 1938-42, four each year thereafter). Glenmary has published 63 volumes since the death of our founder, Father William Howard Bishop.

More important than the trivia, however, is the impact Glenmary Challenge has had. While countless people have contributed to these pages, it isn’t just the writers and photographers, but the missioners and the faithful who deserve the credit. Any impact this magazine has made is because of the dedicated priests, brothers and lay coworkers who live the stories we are privileged to write, and John Stegeman of course, the people they serve. jstegeman@glenmary.org Officially, this magazine predates the establishment of Glenmary by almost two years, but the challenge behind the Challenge goes to the beginning of the faith. Referencing the Gospel of Matthew’s great commission, Father Bishop once asked, “Does the command to ‘go teach all nations’ make an exception of our own?” He didn’t think so, and neither do we.

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imes change, needs don’t. Mission land, USA is still out there, and more work must be done to fulfill Father Bishop’s vision. If you’re up for the challenge, keep reading. The best parts of our story are yet to be written. 

About the cover: Glenmary Volunteer Director Joe Grosek, left, and Fordham University volunteers Justin Santanasto, center, and Bryan Kiel dig a grave for a person in need. w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

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

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Vo l u m e 8 0 / N u m b e r 1

Cover Story

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Enlisting the help of friends

To the people Glenmary serves, missioners are more than just agents of help, they are friends in times of need.

photo / Molly Williamson

Feature Story

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Public prayer to move hearts in Appalachia Father John S. Rausch reflects on types of public prayer and the power of prayer to stop mountains from moving.

Public Prayer, Page 15

Departments & columns

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From the President / Father Chet Artysiewicz

Father Chet sees meaning in empty spaces at a Christmas-season Mass, and makes a connection to Easter.

Glenmary News & Notes

Glenmarians visit students, youth attend March for Life, Vocation retreat in Kenya, Easter cards available.

Life, Page 5

Missioner in Action

Brother Virgil Siefker is part of a backpack program that feeds children affected by food insecurity.

Jubilarians

Three priests celebrating jubilees in 2017 combine for 145 years of service to people in the missions.

Missioner, Page 8

Final Words

We asked for your thoughts on Glenmary Challenge, and you delivered.

Glenmary.org

Keep up with Glenmary by visiting www.glenmary.org anytime day or night for the most recent mission news.

Spring 2017

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Jubilarians, Page 14

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from the president / Father Chet Artysiewicz

Seeing meaning in S P A C E S Church’s two most important feasts are connected in popularity, salvation history

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hristmas and Easter. It is no shock that those two are considered the most popular holidays, aka “holydays.”

Oh sure, who doesn’t like a good Fourth of July parade or the lilting sound of Irish music on St. Patrick’s Day, but they cannot rank with the stature of these feasts that have so much meaning for our faith. The two are bonded not only by their popularity, but also their theological connection. Christmas is the beginning of the salvation story, and Easter is its glorious fulfillment.

And so I share with you this Nativity to Resurrection experience of mine.

I was able to concelebrate Mass at my home parish (St. Elizabeth, Wilmington, Del.) on Dec. 31, 2016, the Vigil for the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. In the minutes before Mass, I was able to greet a number of old friends. Later, looking out from the sanctuary, I saw a nice congregation, but I also saw...spaces.

It was not so much that attendance was lighter than I remembered, but what struck me was that the spaces next to people used to be occupied by spouses, parents, children.

The spaces represented losses. The gap in the pew mirrored the gap in the heart, the result of a death or other form of separation.

I also observed the fidelity of these people, carrying on their faith and being carried by their faith in the midst of those personal absences. Both aspects were certainly evident.

The spaces appeared empty. Perhaps though, the spirit of the Christmas season filled the void with a feeling where a person once sat.

The feeling of hope. The message of Easter.

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ope. Farmers hope to get the right combination of sun and rain to nurture their crops. College grads hope to be able to land that first job. Many people anxiously await the surgeon’s post-op report, hoping the news is good. Hope comes into play in a variety of circumstances, some profound and some even occasionally silly— “Oh, I hope there’s a parking place close to the entrance!”

If one were to ask, “What is the greatest rea4 4

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son for hope?” The cute answer might be that the Chicago Cubs finally won a World Series.

But the deepest, truest answer for Glenmary is the Resurrection. What could have seemed more hopeless than the image of Christ crucified? Yet on the third day, hope rose to unprecedented heights. The message is that no situation is totally hopeless.

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f course, the skeptic replies, “You’re daft,” and has plenty of ammunition Father Chet and examples where not a shred Artysiewicz of hope seems apparent or cartysiewicz@glenmary.org fulfilled.

I am not sure what stories the news will feature the day you read this, but I’d venture to say some will leave us heartsick. “So, tell me again, Padre,” the skeptic says then, “where’s the hope?”

