Challenge Summer 2015

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

Summe r 2015 www.g l e nma r y. o r g

Lessening Impact on God’s CreationGood stewardship is goal

‘Do This in Memory of Me’A reflection on the Eucharist

Building Ecumenical Ties Through

Prayer & Friendship

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FROM THE EDITOR / Jean Bach

Ecumenism at its best, and good-bye

Jean [email protected]

Publisher: Father Chet ArtysiewiczEditor: Jean Bach

Assistant Editor: Dale HansonArt Director: Tricia Sarvak

Staff Writers: Margaret Gabriel, Father John S. Rausch

Planning-Review Board: Father Gus Guppenberger, Brother Jack Henn,

Brother Curt Kedley, Kathy O’Brien, Susan Sweet, Father Don Tranel

GlEnMaRy HOME MIssIOnERs

GlEnMaRy CHallEnGEThis 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.)

Father William Howard Bishop Glenmary Founder

Founded by Father William Howard Bishop in 1939, this Catholic society of priests and brothers, along with numerous coworkers, establishes the Catholic Church in small-town 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 en-tirely through freewill offerings, it staffs missions and ministries throughout Appalachia and the South.

Glenmary missioners serve in areas where less than three per-cent of the population is Catho-lic, a significant percentage have no church affiliation and the poverty rate is almost twice the national average. Glenmary is known for deeply respecting the many cultures encountered in the home missions—Ap-palachian, Native American, African American and Latino among others. Its missionary activity includes building Catholic communities, fostering ecumenical cooperation, evangelizing the unchurched, social outreach and work-ing for justice.

GlEnmARy HomE miSSionERSP.O. Box 465618 • Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618513-874-8900 • 800-935-0975www.glenmary.org • [email protected]

© 2015, Glenmary Home Missioners. Reprint permission granted upon request.

F ostering ecumenical cooperation has long been a hallmark of Glenmary’s home mis-

sion ministry. Often, it’s the missioner or lay coworker who organizes a ministerial associa-tion in a mission county or spearheads a coali-tion of churches to sponsor a food pantry or thrift store. The results can be tremendous.

The ecumenical relationships in Union and Grainger counties in Tennessee have devel-oped in different ways than in some other mis-sion counties, but the means and outcomes are inspiring (page 9).

With no ministerial associations, key start-ing points in both places came when Glenmar-ians and some local ministers began joining to-gether regularly in conversation and sharing; prayer; and the development of strong friend-ships. The prayer and friendships have led to a number of ecumenical and outreach efforts that make the future look very promising.

For example, in commenting on the re-cent joint revival in one county, Father Steve Pawelk wrote in his blog: “God’s kingdom is just a little brighter and our hearts are a little warmer for sharing in prayer the last three nights. The missionary heartbeat of

East Tennessee is healthy today in Grainger County.” Be sure to read the cover story for develop-ments in both counties.

T his issue is my last. For the past 15 years—eight as editor—I

have enjoyed and been privileged to help support Glenmary’s com-munication efforts and increase awareness of the missionary needs in the United States. But the time has come to move on to a new job and new challenges.

I don’t know what the future holds. But I agree with the reflection that Father Chet shares in his column (page 4): “Do not fear the future, for God is already there.”

abOuT THE COvER: (From left) Father Steve Pawelk, Pastor Chandler “Chan” Vinson of Rut-ledge Baptist Church and Pastor Ryan Daven-port of Rutledge United Methodist Church lead ecumenical efforts in Grainger County, Tenn.

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building Ecumenical Ties: Prayer and Friendship In two Tennessee counties, Glenmary missioners and missions have developed prayer-based friendships with other Christian pastors and churches, leading to great cooperative efforts.

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lessening ImpactAs the pope’s ecology encyclical is set to be released this summer, good stewardship of creation continues to be practiced by missioners, coworkers and missions.

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141718 Final Words / from our readers

A reader remembers Father Jerry Dorn, Brother Ralph Riehle; another is inspired by Spring Challenge story.

Partner in MissionMary Morrison knows she is helping to carry out Glenmary’s missionary work through her support.

Mission spiritualityIn an excerpted homily, the late Father Mike Langell reflects on the meaning of the Eucharist.

Then & nowThe impact of Glenmary’s Group Seven program is still felt in the mission areas where volunteers served.

Glenmary news & notesYouth raise funds to attend national conference, donor gathering is held, baby boomer leads volunteers.

From the President / Father Chet ArtysiewiczAs his first term as president winds down, Father Chet revisits perceptions that have been validated.

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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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Vo l u m e 7 8 / N u m b e r 2

COvER Story

FEaTuRE Story

DEPaRTMEnTs & columNSImpact, Page 15

Fund-raising, Page 5

Group seven, Page 12

Reflection, Page 14

pHoTo / STepHANIe A. rICHer


2011 CHaPTER: (From left) Father Neil Pezzulo, Father Chet Artysiewicz and Brother Jack Henn following their election to Executive Council at the 15th General Chapter.

Perceptions have been validated as first term of Glenmary presidency concludes

FROM THE PREsIDEnT / Father Chet Artysiewicz

Quo vadis?

Father Chet Artysiewicz [email protected]

some may recognize Quo Vadis as the title of a 1951 movie—one of those bibli-cal blockbusters. The film is based on an

1895 historical novel of the same name writ-ten by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Translated, the Latin phrase means “Where are you going?”

As Glenmary prepares for our 16th General Chapter June 15-26, that’s a question I am ask-ing myself, as my four-year term as president concludes and the outcome of the upcoming Executive Council election is unknown.

The time has moved swiftly over these past four years—although, as we age, I guess that comment could apply to all of us “boomers.” I have learned a lot during my term as presi-dent—or perhaps it would be better to say my perceptions going into the presidency were confirmed by many experiences.

I had always thought that Glenmarians are men who love God, live simply and work very hard to make the Catholic Church present

in the mission areas we serve. After a term in administra-tion, I know those percep-tions are truly accurate.