I am not the first to note that if this world is all there is, some people have gotten a pretty lousy deal. But, our faith asserts this is NOT the only world—and there is going to be a reckoning. It is critical to keep one eye on that other world as we live daily in this one.

Of course, for some, that other-worldly hope can constitute an obstacle. “Why bother with anything on this side? Aren’t we always going to have the poor, the hungry, etc.?”

Well, that does a disservice to Christ’s command to respond to the needs of the least. We may not cure the ills of the world, but the Gospel mandates an obligation to try and make “thy kingdom come” a reality. To paraphrase an old saying, pray for the dead and fight like mad for the living.

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n this earthly walk of ours, hope and heartbreak are companions. Glenmary missioners accompany the people we serve in the midst of the spaces. Three words tip the scales. HE IS RISEN! May this Easter season strengthen your hope—especially in the midst of the “spaces” in your life.

Thank you for supporting our ministry.  w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

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news & notes photo / Tricia Sarvak

Outreach

Glenmarians visit Catholic students Priests share Glenmary life with youths [Ohio] In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

When a Glenmary priest, brother or student visits a school, he shares Christ’s message and opens students’ eyes to considering God’s call in their lives. Glenmary

Joy of the gospel: Father Dan Dorsey high fives a St. Ann student during Catholic Schools Week.

Fathers Dan Dorsey and Tom Kirkendoll, along with novices Samuel Mungai, Jose Carlos Miguel Lopez and Kenneth Wandera visited St.

Ann Catholic School in Cincinnati during Catholic Schools Week to share Glenmary’s story.

Glenmary staff returned to St. Ann’s the

next day to help students assemble “necessity” and “snack” bags for people living in Glenmary’s mission areas.

A week earlier, Glenmary first vice president Father Neil Pezzulo visited with a group of about 20 home school students.

He told the students that everyone has to find out what God wants for them.

“I just decided one day I had to find a way to serve God that was very different than working in a department store selling men’s suits,” he said.

To inquire about having a Glenmary priest or brother speak at your school, contact Jodi Mott at (513) 881-7440 or jmott@glenmary.org. photo / Courtesy of St. Michael the archangel Mission

pro-life

Mission youth attend March for Life 28 from mission stand for unborn [Washington, D.C.] Nearly 30 members of Glenmary’s St. Michael the Archangel mission in Erwin, Tenn., attended the March for Life Jan. 27.

Erick Bustos made his first trip to the march this year as one of four chaperones accompanying 24 students.

“This experience made me feel very connected,” he said. “Especially when we visited the Basilica (of the Immaculate Conception).”

Elena Orozco, 17, agreed.

“The march definitely made us feel more connected, not only within our youth group and our diocese, but with Catholic churches from all over the country,” she said. “It was amazing to see we were all marching for the same thing.” w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

#istand4life: Members of St. Michael the Archangel Mission’s youth group made the trip to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. this year. Their journey, which was suggested by the students, marked the mission’s first organized trip to the annual march.

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news & notes

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Donor Services

Order your Easter cards today!

Send greetings featuring unique Glenmary artwork [Ohio] Celebrate the Resurrection with one-of-a-kind Easter cards from Glenmary Home Missioners.

The 2017 Easter cards feature artwork of the Risen Christ by the late Father George Mathis, a Glenmary priest who passed away in 2012. The image was created for a stained-glass window at Holy Trinity church in Swainsboro, Ga., a former Glenmary mission now under the care of the Diocese of Savannah.

Those who receive the cards will be remembered in Glenmary’s annual Easter novena.

Cards, in packs of five, are free upon request, although a donation of $5 will help cover printing and mailing costs.

“We’re happy to make these beautiful cards available to all those who want to share with families and friends the joy and blessing of new life at Easter,” said Father Don Tranel, Glenmary’s development director.

For more information: Contact Glenmary’s Donor Services department at 800935-0975 or donorservices@ glenmary.org.

Take a Turn in the Right Direction for You & Glenmary!

How Do You Rate?

The following table shows figures based on a one-life annuity of $10,000. Rates are based on the gift annuity rates recommended by the American Council on Gift Annuities.

Age 60 70 80 90

Payout Annual Rate Income 4.4% 5.1% 6.8% 9.0%

$440 $510 $680 $900

For more information contact:

Susan Lambert Planned Giving Officer 800-935-0975 slambert@glenmary.org

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Looking for a way to help Glenmary Home Missioners and plan your financial future?

If so, a Glenmary gift annuity might be for you!

Securing your future through a gift annuity means: • a partially tax-free life income • a charitable deduction • partnering with Glenmary to establish the Church and serve the spiritual and material needs of rural America.

All information is strictly confidential.

This information is not legal advice.

A future donor should seek the guidance of a qualified estate and/or tax professional to understand the consequences of a gift.

Glenmary gift annuities are not issued in Alabama or Hawaii.

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Around the Missions  Glenmary Headquarters hosted the Jan. 24 meeting of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Climate Change Task Force.

Glenmary’s first vice president Father Neil Pezzulo and director of CatholicEvangelical Relations Frank Lesko are members of the task force.  St. Joan of Arc in Windsor, N.C., hosted a retreat for elderly parishioners.

Entitled “The Five Wishes,” the retreat was about how to reflect upon spirituality as we age. The speaker was Liz Dudas from Glenmary’s Department of Pastoral Services.  Over a weekend in January the newly formed Commission on Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), met at Mother of Good Counsel Church in Hazard, Ky., to plan, evaluate and pray as it set out in a new and creative direction. Director of the Commission Tom Navin, and a group of interested people, reflected on scripture as well as Church teachings on justice. JPIC aims to serve both Glenmary and the larger church.

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photo / Brother David Henley

Ecumenism

Glenmary Commission on Ecumenism meets Pursuit of Christian unity, fostering relationships among commission’s goals [Ohio] Glenmary Home Missioners’ Commission on Ecumenism hosted its annual face-to-face meeting Jan. 17 and 18 at Glenmary Headquarters.

The commission provides guidance for Glenmary’s ecumenical outreach, and includes Glenmary first vice president Father Neil Pezzulo, director of Catholic-Evangelical relations Frank Lesko, Father Frank Ruff, Reverend David Sapp (Baptist) and Dr. Rick Stern (Lutheran).

At the recent meeting attendees discussed Glenmary’s strong relationship with the Southern Baptist Convention and made plans to develop similar relationships with other Evangelical communities. In particular, the commission hopes to make inroads with both Pentecostal and predominately African-American denominations.

“Through the work of the commission, Glenmary strives to be a voice in national leadership around ecumenism as we partner with other denominations and entities committed to the pursuit of Christian unity,” Lesko said.

The Lord be with you: Father Bruce Brylinski

celebrates Mass with vocation prospects as part of a retreat in Nairobi, Kenya.

Vocations

Six attend vocations retreat in East Africa [Kenya] Glenmary vocation director Brother David Henley and candidacy and post novitiate director Father Bruce Brylinski traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, in February for an annual vocation retreat.

Six men, three from Uganda and three from Kenya, participated in the retreat. Five of the men are discerning priesthood with Glenmary, and one brotherhood. The men have been in contact with Glenmary’s vocations office for more than a year and were selected from a larger group that had expressed interest.

The weekend’s retreat focused on reflecting on the call to be a Glenmary missioner. The men gathered for morning and evening prayer and celebrated daily Eucharist. Brother David and Father Bruce presented reflections about the mission need and Glenmary way of life.

After the retreat, the Glenmarians had time to visit the home of each of the men, meeting their families and answering questions about Glenmary.

Glenmary’s vocations office continually receives inquiries from prospects from around the world. ​ “Due to the large number of these inquiries coming from Kenya and Uganda, Glenmary has committed to discerning with these young men,” Brother David said. “Glenmary also discerns with men from Mexico, Canada and the United States.” w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

photo / John Stegeman

Glenmary vocation and candidacy directors hosted retreat for prospects in Nairobi, Kenya

A Great commission: Members of Glenmary’s Commission on Ecumenism participate in their annual faceto-face meeting. From left to right: Frank Lesko, Father Neil Pezzulo, Reverend David Sapp and Father Frank Ruff. Not pictured is Dr. Rick Stern.

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missioner in action / by Molly Williamson

Brother busy with food ministry More than 150 students fed thanks to backpack program assisted by Glenmarian

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ood insecurity is a common phrase around Bertie County, N.C., home to Glenmary’s Holy Spirit Mission. Bertie is one of the poorest counties in North Carolina. It has a high unemployment rate and low household median income. The number of low income students in the local school district is so high that the federal government pays for every student to eat breakfast and lunch at school.

Yet, many students still go hungry, especially over the weekends.

Two years ago, a group formed to address child hunger, and a key member of the team was Brother Virgil Siefker, who does outreach ministry in Bertie County. Over the last five years, his work has centered on nutrition, providing food to nearly 500 families per month through the Good Shepherd Food Pantry.

“Most of the children rely on their families to take care of them, but the problem is they do not always know where they will be staying over the weekend or whether they will have food there,” Brother Virgil said. “Sometimes they are staying with their mother, other times with their father or their grandmother.

This is a way to help them out over the weekend regardless of where they stay.”

The program costs $180 per child annually to maintain and provides each student a weekly package of two breakfasts, two lunches, healthy snacks and fresh fruit. A team of volunteers, including Brother Virgil and the Bertie County 4-H and Community Service Club, gathers every Thursday to divide prepackaged bags of food into grocery bags for each elementary student. The volunteers add fruit purchased at a discount from the local grocery store to give children healthy options.

Then, the children’s teachers place the bags in their backpacks on Friday afternoons.