Another of my preelec-tion suspicions which was re-inforced is that we are not in this venture alone. Many dedicated peo-ple collaborate with us—from the support staff at our main office in Cincinnati, to

the coworkers out in the field, to the volun-teers who serve in many needed capacities.

Over 50 years ago I lived in Fairfield, Conn., where Glenmary had a college House of Stud-ies. Glenmarians who were assigned to nurture

financial support and vocations in the region lived at the house, along with the students. As one of those students, I had the opportunity to see the dedication of generous donors whose belief in Glenmary was so strong that they rolled up their sleeves to put on a huge “country fair” and helped sponsor a St. Patrick’s Day party to raise awareness and dollars for the cause.

Although I have always known that those and all of our generous donors are part of the Glenmary story, my experiences as president have only made that belief stronger.

now in the home stretch of my presi-dential term, all of my perceptions have been validated. Of course, the fu-

ture may be a bit murkier. There will be new challenges to face, and the need for Glenmary will continue. To meet that need, I am certain that we could easily utilize 100 additional missioners!

Whether three new members are elected to Executive Council during Chapter or some of us get recycled for another term, I know there will be one constant for future leadership: a passion for the Glenmary mission. Whatever the future brings, I am confident that Glen-mary will respond.

Please join with the members of Glen-mary in praying that the wisdom of the Holy Spirit guides our Chapter election

process and planning. And if, perchance, this is my last column

as Glenmary’s president, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your prayerful and/or financial support of our home mission ministry. I have been deeply touched by the generosity of so many.

Perhaps my greatest confidence in what lies ahead comes from an often-heard reflection that has been an important spiritual insight for me: “Do not fear the future, for God is al-ready there.” May God bless you!


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Youth raise funds to attend conferenceValentine’s Day dinner and tamale sale yield $5,000

TaMalE MakERs: Members of St. Michael the Archangel youth group sold and helped make near-ly 3,000 tamales in an effort to raise funds to attend the 2015 National Catholic Youth Conference.

[tennessee] The mem-bers of St. Michael the Archangel youth group have been innovative in raising the funds needed to attend the November 2015 National Catho-lic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis.

Kathy O’Brien, a Glen-mary Lay Missioner and pastoral associate at the four-year-old Erwin, Tenn., mission, says the 23 youth group members have done an “amazing” job in their quest to raise enough money to go to this year’s conference.

In just one month, the group earned $5,000 by organizing and hosting the mission’s first Valen-tine’s Day dinner, and by selling and helping make close to 3,000 tamales.

Before the tamales were even made, the youth sold them to coun-ty residents and mission members and then later followed through with delivery.

“It was quite a produc-tion,” Kathy says. “Making tamales is not difficult, but it is a very long pro-

Glenmary news & notes

valEnTInE CElEbRa-TIOn: Deacon Mike and Emma Jacobs from near-by Johnson City were among the diners at the first-ever Valentine’s Day dinner at St. Michael mission.

cess.” In total, parents and youth spent 26 hours pro-ducing the seasoned meat wrapped in cornmeal dough and then steaming them in corn husks.

The teens also hosted and coordinated the Val-entine’s Day event. They worked as servers and also helped do the dishes afterwards.

In addition, Kathy has applied for grants,

and the youth have more fund-raising activities planned this year. The time and effort involved in these initiatives are well worth it for the teens, Kathy says, because they

so look forward to par-ticipating in the NCYC. Several St. Michael youth and their chaperones at-tended in 2013.

This biennial con-ference is a three-day experience of prayer, community and empow-erment for Catholic teens (of high school age) and their adult chaperones. More than 23,000 young people and their chap-erones traveled to the 2013 event. While it’s a valuable experience for all Catholic youth, it’s especially important for those in Glenmary’s mis-sion areas.

“It’s challenging for Catholic youth to live in a mission area because they are a small minority,” Kathy says. “Gathering with more than 20,000 of their Catholic peers at a national meeting like this one, and being ex-posed to a broad range of speakers and workshops, can be a life-changing ex-perience for them.”

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[ohio] The first issue of the 16-page El Reto Glenmary (Glenmary Challenge) will be available June 1.

This edition of the annual Spanish-language publica-tion will contain stories from the 75th-anniversary issue of Glenmary Challenge (Autumn 2014), as well as general infor-mation about Glenmary and Father Bishop and stories from the missions.

The publication will help promote Glenmary’s home mission ministry and outreach among those whose primary

P R o M o T i o n S a n D V o C a T i o n S

New magazine available June 1A variety of uses planned for annual Spanish publication

around the Missions Glenmary priests, brothers and coworkers will gather June 15-26 at the Saint John XXIII pastoral Center in Charleston, W.Va., for the community’s 16th General Chapter. During this time, members of the executive Council will be elected to four-year terms, and plan-ning for the future will take place.

members of Glenmary’s Department of Pastoral Services and Commission on Justice, in collaboration with the Congar Institute, led a three-session Latino Lead-ership program for members of the La-fayette, Tenn., mission and nearby par-ishes. The program helped participants develop skills needed for parish leader-ship roles. The third session was held in April. A follow-up session is planned.

Father Frank Schenk, at press time for this issue, was preparing to cele-brate the 60th jubilee of his ordination on may 19 and 64 years as a home missioner on may 31. But his biggest celebration of the year is coming on Nov. 8, his 100th birthday!

Brother Curt Kedley and Brother Virgil Siefker of Holy Spirit mission in Bertie County, N.C., are serving on a county residents’ planning committee to start the Feeding America Backpack program in area schools. The program helps children who already qualify for free or reduced-price meals on school days to also receive nutritious, easy-to-prepare food for weekends, provided by local food banks. For many of the children, breakfast and lunch at school are the only meals they eat during the week. The planning committee hopes that the program will start this coming fall in Bertie County, which has a pov-erty rate of almost 24 percent.