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photo / Tiera Beale

Feed the hungry: Brother Virgil Siefker, right, works with others to feed hungry students.

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he program has centered on elementary school students for the last two years, but Bertie County Commissioner Ron Wesson, a founder of the backpack program, wants to eventually expand the program to include more schools and grade levels.

“On the weekends, especially when you reach the end of the month and run out of money or run out of food stamps, there is a food shortage,” Ron said. “The small kids are the least able to fend for themselves, which is why we started with elementary students, but we have a need for all kids throughout our community.”

So far, the program has fed 155 children in Bertie County’s four public schools and one charter school, and the committee hopes to expand the program to at least 175 children by the end of the academic year.

The backpack program is completely run by volunteers like Brother Virgil.

Growing the program is desperately needed, said Sandra Smith, Windsor Elementary School’s social worker. She and the other school counselors and social workers throughout the district identify the children most in need of the backpack program. The waiting list is extensive, and many children are desperate for food.

“Many kids come up to me all week and tell me they are hungry, so we know they need the backpack,” Sandra said. “Starting on Monday, they ask me, ‘Am I going to get the backpack on Friday?’ Their little faces light up when they get it. They are so full of joy.”  w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

photos / Molly Williamson

cover story

Enlisting Friends the help of

Top Photo: Terry Ruth, a lifelong resident of

Grainger County, Tenn. (center), approached Glenmary for help after his sister, Marie, died and he couldn’t afford to bury her. Bottom Photo: Terry watches as Glenmary’s volunteer director Joe Grosek, second from right, and volunteers from Fordham University dig the burial plot.

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After his sister died, Terry turned to Glenmary for help laying her to rest

By Molly Williamson

It was a matter of pride. Terry Ruth, a lifelong resident of Grainger County, Tenn., was trying to honor his sister’s final wishes. She had died just days before, and while Terry had a burial plot for her in the family  Spring 2017

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photo / Molly Williamson

“They are helping someone, helping someone who would have been put in the ground without a casket. This really means the world to me.” – Terry Ruth

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asked Brother Joe Steen, a former member of the Brothers Building Crew and new to the Grainger and Union county mission, to fix the Ruths’ pipes.

Father Steve then had the Glenmary Group Volunteer Program begin calling regularly on the Ruth family, helping to reinforce the walls of the Ruths’ home, to repair their roof, to deliver food to their home and to bring them firewood in the winter. photo / susan lambert

 tract, he did not have the money for a proper funeral. His sister had already been embalmed, and every day her body stayed at the morgue, it accrued fees that Terry could not pay.

Terry has worked all his life. As a young boy, he labored in the fields, hanging and stripping tobacco. He continued to farm through adulthood, and now raises crossbred horses.

Terry is resourceful. Growing up high on the hill, his house was so cold that water froze in a bucket. He lived without indoor plumbing for more than 15 years. Yet, he got by, and he never wanted for much.

But, he always had a partner — his sister, Marie. Nicknamed after a newspaper comic, Marie was known throughout the community as “Cricket.” She handled Terry’s finances and was his main confidant. She saw him through their parents’ deaths and now, for the first time, Terry was left to face a major life change without Marie.

He was overwhelmed and wanted to make her proud.

Building a Friendship

So, he called Father Steve Pawelk, pastor of Glenmary’s Saint John Paul II Mission in Rutledge, Tenn.

Terry connected with Glenmary Home Missioners several years ago when a parishioner of Saint John Paul II met Terry and Marie while taking the U.S. Census. She thought that the siblings might benefit from the church’s outreach services and mentioned it to Father Steve.

A self-professed organizer, Father Steve enjoys connecting people in the community to resources and programs.

“I am like an orchestra director, I am an organizer and a motivator,” Father Steve said. “I find projects and find people to do them. Then, I get out of the way.”

He dispatched Brother Craig Digmann, then an outreach minister in Union and Grainger counties, to begin visiting the Ruth siblings. During one of his visits, Brother Craig noticed that the Ruths had no running water or indoor plumbing. Father Steve

 Doing what it takes: Brother Joe Steen construct-

ed and delivered the casket he made for Marie Ruth to the funeral home.

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Team Effort: From left, Father Steve Pawelk, Brother

Joe Steen and Brother Craig Digmann all played a crucial part in helping Terry Ruth to bury his sister. Brother Joe built the casket, while Father Steve and Brother Craig each participated in the funeral ceremony.

The Ruths became familiar with nearly every representative of Glenmary’s east Tennessee missions. So when Terry asked Glenmary for help with Marie’s funeral, he was not just calling a church or a charity, he was enlisting the help of friends.

“Terry is what we call a ‘friend of the mountain,’” Father Steve said. “We have a lot of connections to him because of the parish ministry.

“He has what I call ‘mountain faith,’” Father Steve said. “He went to church when  Spring 2017

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Managing the Details

Father Steve coordinated Marie’s burial service with the funeral home, helping to plan all of the logistics. Meanwhile, Brother Joe built Marie’s casket in less than 12 hours and delivered it to the funeral home.

“He worked all day,” Father Steve said.

Brother Joe has made several caskets, and said there was nothing unique about this one. It’s pine. It’s sturdy. It fits the specifications. The main thing, he said, is you want to make sure the bottom doesn’t fall out.

But to Terry, it was everything.

“This means the world to me, because no one else in the county would help me,” Terry said.

Still, he faced another hurdle. He had the casket and plot, but he needed the grave dug. On top of the funeral cost, the cemetery would charge him $500 to bring in a backhoe and dig the grave. Terry could not dig the hole alone.

“I tried,” Terry said. “I called a bunch of people. I will be 57 next year, and I was born on this mountain, and I could not find one person to help me.”

No one, that is, except the volunteers at Toppa Joppa, site of Glenmary’s Group Volunteer Program.

Living the Five Ministries

Joe Grosek, the volunteer director at Toppa Joppa, was closing out a week with a group of 12 students from Fordham University, a Jesuit institution in New York.

During their stay, the students worked at a children’s home, nursing home, food pantry and on site building a frame to better insulate the tiny homes that will eventually provide more housing for short- and longterm volunteers.

On Friday morning, Terry and his friend, Clyde Liford, showed up at Toppa Joppa.

Terry had tried to secure credit for the funeral expenses, but was unable. He knew that asking the Glenmary volunteers was his final resort, but he was desperate.

Joe, who has worked for Glenmary since 2001, had never been asked to dig a grave.

But he was willing and asked the Fordham group for volunteers.

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photo / phil roche photography

 he was younger, but he does not gather to pray now. He believes in Jesus. He prays whenever he wants, and he is good to his neighbors.”

A worthy vessel: Brother Joe Steen, seen here do-

ing general construction, worked 12 hours to prepare a casket for Marie Ruth. A skilled carpenter, Brother Joe described it as sturdy and “no frills.”

“The five ministries of Glenmary are social justice, evangelization, ecumenism, nurturing the Catholic community and serving the greater Catholic Church,” Joe said. “This is evangelization. No one else is going to do this for him.

“I believe in the five ministries; it is why I have been with Glenmary for so many years,” Joe said. “It is why I see my role as more of a ministry than a job. Glenmary is rural and serves the lost and forgotten. Through our outreach, we are serving the greater Catholic Church.”

It also was a corporal work of mercy, Mountain Manager Gina Maslanka reminded the Fordham students. Burying the dead is an important Christian and Catholic teaching, offering comfort to the bereft, respect for life and hope for the resurrection of the body.

After watching a YouTube video about grave digging and getting the dimensions from the w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

photos / Molly Williamson

funeral home, the volunteers cut wood to outline the hole. They loaded up their van with pick axes and shovels and set to work.

Laying Her to Rest

photo / Molly Williamson

Laboring for hours, Joe and three volunteers hacked into the wet, hard red clay soil only to learn they needed to shift the hole slightly to the left so there would still be room for another grave to the right.

It was not what the students had signed up for, but as Fordham senior Justin Santanasto said, “I’m just going to live in the moment.”

As the group dug, community members stopped by, some to offer their condolences or food, some to monitor the progress of the dig and to offer unsolicited advice. By the end of the day, the grave was ready for Marie’s burial on Sunday, and the relief was evident from Terry. At least two community members eventually helped Joe finish digging the grave, and later helped fill it in.

“They are helping someone, helping someone who would have been put in the ground without a casket,” Terry said. “This really means the world to me.”

Continued friendship: Terry Ruth, left, accepts a delivery of groceries from Toppa Joppa Mountain Manager Adam Donovan and Jodi Mott, Glenmary office projects coordinator for the Mission Education and Ministry Office, at his home roughly a month after Marie’s death. w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

First Contacts: Father Steve Pawelk (left), Glenmary’s pastor in Rutledge, Tenn., connected Terry Ruth with Brother Craig Digmann (right) kicking off a years-long relationship between the Ruths and Glenmary. Brother Craig was one of the first Glenmarians to reach out to the Ruth family. He visited Terry and Marie and realized they had no indoor plumbing. After Brother Joe Steen fixed their plumbing, Brother Craig continued to visit the siblings, bringing them food and stopping in to talk.

Though he now lives in Sneedville, Tenn., he attended Marie’s funeral and sang “Amazing Grace.”

Planning for the Future

The communal effort capped off on Sunday with all of Terry’s friends in attendance.

Brother Craig sang “Amazing Grace.”

Glenmary Group Volunteer Program Mountain Managers brought flowers to the grave.

Father Steve guided Terry through the service and took him to view the body.

With the help of Glenmary donors, Glenmary will cover the portion of the funeral expenses that Terry cannot afford, and Brother Joe and parishioners will help Terry set up a system where he can begin paying his monthly bills, which Marie used to handle.