Glenmary’s coworkers who minister in home mission areas gathered for their annual retreat at maggie Valley, N.C., April 21-23. The group joined together for education, prayer, worship and fellowship.

language is Spanish. The magazine will be used

for varied purposes, includ-ing serving as a handout when Glenmary staff make presen-tations to vocation and donor groups. In addition, missioners and coworkers who minister to Spanish-speaking persons in mission communities and the larger mission areas will receive copies for distribution.

FOR MORE InFORMaTIOn: Contact Brother David Henley at [email protected] or 800-935-0975.

A Glenmary Gift Annuity can be established with a gift of cash or securities. The benefits of an annuity are many,

including providing you income for life and helping ensure that Glenmary missioners are present to share the sacraments and the gifts of the Church with those living in Mission Land, USA.

Plan For Your Financial Future and Help Build Up the

Catholic Church in Rural America

For more information about a Glenmary Gift Annuity, contact:Susan Lambert, Planned Giving Officer 800-935-0975 • [email protected]

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

Benefits include:• A significant reduction of

capital gains, if funded with securities

• A partially tax-free income• A charitable deduction


P a R T n e R S i n M i S S i o n

Glenmary donors and friends gather in St. Louis areaThanks, appreciation and education shared with supporters and other guests at regional event

[missouri] Glenmary’s St. Louis-area supporters and oth-er guests attended a gathering on Sunday, April 26, hosted by donors Pat and Carol Dorsey.

They were joined by Mike Prym, assistant development director for Glenmary, as well as the two primary presenters for the day—development director Father Don Tranel, and forma-tion director and former presi-dent Father Dan Dorsey.

Such get-togethers are held periodically in various parts of the country to thank donors for supporting Glenmary and to introduce others to the society’s home mission ministry.

The day included a Mass, light hors d’oeuvres, talks by Fa-thers Don and Dan, and a fund-ing appeal.

DOnOR GET-TOGETHER: Father Dan Dorsey (foreground), formation director and former president of Glenmary, gives a talk at a recent program in St. Louis for donors and new friends—focusing on the nature and impact of the religious society’s U.S. mission work.

The presenters linked their comments to the day’s Gospel and its image of the Good Shep-herd.

Father Don told those gath-ered that just as Jesus sought out the least, lost and last, Glen-mary ministers to the poor and neglected in U.S. mission areas. In those counties, frequently fewer than 1 percent of the peo-ple are Catholic, and the poverty rate is almost twice the national average. “Glenmary also stands as a corrective to the notion that all missions are foreign.”

He related stories about his ministry as a mission pastor, and commented that “Glenmar-ians embrace sweat equity and are good stewards of the dona-tions we receive.”

Father Dan, another veteran

pastor, borrowed a phrase from Pope Francis in saying that a Glenmary missioner “smells like his sheep”—meaning a missioner has a close relationship with all the county’s inhabitants, espe-cially the poor and the outcasts. Father Dan stressed that the key to changing people’s hearts is not dogma or doctrine but love.

“We always say that some people may not want to see you come to their county, but by the time you leave they should be sad to see you go.”

Mike says that he’s grateful to Pat and Carol Dorsey for their generosity in hosting the event. “It was an excellent opportunity to thank our donors personally for their support. And we were very happy to share Glenmary’s story with new friends.”

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V o l U n T e e R P R o G R a M l e a D e R

‘Baby boomer’ helps guide and lead student volunteersDonna Turchi skipped a midlife crisis and embarked on a journey of service and outreach

[tennessee] When Joe Grosek, director of Glenmary’s volunteer program, began hiring staff for the Joppa Mountain site, the best candidate he found to serve as the site’s first Mountain manager was

Donna Turchi—a 53-year-old “baby boomer” with a wealth of professional ex-perience working with young peo-ple and a deep desire to serve.

Under Joe’s supervision, the Mountain man-agers guide high school and col-lege-aged groups who come to serve others dur-ing a one-week, retreat-like mis-sion immersion experience. The managers help volunteers learn to live simply; understand and experience mis-sion; assist lo-

cal residents in need; and learn more about themselves, others and God.

“Donna is a superb, dynamic staff member,” Joe says. “Her life experience, ability to work independently, and talent for working with youth have been invaluable as we’ve built up the Tennessee volunteer site. She’s also bilingual and has been very good at doing outreach work with the Latino community.”

Donna says she was attracted to the job because it combined

things she loves—working with young people and participating in mission-trip and service pro-grams. “It gives me hope when I see youth immersed in doing God’s work. I’m grateful I can be of use to God and the people.” After completing her one-year commitment in January 2015, she happily accepted the invita-tion to stay another year.

Donna has spent her pro-fessional career in child care work—including 20 years at a boys’ group home in Texas, the last nine as executive direc-tor. But after raising her three daughters—always her first pri-ority—and seeing them reach adulthood and independence, she asked them if she could take a volunteer job in another place.They readily supported her idea.

Starting in 2012, she volun-teered for a year in Liberia at a Franciscan-operated orphan-age. Then, after returning to the United States, she accepted the Glenmary position.

Regarding her decision to do volunteer work, she remarks that “I don’t have a whole lot of savings. I just live knowing that if I do God’s work, God will take care of me.”

Donna sees the value of Glenmary’s program for local residents and for volunteer groups. “Vol-unteers say they got back even more than they gave, that they learned so much from the people, and that the experience changed their outlook on life,” she says. “In addition, just by our daily actions, we wit-ness to who Catholics are

Country Raffle Onlineyou can enter Glenmary’s Country raffle with a couple of clicks of your mouse! Visit www.glenmary.org/raffle and click on the link to the secure entry form. Complete and submit the online form and we’ll take care of the rest! your tick-ets will be entered in the drawing that will be held in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015.

and what we believe.” During her first year, Donna

also worked with Father Steve Pawelk, pastor of nearby mis-sions in Rutledge (Grainger County) and Maynardville (Union County), in serving needs of local Latino families.

As Donna’s first year ended, Joe and Father Steve collaborat-ed on a modified job description for her second year, which calls for her to spend about half her time coordinating a volunteer work site (primarily a Chris-tian residential group home for youth) and the other half serv-ing the Latino community.

Reflecting on her time in Ten-nessee, she says, “I love working with Glenmary, and I’m really impressed with them. Father Steve, Brother Craig (Digmann) and Brother Joe (Steen) live sim-ply, serve others every day, and love what they do. When you see people of faith doing this kind of work, it’s very reassuring.

“I’ll always be ready to help my children and parents when they need me. But I skipped my midlife crisis because God called me to serve in Liberia and now Tennessee. I’m looking forward to the future.”

COnnECTInG: Donna Turchi, Glenmary novice Charles Aketch, and children from the Rut-ledge, Tenn., mission at the 2014 Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration.

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Prayer & friendshiPBuilding Ecumenical Ties Through

FRIEnDs In PRayER: (Left photo, left to right) Gathered for the long-standing weekly prayer group session at Revival Vision Church of God, Maynardville, Tenn., are Father Steve Pawelk and Brothers Craig Digmann and Joe Steen of Blessed Teresa mission; Pastor Bryan Wheble of Revival Vision; and a church member. Each person shares intentions before the group joins hands in prayer. (Right photo, left to right) Concluding their second annual joint revival in Rutledge, Tenn., in 2015, Pastor Chandler Vinson of Rutledge Baptist Church, Father Steve, and Pastor Ryan Davenport of Rutledge United Methodist Church commission church mem-bers to go out and spread the Good News—giving each a “Lend a Hand, Lift a Heart” pin and Easter sticker.

W hen three Glenmarians arrived in East Ten-nessee’s Union and Grainger counties in late summer 2011, their foremost goal was to establish the first-ever Catholic pres-

ence in those two counties. But in the four years since, they and their diverse mission commu-nities—Blessed Teresa of Calcutta in Maynard-ville (Union) and St. John Paul II in Rutledge (Grainger)—have also built ecumenical relation-ships that have made a great difference in the meaning, growth and impact of their presence.

Ecumenism—building bridges with other Christian denominations—has always been an integral part of Glenmary’s mission ministry, says mission pastor Father Steve Pawelk. That’s because it helps missions serve others in need, overcome misconceptions about Catholics, and become valued members of the larger community.

“The ease with which this has happened, though, has been one of the biggest surprises,” Father Steve says. Neither county has an ecu-menical ministerial association. But he thinks the key has been that “we built our relationships

with other ministers and laypeople on prayer, through the power of Jesus Christ. And that has led to the blessings of not just ecumenical rela-tionships, but strong ecumenical friendships.”

There is only one Holy Spirit, he says. “We need to let that Spirit lead us to form a community of faith together.” Striking examples of this coming together include first-ever Thanksgiving ecu-menical services in Union, and enthusiastically received joint ecumenical revivals in Grainger.

Father Steve, Brother Craig Digmann and Brother Joe Steen have all contributed in a range of ways. Shortly after they arrived, they took part in their first major ecumenical event in Union County: a large march against drug and alcohol abuse followed by a prayer service. Afterwards, Brothers Craig and Joe began attending ecu-menical prayer services for the end of drug and alcohol abuse, and related intentions, every third Saturday for years.

One individual the Glenmarians met at that first event was Pastor Jim Mulkey of the Reviv-al Vision Church of God, who invited them

Glenmarians forge bonds with other ministers, churches in two Tennessee counties

By Dale Hanson


to join the weekly men’s prayer group at his church. Four years lat-er, with Pastor Bryan Wheble now leading this Pentecos-tal church, the combined group is still praying every week, and this ecumenical friendship has deepened and thrived.

Brother Joe, a master carpen-ter, also helped the Revival Vi-sion congrega-

tion with their church construction project in 2012. And when the new building was dedicated, Father Steve was asked to say a prayer over the members.

Today, Father Steve and Pastor Bryan get together periodically for a meal and conversation. “We have talked to each other’s congregations, and he invited me to speak about Catholicism to his adult learning class,” says Father Steve. “Our friendship and the friendship between our churches have been huge blessings.”

In October 2011, Pastor Ken Luton and the people of Miller’s Chapel United Methodist Church in May-nardville graciously allowed the new Blessed Teresa community to celebrate Sunday Mass in their building several times—the start of another enduring relation-ship with “many levels of fellowship,” Father Steve says.

Until 2011, Union County residents had never be-fore gathered for an ecumenical Thanksgiving service. But that year, pastors and members of Miller’s Chapel, Revival Vision and Blessed Tere-

sa mission joined together to give thanks to God. It’s now an annual tradition. In 2014—because of invita-tions extended by Brother Craig—one of the county’s Baptist ministers, some of his congregation members, and other people came for the first time.

What’s more, this Baptist minister plans to host the service in 2015. Brother Craig is optimistic that a number of other ministers and laypeople will come.

“The word of God calls for unity of the brethren. We’re celebrating our shared beliefs,” says Pastor Bryan. “Father Steve is right when he says this rela-tionship is built on prayer and friendship.”

In the summer of 2012, still another exciting an-nual event began in Union County when Blessed Te-resa mission and Miller’s Chapel began cohosting a joint Vacation Bible School.

Meanwhile, in Grainger County, Father Steve of St. John Paul II mission, Pastor Ryan Daven-port of Rutledge United Methodist Church and Pastor Chandler “Chan” Vinson of Rutledge

Baptist Church have also forged a strong, growing ecumenical relationship.

When Father Steve first arrived in the area, Pastor Ryan allowed him to hold several Catholic organiza-tional meetings in the Methodist building. And Pas-tor Chan extended his own welcome.

The three men have gotten together for conver-sation, reflection, prayer and lunch once a month ever since. “This relationship has developed into a deep, supportive friendship, built on prayer and the Spirit’s guidance. It’s also been a real blessing,” says Father Steve. “One of the first outgrowths was the ecumenical Hands of Christ Emergency Food Pantry we started to serve those in need in the county.”

The three Rutledge church communities have also worked together to collect and distribute back-to-school supplies, clothing and toys as needs and opportunities have arisen.