“In outreach ministry, it’s all about the connection to the connection to the connection with other people,” Brother Craig said.

“It’s about building trust and being as present as you can. It’s really about letting God work through you.” 

for more information: To learn more about Glenmary’s Group Volunteer Program visit: www.glenmary.org/volopps.

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jubilarians / by John Stegeman

Service to God binds 3 jubilarians Fathers Les Schmidt, Richard Kreimer celebrate 60 years; Father Bruce Brylinski 25

60 Years of Ministry

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60 Years of Ministry

lenmary Father Les Schmidt spent time early in his Glenmary career working as an associate and substitute pastor, but his calling has been primarily to serve as a regional worker, advocating justice for the marginalized.

While he celebrates 60 years as a Glenmarian this year, Father Les has spent nearly 50 of them as a regional worker, most often based in Big Stone Gap, Va. Father Les has been active on the Catholic Committee of Appalachia and the Catholic Committee of the South. Though 82, Father Les is still active, addressing the issue of for-profit prisons, the need for immigration reform and other matters.

One of only a few Glenmarians who grew up in a Glenmary mission (he was a member of Holy Trinity in West Union, Ohio), Father Les continues to be an advocate for Christ’s kingdom on Earth.

“Following Pope Francis, my deepest hope is that we move from the world of fear and judgement, to one of grace and mercy,” he said.

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rdinarily, a person is called to be a priest or a brother, not both. Father Richard Kreimer, 79, on the other hand, took the less traveled path to priesthood. He made his first oath in 1957 as a brother. At the time, brothers took a new name, so he became Brother Roger. For 22 years, he served as a brother, often working in kitchens and developing a reputation for culinary skill.

The call of the priesthood led him to pursue another path, and in May 1979, he was ordained.

Father Richard went on to serve as pastor in Jefferson, N.C., and in Adams County, Ohio.

He served in Glenmary’s Mission Office, educating people on the home mission need. He took senior status in 2002 and resides in Cincinnati where he celebrated Mass at area parishes on a fill-in basis.

In an oral history recorded in 2005, Father Richard said, “I always wanted to be a missionary, from as early as I can remember.” Reflecting on 60 years, he said, “I’ve enjoyed my priesthood and being with Glenmary.”

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25 Years of Ministry

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esiring to use all of his Godgiven talents, Father Bruce Brylinski is both priest and artist. Both vocations have served him during his 25 years as a Glenmary Home Missioner.

Father Bruce served Glenmary in Mississippi before becoming a pastor in Grayson, Ky. There, he first saw the word “artist” added to his official Glenmary title in 1999. In Grayson, he was the only priest for a three-county area and still found time to reach people through his art, including a puppet show.

Father Bruce went from Kentucky to Louisville, Ga., and from there to Waldron, Ark., before being named to his current position at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana, where he helps students grow in their calling to missionary life.

“Glenmary has been very fulfilling,” Father Bruce said, reflecting on a quarter century of service. “Small towns and missions have helped me to grow in very dynamic ways. In preaching and artistry, I have been very inspired by the way God works in rural America.” w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

Public Prayer

to move hearts in Appalachia

By Father John S. Rausch

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photo / Glenmary Home Missioners

n my Ministry for Appalachian Justice Education, I have explained the church’s social teachings by economic and social concepts with limited success. I have discussed human dignity, the common good, option for the poor, rights of workers and care of creation either in harmony, or in contrast, with free market principles. I have found the way to the heart seldom seems paved with facts and figures.

Pope Francis in his encyclical, Laudato Si, which is subtitled, “On care for our common w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

home,” writes that the market promotes extreme consumerism (L.S. #203), and the emptier a heart is, the more a person needs things to consume (L.S. #204.) He concludes: “Obsession with a consumerist lifestyle…can only lead to violence and mutual destruction” (L.S. #204).

Consequently, to root out violence with its destruction and to replace it with a spirit of nonviolence towards our brothers and sisters and all creation begins by transforming the heart.

“From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts...” (Mk. 7:21). The question remains: how can we encourage this change of heart?

Public Prayer in Appalachia

Public prayer provides salve for the wounds of society. After mass shootings, airplane crashes and natural disasters, communities gather with lighted candles or tolling bells to comfort one another and probe the deeper significance of the tragedy.

Central Appalachia, which includes West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, east Tennessee and southwest Virginia, suffers some of the country’s worst social and economic indicators. The region constitutes a true tragedy, but few register alarm because the situation grew slowly over time, not from a single  Spring 2017

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 catastrophic explosion.