“We discussed how we could continue sharing our friendship experience,” Father Steve says. “Last spring we held a joint, three-night revival for our con-gregations with the theme ‘That All May Be One.’ Our people loved it so much that we had a second one this spring, ‘The Least of These.’ We think these revivals are unique and special.”

Last summer, the three churches also held a joint Vacation Bible School open to all, with a second one scheduled this summer.

According to Pastor Ryan, “Several different min-istries have grown out of our friendship and the shared goal of working for the com-mon good.”

P a s t o r Chan adds: “The prem-ise of every-thing we do together is that Jesus is bigger than our differ-ences. You can just see God at work here.”

Also in G r a i n g e r C o u n t y , G l e n m a r -ians have participated in three al-

THanks TO PaRTnER: In October 2011, Father Steve presented an appreciation plaque to Pastor Ken Luton and his Miller’s Chapel United Methodist Church members in May-nardville, Tenn., for their kindness in providing a temporary worship space for Union County’s new Cath-olic community.

ECuMEnICal PanTRy: Father Steve (second from left) helps distribute turkey breasts during the annual Thanksgiving outreach effort of the new emergency food pantry in Grainger County. He’s joined by Pastor Chan of Rutledge Bap-tist (fifth from left)—and members of the Baptist church, Rutledge United Method-ist Church, and a Glenmary mission.


ready-existing ecumenical services—Thanksgiving, Easter Sunrise, the National Day of Prayer. “During a 2011 service-planning session,” says Father Steve, “concerns about drug and alcohol addiction in the community were raised. So I helped organize a pro-gram for local ministers on this issue, which led to other gatherings.”

Father Steve and his two pastor friends in Grainger County hope other ministers and congregations will join in their team efforts.

T he one ministry all three Glenmarians share is the Revival Vision prayer group. Beyond that, each carries out his own work with an ecumenical di-mension in both counties.

According to Father Steve, Brother Craig’s “min-istry of Catholic presence” to the counties’ Christian churches is “one of a kind in Glenmary.” Since early 2012, Brother Craig has received over 140 invitations to come to area churches, has attended more than 70 so far for their services, and has visited even more.

“It seems like the right thing to do in counties that have never had a Catholic presence,” he says. “I’ve gotten to know about 100 pastors. I’ve also sung at over 30 of the services, and I’ve led prayer at about 15.” He now goes to as many as three church-es almost every Sunday. The invitations come from those he encounters in his outreach work each day. In addition, he has periodically brought in gospel music groups from other denominations to sing as part of Blessed Teresa’s weekend liturgies.

His goal is “to attend many churches to give people a taste of the Catholic presence. I just try to share my faith in a gentle way and answer questions about what Catholics believe.

“I feel a strong calling from God to do this. It cre-ates a dialog and opens the door of unity. I just have to be physically present with the people because it

gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to do the work. That’s true of my other work, too.”

His other major ministries are ones of presence, evangelization and outreach throughout the mostly non-Catholic counties. “Ecumenism and evangeli-zation are intertwined,” he says. “Barriers and mis-understandings are coming down, I have very good dialogs with people, and they’ve respected me well.”

He, fellow Glenmarians, and mission members have also volunteered at ecumenical food pantries and charitable giving efforts in both Union and Grainger counties. Brother Craig keeps in touch with pantry di-rectors and arranges to deliver food to people in need.

During these years, Brother Joe Steen has been in-volved in two primary efforts. He started a home-repair ministry through which he is helping many people in need in both counties. “We’re serving

folks from a variety of churches or without a church,” he says. “The message is that the Catholic Church cares about you and there are no strings attached. Our whole goal is to build God’s kingdom.”

Providentially, a Southern-diocese parish priest with a large inheritance has been anonymously fund-ing supply purchases for this ministry, as well as local emergency assistance. And since 2013, student vol-unteers have assisted Brother Joe on larger projects.

He also serves as a board member for the local Nar-row Ridge Earth Literacy Center. “I’m walking with other people with varied beliefs, and witnessing to how much we as a Church are concerned with some of the same issues—such as caring for and preserving God’s creation,” he adds.

Father Steve reflects that “the ecumenical friend-ships (in both counties) have borne great fruit. Who knows what the Lord will do next? This is a light that can happen in the world. We can be one

body of Christ.”

TO lEaRn MORE: Follow Father Steve’s blog at www.glenmary.org/blogs.

bIblE sCHOOls: Among the fruits of ecumenical friendships in Union and Grainger counties are two an-nual, cohosted Vacation Bible Schools for the children.

bROTHERs’ MInIsTRIEs: (Left photo) Brother Craig Digmann’s (at left) ministries include visiting many Christian churches in both counties—and attending services, singing, and leading prayer at some of them. (Right photo) Brother Joe Steen’s home-repair ministry benefits local residents regardless of church affiliation.

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Program’s participants left indelible marks on mission communities

THEn & NoW

Group Seven’s impact

1977: Gretchen Broeman, a Cin-cinnati native, moved to Georgia to serve as a full-time parish worker. She provided outreach at a local nurs-ing home and a senior citizen center. She also gave music lessons to lo-cal residents in her “free” time. The Group Seveners came to their minis-tries with diverse skills as carpenters, social workers, nurses, teachers, newspaper reporters and more. But they all shared a common goal: to serve to the best of their ability and to share the Catholic faith with all those they met.

I n 1968, Glenmary sought to respond to the Second Vatican Council’s call (in its documents) for increased lay

participation in the life and work of the Church. That response came three years later with the launch of Group Seven. This Glenmary initiative invited laypersons—single, married, families, religious—to move to mission areas in order to be present and serve. They were described in 1977 as “ordinary, diverse and willing to share part of their lives in the develop-ment of a mission parish and community.”

They accomplished this goal by sup-porting themselves in their professions and trades. The lay missioners were placed in areas, communities and missions where there was a need for their skills.

Although “Group Seveners” were re-quired to make a commitment to serve for a defined amount of time, it wasn’t unusual for them to choose to move per-manently to the mission areas.

The program disbanded in 1981. But in its 10-year history, its impact was great—on many volunteers and those they served.

1974: Tom O’Brien came to Andrews, N.C., as a member of Group Seven. Originally from Stratford, Conn., he worked in Andrews at Industrial Opportu-nities, a sheltered workshop for adults with mental and physical disabilities. Here he shows a folding lawn chair made by workshop employees.

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1977: Marielena Zuniga moved from Philadelphia to volunteer in the Hazlehurst and McRae, Ga., mission areas. Glenmary asked for a two-year commitment, and she stayed for four years. She worked as a reporter for the county newspaper but also served at a local child care cen-ter, gave diocesan retreats for youth and played the organ at the Hazlehurst mission. In retrospect, she says “it was one of the most beautiful and healing periods of my life.”

1977: Among Walter Fyler’s outreach min-istries was his work at a Baptist-sponsored Bible school for people with developmental disabilities. Walter and his fellow Group Sev-eners gathered three times a year for support, fellowship and prayer.

2015: Tom O’Brien (see 1974 photo) remained in Andrews, N.C., and has served as president of Industrial Opportunities for many years. The agen-cy continues to serve adults with disabilities living in a three-county radius. He, like many of his fel-low members of Group Seven, answered the call to serve 44 years ago and continues to do so today.

1977: Jean Lorang served as a social worker at Happy Land Child Development Center in Hazlehurst, Ga. Just as Father Bishop had instructed his missioners when he founded the society in 1939, Glenmary asked members of Group Seven to “pro-vide for the temporal and spiritual works of mercy, feeding and clothing the hungry and naked, ministering to the wounded and the sick…loving the poor and the underprivi-leged.”


Pausing to ask: What did Jesus mean when he gave the Eucharist to us?

‘Do this in memory of me’ MIssIOn sPIRITualITy / by Father Mike Langell

Editor’s Note: Periodically this space will fea-ture a spiritual reflection written by a Glen-marian or coworker. The first of these reflec-tions follows and is excerpted from a homily given by Father Mike Langell in 1982 on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This year the solemnity will be cel-ebrated on Sunday, June 7. Father Mike died in 2009, but his homilies continue to inspire.

When any group of people such as our-selves does something together for a long period of time, it is easy for us

to presume that the experience has the same meaning for us all.

I know people who go to a restaurant to-gether. For one per-son, it’s a chance to talk; for the other, it’s an opportunity to get a good meal.

The same thing happens when we do something as a faith community, such as sharing in the body and blood of the Lord. That experi-ence may not have exactly the same meaning for all of us.

Just as it is impor-tant that friends who do things together

share their common meanings and experienc-es from time to time, it’s helpful for people of the same faith to step back from their rituals from time to time and examine what is meant by the words and actions they use as they take part in those rituals.

I believe we often miss the treasures that are passed on to us because we do not take time to look. Perhaps we need to look at

what it means to us to receive the Eucharist. But even more importantly, we need to pause to ask what it meant when Jesus gave the Eu-charist to us!

What did Jesus have in mind when he took

bread at the table that night before he died and said, “Take and eat; this is my body”? (Mt 26:26) What did he mean when he pro-claimed that the cup was the cup of his blood to be shared?

Actually, on that night of the Last Supper, Jesus gave us a clue. He did not say, “Do this in order to fulfill a duty.” He did not tell us to do this to feel good. He didn’t even tell us to take and eat if we feel we deserve it.

No. He said, “Do this in memory of me.” (Lk 22:19)

Jesus taught many things to his disciples through stories, miracles and, most of all, what he did and how he lived. But you

know what? Jesus was a realist. He knew that with other values and priorities competing for our time and energies, we would easily forget the message of his Good News.

He knew that once he returned to the Fa-ther, the people who claimed to believe in him would forget the message of love that he came to bring. So he gave us a love feast by which to remember him.

It was not by accident that he chose a meal as a memorial. Nor was it by chance that he chose bread (the sign of life) and wine (the symbol of togetherness and joy).

He came that we might have life to the full-est and that we might learn how to share the good things of this life, so that in our together-ness, we could know his joy and peace.

I believe we need to continually reflect on what Jesus meant when he gave us the Eucha-rist to share. St. Paul, in his letter to the Cor-inthians, emphatically states that the actions of our lives must be consistent with our cel-ebration of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

W hat is ultimately at issue is the desire to live by Jesus’ example—“This is my commandment: love one another as

I love you.” (Jn 15:12) The reception of the Eucharist calls and challenges us to belong to one another, to be humble, and to be compas-sionate and forgiving.

May the body and blood of Christ help us to love with all our being.


All Catholics are called by the social teaching of the Church to care for and protect God’s creation. Glenmary mis-sioners, coworkers and mission mem-bers are no exception. Raising aware-ness and taking steps to lessen impact on the environment are goals in Glen-mary’s efforts to carry out good stew-ardship of creation.

By Margaret Gabriel

buIlDInG THROuGH REClaIMInG: Brother Joe Steen (top photo), a member of Glenmary’s Environmental Committee, works with volun-teers (bottom photo) on a small cabin at the Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center in Wash-burn, Tenn. The structure, built in part with reclaimed lumber and other materials, is envi-ronmentally friendly and will serve as housing for a Narrow Ridge intern.

IMPACTLESSENING

Care for God’s creation is close to the hearts of missioners and coworkers who carry out Glenmary’s mission and ministry. Often, that care is shown not so much with words as with actions.

The call to care for God’s world “is part and parcel of our faith,” says Father Neil Pezzulo. Fa-ther Neil serves as first vice president of Glen-mary’s Executive Council and as a member of the society’s Environmental Committee. The com-mittee works to help missioners, coworkers and members of mission communities become more aware of environmental concerns and take steps to minimize impact on the planet.

In addition, the committee is helping guide en-vironmentally friendly programs at Glenmary’s Headquarters and residence in Cincinnati, which include a successful recycling program and new composting and community garden projects this summer.