With its vast mineral and natural wealth, Appalachia has been termed by numerous economists and sociologists “a mineral colony” or a “national sacrifice area.” Extractive industries like coal, oil, gas and timber that fuel the consumption patterns of people throughout America and the world, create jobs for local workers, but channel the vast profits to outside owners. The lack of diversified employment, the health hazards from mining and the limited opportunities for young people, leave the region gripped in poverty and the earth scarred by pollution. I use public prayer conducted outdoors amidst the beauty of the Appalachian countryside to raise awareness of these structural and spiritual ills and to spread some salve to dress these wounds.

an aggressive method of strip mining that blows the tops off mountains by sometimes 500 feet — community people gathered for prayer to heal the mountain. We chose Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, to emphasize that everyone has a human right to a healthy environment. To conclude the prayer, I gave everyone a handful of wildflower seeds and then instructed them: “Let’s take back the mountain for God and our community!”

Sixty people fanned out covering that moonscape, intentionally planting a seed here and another there, but one senior, a lifelong resident of the area, chose a spot visible from her house below and was overheard saying, “I’m sowing my community back!” Symbols such as wildflower seeds speak poetically when words seem inadequate.

“Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.”

- Pope Francis, Laudato Si

Public prayer attempts to change hearts.

As I assess my various experiences, I group public prayer into three categories: petition prayer, listening prayer and meditative prayer. Depending on the subject matter, the circumstances, and the participants, certain forms of public prayer lend themselves to express the full range of human emotions from lament to righteous anger to hope.

All prayer forms, however, are deepened through the use of symbols and amidst God’s garden, symbols abound. Frequently, Appalachian public prayer might incorporate wild flowers, seeds, coal, water, top soil or garden tools to poetically convey the message of the prayer event. Participants experience the support of communal prayer at the prayer site, then carry the symbol in their hearts as they return home.

Petition Prayer

Petition prayer seeks something from God. On a mountain denuded by mountaintop removal —

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Listening Prayer

Over the past 20 years, I have driven hundreds of people through Appalachia in vans and cars to see the land and meet the people. I call each excursion “A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Appalachia,” because a pilgrimage is a journey with a spiritual significance, and because land reflects the holiness of God, the Giver. We listen to the stories of the people and see the tortured land polluted by careless mining. We ask why the destruction, why the inadequate safety net, why the oppressive structures remain in place.

Every day, the group’s theological reflection integrates the experiences with each participant’s faith life. Imagine the reflections about a free health clinic for the uninsured, dilapidated housing along narrow back roads, an abandoned strip mine site with only shrubs growing, a former miner with black lung tethered to his oxygen supply, and a middle-aged unemployed woman learning the computer. Consider further the discussions about the w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

drug problem, schools and poverty.

Listening and respecting a person’s story allows the person to feel validated. Ministry becomes a two-way street; we pilgrims listen and are inspired, and our host shares her struggles and no longer feels alone. Stories become the symbols in listening prayer.

and numerous other scourges. Our 7-foot tall processional cross featured a lump of coal crudely shaped like a heart wrapped by barbed wire affixed to the center of the crossbeams. The barbed wire around the coal symbolized the gift and the consequences of coal for the region. While the cross processed to each station, the 75 participants followed reverently holding small white crosses depicting some social sin, like “Black Lung,” or “Land Destroyed.” Many took their hand-held crosses home where they became a sacramental symbol of the prayer experience.

Meditative Prayer

Meditative prayer allows people to connect the sufferings of others with the sufferings of Jesus. We used the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) as a prayer to scan the issues of suffering in Appalachia. Reflecting the original 14 stations, our rewritten meditations connected the passion of Jesus with the death of miners, pollution of streams, addiction to pain pills photo / courtesy catholic committee of Appalachia

Conclusion

Ritual prayer speaks to the heart neutralizing violence. It combines elements of a demonstration, a celebration and devotional prayer that intend to convert some, and deepen the commitment of others. Through symbols and gestures, the poetry of the event plants the seed of nonviolence and opens participants to the inbreaking of God’s reign.

Ministry in Appalachia demands listening to the needs of the people, petitioning for healing and renewal and contemplating the consequences of sin and greed. Pope Francis reminds us, “Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (L.S. #139).

In Appalachia, the laments and righteous anger over suffering and structures of sin always give way to hope, because God has bathed the area in beauty and remains the ultimate giver, and owner, of the land. photos / Glenmary Home Missioners

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Public prayer: Prayer can stop mountains from being moved.

Above and at right, people participate in an ecumenical prayer service designed to raise awareness of problems caused by mountaintop removal mining. The photo at top is a mountaintop removal site. Public prayer services like these have a two-fold purpose.

They comfort those who pray, and they raise awareness of the structural or spiritual ills being prayed about.

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final words / from our readers

Challenge shows Gospel lived out Readers comment on impact and quality of Glenmary’s flagship publication lived, taught, preached

Glenmary Challenge is full of down-to -Earth human interest stories demonstrating the Gospel being lived, taught and preached.

It is an “earthly” magazine full of practical ways to be disciples.