Catholics are taught—through the Church’s

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‘It’s about showing respect and appreciation for what God has created through the gift of nature.’

social teaching—to show respect for the Creator by their stewardship of creation. “The environment is not a commodity to be used up,” Father Neil says. “It’s important to protect and preserve an environ-ment that welcomes, one that makes it possible for all people to access land, water and food.”

For example, he travels extensively in his role as first vice president, so he drives a car that gets 46 miles per gallon of gasoline. “We make deci-sions based on our values, and you can see where a person’s heart is based on those decisions.”

Kathy O’Brien made such a decision after she arrived in Erwin, Tenn., to serve as the pas-toral associate for St. Michael the Archan-gel mission. She became aware that mission members and community residents were

concerned about the lack of available recycling options and about other environmental issues they felt were impacting their community.

In response, she called a meeting and facilitat-ed a brainstorming session for those interested— which resulted in the formation of “Keeping the Valley Beautiful,” a nonprofit group that includes both St. Michael members and people from the larger community.

“Unicoi County is known as ‘The Valley Beauti-ful,’” Kathy says, and the group wanted to live up to that description.

On a Saturday in April, in the Chestoa Recre-ation Area near Erwin, group members collected 22 bags of trash, four tires, seven bags of recy-clables and several bags of invasive plant species pulled by the roots. The project served a twofold purpose: to rid the area of garbage, and to serve as a witness to community members of the value of a trash-free environment.

The group also sponsored a presentation of The Council of the Creatures: A Musical to cele-brate Earth Day 2014, and invited Unicoi County residents to the production. The work of Nash-ville jazz musicians Tammy and Jamey Whiting, the play features seven woodland creatures who speak about the human destruction of God’s good earth and the animals’ suffering as a result.

The musical was well received by its audi-ence, which also received educational flyers that focused on proper ways to dispose of recyclable materials.

“We don’t have curbside recycling here, but we have areas where people can take their re-cyclables,” says Kathy. “These areas don’t accept everything, though, so we encourage people to take some items to the recycling center in John-son City, about 20 minutes away.”

While the group in Erwin works to keep their valley beautiful, the Glenmary Group Vol-unteer Program in Grainger County, Tenn., is planning to create an environmentally friendly structure where volunteers can

stay while participating in the mission immer-sion experience.

“We need to house more volunteers at our location on Joppa Mountain,” says Joe Grosek, manager of this volunteer program site and chair of Glenmary’s Environmental Committee. That need led to the design of an environmentally friendly structure that will have double fram-ing to allow twice the amount of insulation to be used, aiding in both heating and cooling.

Joe would also like to use LED (light-emitting diode) lighting throughout the building and will install south-facing windows in order to capture solar energy.

“I really want to build something that looks like a ‘normal’ house,” Joe says. “An environmentally friendly house doesn’t have to look like a hut.”

The building will also be practical, he says. While the initial cost of construction will be a bit higher than with a conventional approach, energy-conserving features are projected to save utility money in the long run. And the house will be more salable when it’s time for Glenmary to move on “because, after all,” says Joe, “we are a missionary society!”

Generally, Father Neil says, the people Glen-mary serves live in rural areas and are more close-ly tied to air, land and water. So, the effort to pre-serve all those natural resources is an important part of serving residents of the mission regions.

That connection between people and creation is expected to be one of the ecological issues ex-plored in Pope Francis’ encyclical (a letter sent to the entire Church) set to be released sometime in early summer. According to reports, Vatican sources say the encyclical’s main themes will be based on the duty to protect God’s creation, sus-tainable development and human ecology.

Glenmary priests, brothers and coworkers will continue working—as they have for more than 75 years—to encourage respect for the environment and sustainable practices in mission areas they serve. And they’ll contin-

ue to raise awareness of environmental injustices taking place in mission areas and beyond.

“It’s about showing respect and appreciation for what God has created through the gift of na-ture,” Kathy says, “and finding ways to lessen our impact on the world around us.”


Encounter with Glenmary was a ‘major turning point’ in Mississippi donor’s life

Helping carry out the visionPaRTnER In MIssIOn / by Dale Hanson

M ary Morrison’s long connection with Glenmary began in the 1970s, while she was serving for a year as a volun-

teer with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), the domestic equivalent of the Peace Corps.

She began attending Mass at a nearby Glen-mary mission in Virginia that year. And she formed lasting friendships with Glenmarians, as well as a belief in Glenmary’s mission and work that’s grown steadily stronger over four decades.

Mary, 69, also became a donor in the 1970s. And in 2007, in the aftermath of losing her home to Hurricane Katrina, she was moved to establish a gift annuity with Glenmary—using some of the money she had received to help rebuild the house.

born in New Orleans, she grew up in Mis-sissippi and has lived the majority of her life there. She has held a range of pro-

fessional positions as a schoolteacher, hospital chaplain and psychiatric nurse.

But as a young Catholic woman, her en-counter with Glenmary was a major turning point in her faith life. The first Glenmarian Mary met was Father Les Schmidt, who led an instructional session on community orga-nizing for her and other VISTA volunteers in Bristol, Tenn.

Around that time, when she became dis-satisfied with the church she was attending, some friends told her about Glenmary’s min-istry and recommended that she visit the soci-ety’s Sacred Heart mission in nearby Big Stone Gap, Va.

“It turned out to be the mission where Fa-ther Les lived,” says Mary. “On my first visit I met Father Bob Rademacher, who was ex-tremely hospitable and made me feel very welcome. I began attending Mass there often, and I became very good friends with both of them and mission members, as well as getting to know other Glenmarians.”

After her time in VISTA ended, she left the area but returned to Sacred Heart frequently during the 1970s and ‘80s. She witnessed its growth as a vibrant faith community that was

eventually returned to the care of the diocese. During trips, she also visited other Glenmary mission parishes.

Mary has always kept in touch with mis-sioner friends and with Glenmary. “I love the people who are part of Glenmary. I also keep close track of things through the Glenmary Challenge magazine.”