Dr. M. McCarthy St. Augustine, Fla.

Rita A. Schoentrup Greensburg, Ind.

family connection

We always look forward to each issue and learn much about the work of Glenmary. We have a personal interest, as Father Frank Ruff is our cousin. He grew up in Bloomer, Wis., attending St. Paul’s Catholic School and parish. We are so very proud of him and the work he has done for Glenmary.

He is also our family “leader.”

He is keeping alive the beautiful group that his parents started. He is very important to our family.

Betty Weber Bloomer, Wis. Cover to cover

I read Glenmary Challenge from cover to cover. I appreciate the stories from the mission fields. I loved Father Vic’s story (Winter 2016) of working in the onion fields and how he actually Readers’ Views welcome! Send comments to: Editor, Glenmary Challenge, P.O. Box 465618, Cincinnati, OH 45246. E-mail: challenge@glenmary.org. Comments are printed at the discretion of the editor and may be edited for clarity and space.

Please include a postal address.

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got into it and knows what it is all about. It is shameful how the migrant workers are treated. Excellent story.

I like to read the “Remembrances” of priests. Their stories are so inspiring. I hope I can continue to support Glenmary for a long time yet.

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Priest blesses ministry

I don’t know who sent me the subscription to your magazine, but I want to tell you how much I enjoy reading all the articles on your ministry, especially the “After The Fire” article.

(Winter 2016).

God bless the ministry of the Glenmary vision, and keep up the good work.

Father Ed Wade, CC Houston, Texas Challenge motivates reader

My mom has received your magazine for years, and she is now in a nursing home at age 95.

Recently, I have been reading it.

I find the magazine very inspiring, and it motivates me to help the Glenmarians spread the faith in the home missions. I pray for you, and give a small donation. It offers a better understanding of the Catholic Church in this region of the U.S. where Catholics are few.

Joseph Maciora Pittsfield, Mass.

Fellow religious inspired

I just read the powerful story on immigration from page nine of the Winter 2016 issue. I Spring 2017

cried! I am a Franciscan sister, and cousin of Glenmary Brother Curt Kedley.

We are doing what we can, too. Keep up the great work.

Sister Dorothy Schwendinger, OSF Dubuque, Iowa Journalistic style appeals to reader/writer

Last night, after a crazy busy before-Christmas day, I sat down to read my Challenge.

I think you are doing a terrific job! I especially like your coverage of Lewis County and telling the stories the way they are for these wonderful, struggling folks.

I love the Challenge. When I finish I pass it on to my priest, who reads it, and then puts it in a rack for anyone else interested.

Keep up your journalistic style and I’ll be looking forward to your next publication.

Mary Lou Murphy Greene, Iowa Parents lovingly Protest

In the previous Challenge, our son, editor John Stegeman, wrote about a Christmas when, as a boy, he slept on the floor near the tree. (At Christmas time, remember others, Winter 2016).

We’re just writing in to remind our dear son (and to tell everyone else) that while the spirit and joy of the Christmas tree may have drawn him to the floor, his parents had provided a perfectly good bed in his room!

George & Marilyn Stegeman Cincinnati, Ohio w w w. g l e n m a r y. o r g

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 Big progress on tiny houses

The Group Volunteer Program is building four “tiny houses” to host additional volunteers at Toppa Joppa. Construction is underway. glenmary.org/tinyhouses-update Tiny Houses

Departments Ways to Give

The support of Glenmary donors allows Father Bob Dalton to continue reaching souls in Mississippi. glenmary.org/lent

Vocations

Brother David Henley reflects on Pope Francis’ Letter to Young People and urges youth to pray, listen, reflect, contemplate, dialogue and discern. glenmary.org/pope-letter-to-youth

Father Bob Dalton

The “Glenmary Vocation Novena through the intercession of St. Isaac Jogues and Companions” prayer guide is now available online. glenmary.org/novena

News & Publications

Novena

Got news? Tell us about it. Communications@glenmary.org

Feature Story Mission trip shows donors impact of gifts

A group traveled to Glenmary’s east Tennessee missions to see the impact of their gifts. They left knowing their sacrifices made a difference. glenmary.org/mission-trip-impact/

Mission Trip

Amazon Smile

Shopping with AmazonSmile is a simple way to support Glenmary. Amazon will donate a portion of each purchase made through our link to Glenmary. glenmary.org/amazon-smile Volunteer Opportunities

Do you feel called to support the home missions in a volunteer capacity? Learn how you can help. glenmary.org/volopps

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photo / Glenmary Challenge Archive

Glenmary Glimpse / Father Bishop’s Challenge

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ather William Howard Bishop was a visionary in more ways than one. He knew that the task of evangelizing priestless regions of the United States would require a communications tool, and thus The Challenge was born. Glenmary Challenge celebrated its 79th birthday in February, making this issue the start of its 80th year publishing.

Catholic Missioners to Rural America

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