For her, what’s special about the missioners is “how they carry the Gospel and its values of love and justice to rural mission areas in our country; establish small Catho-lic missions and build them up; and reach out to all people. I’ve always really liked what they do. The more I understood their mission, the more I wanted to support them.”

When Katrina hit the Missis-sippi Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, Mary’s Long Beach home was destroyed, along with the homes of her mother and all six siblings. Thankfully, none of them were injured and they have rebounded from their devastat-ing losses.

“I later received a large in-surance settlement,” she says. “I knew I would never have as much money again, and I felt guided by the Spirit to invest in Glenmary. My annuity is the best investment I’ve ever made because I wanted to give Glen-mary as much as possible. And I receive annu-ity income regularly at times when I seem to need it most; it’s been providential.”

now in later life, Mary and her sister are serving as caregivers for their 100-year-old mother. Mary is a member of St.

Thomas Church in Long Beach, which was rebuilt after Katrina, and she has served as a eucharistic minister. She also makes Mass of-ferings to Glenmary for special intentions.

“I’m very happy because I know that, every day, I’m helping Glenmary missioners carry out (their founder) Father Bishop’s vision through their home mission work,” she says.

Mary Morrison


Spring Glenmary Challenge stories evoked memories that both inspired, saddened

Expressing thanks for ministryFInal WORDs / from our readers

articlE ‘hit homE’larry striegel’s reflection (“Glenmary Volunteer Experi-ence Left an ‘Indelible Mark,’” Spring 2015) on his Glenmary volunteer experience and the “indelible mark” it left really hit home for me.

Along with the moving re-membrance of Father Jerry Dorn by Father Aaron Wess-man, and Eddie Biehn’s de-scription of his return to the People Farm (Glenmary Farm) for its closing, the Spring Chal-lenge was a wonderful tribute to the unique personnel, tradi-tions and institutions that make Glenmary so special.

I would like to add just one more memory, that of the saintly “building brother” Ralph Riehle, whom we lost way too early. I know many ‘70s-era eastern Ken-tucky volunteers like me still shed a tear when thinking about his wide smile and even bigger heart.

He taught me about what God is like—not with words, but with his presence.

Bill GoodwinSacramento, Calif.

thaNk you for shariNgi was most inspired and also saddened by the article in the Spring 2015 issue of Glenmary Challenge titled “God Never Leaves.”

God bless you, Father Fran-cois Pellissier, for sharing your message with the incarcerated men of the immigration center in Lumpkin, Ga.

I was employed as a medical records clerk at an immigration center in Aurora, Colo., from 1990 to 1993.

One morning I arrived and

MInIsTRy TO THE InCaRCERaTED: Father Francois Pellissier’s outreach efforts in South Georgia sparked a Colorado reader’s memories.

was told to go to the women’s section to assist with translat-ing. When I arrived, I came upon three or four women with babies. The women had been apprehended at a poultry plant in Nebraska.

I was so distraught to see how they were treated by the administration and officers. The mothers had no way of car-ing for their babies’ needs. So I took what money a friend and I could gather and went to a nearby convenience store to buy diapers, formula and baby food for those loving babies.

That very day, I handed in my resignation because I was so ap-palled by the actions of the staff.

The United States is a coun-try of immigrants and we all should remember that.

Thank you, Father Francois, for your ministry and for shar-ing the story of that ministry with the Challenge readers.

May the men of the Stewart Detention Center be most grate-ful and blessed in your ministry and most compassionate out-reach.

Gloria R. BorjonDenver, Colo.

REaDERs’ vIEWs WElCOME! Send comments to: editor, Glenmary Challenge, P.o. Box 465618, Cincinnati, oH 45246. Fax: 513-874-1690. 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.


DEPaRTMEnTs

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

online contents

WHaT’s nEW

listen to Missioners via Podcasts Podcasts of 13 radio programs featuring Glenmary mission-ers and coworkers are now available. Produced by Radio Ma-ria, the programs were originally broadcast from November 2014 through February 2015. glenmary.org/radiomaria

Ways to GiveA gift of appreciated securities, including stocks or bonds, is an easy way to make a gift. glenmary.org/stocks

news and PublicationsFollow bloggers Brother David Henley and Fathers Charlie Hughes, Steve Pawelk, Aaron Wessman. glenmary.org/blogs

Glenmary Challenge Choose to have your next issue of Glenmary Challenge de-livered to you electronically. glenmary.org/getchallenge

Celebrate & Remember Friends and FamilyAs weddings, graduations, Father’s Day and other special days approach, use Glenmary’s all-occasion and Mass cards to mark the occasion. glenmary.org/cards

Radio interviews

novice’s reflection

FEaTuRE sTORy

Donor’s support Continues to Grow Joe and Betty Rensing began supporting Glenmary’s mis-sionary effort in the 1970s. Since Joe’s passing, Betty has con-tinued their legacy of giving. glenmary.org/rensing

betty Rensing

Electronic delivery

vocationsCharles Aketch offered insights into the novitiate experience as he prepared for First Oath. glenmary.org/novitiate-journey

w w w.glenmary.org

Celebrate & Remember

Commission on JusticeFind a variety of social justice and ecological resources as well as links to helpful Web sites. glenmary.org/coj

Catholic M

issioners to Rural A

merica

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

NoNproFIT orGANIZATIoN

U.S. postage pAID

Glenmary Home missioners

at press time for this issue, Glenmary’s permanent membership was about to grow in number on May 23, when Brother Jason Muhlen-kamp and Brother Levis Kuwa were set to take their Final Oaths.

Above in 2012, then brothers-in-training Jason and Levis (second row, third and fourth from left) gathered with their fellow Glenmary brothers. The vocation department is now getting ready to welcome new students into formation this fall. They will join the eight men currently preparing for missionary brotherhood and priesthood. Full coverage of Final Oath and First Oath ceremonies will appear in the Autumn Glenmary Challenge.

GlEnMaRy GlimpSe / Final Oaths of two brothers

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Challenge Summer 2015

Documents