This article originally appeared in the April 2006 Boost-A-Month Club Newsletter
Father Vic Shares His Zest for the Missions
Glenmary’s formation program is thriving at the Glenmary House of Studies in Hartford, Ky., under the leadership of Father Vic Subb. Seven men are currently enrolled in the prenovitiate program, including men from Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico and the United States. And Brother David Henley, in the postnovitiate program, is living in Hartford while he finishes his college degree. Brother Tom Sheehy joined the program in January as assistant director, bringing the number living in the house to 10.
Before his assignment as Director of Glenmary’s House of Studies, Father Vic spent more than five years in Glenmary missions in South Georgia and 12 in Arkansas. Although he misses being a mission pastor, he is enjoying living with men who are in the process of discerning their vocation as missionaries.
The seven men in the prenovitiate have lived together in Hartford for seven months. Life in the large house close to the center of this small town in western Kentucky has settled into a rhythm of study, prayer and service. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the men attend classes at Brescia University, a Catholic college in Owensboro, about 30 miles away. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they are involved in apostolic works—visiting the elderly, mentoring students in schools and working with clients in a sheltered workshop.
People in Ohio County, a former Glenmary mission area, know the House of Studies is a place they can go for help. This is especially true of the Hispanic community, says Father Vic. After his years of service to Hispanics in Georgia and Arkansas, he is comfortable in Spanish—as is Brother Dave. And Chris Gutierrez, one the seven prenovices in the house, is a native Spanish-speaker. They frequently receive calls from people in the Hispanic community in need of translation services.
“We speak Spanish in the house a lot,” says Father Vic, in order to give the non-Spanish-speakers experience with conversation. “The guys like to go to the Spanish Mass at the former Glenmary mission in Beaver Dam where they meet people in the Hispanic community, and they also get to know people through their ministries.”
The House of Studies is a cultural medley with men from Midwestern states, two African countries and Mexico. (And the men from Africa have differences in their cultural backgrounds because some are from rural areas and others are from more urban settings.) “We all learn from each other and it takes a lot of understanding,” Father Vic says.
There are also different personality types present in the house. That’s why the students, Father Vic and Brother Tom are all taking part in a Lenten program on personality types. “We’ve found that we have a lot of introverts in the house,” Father Vic says. “I’m more of an extrovert, so I’ve learned that I need to be more patient with introverts, who take more time to think before they give answers!”
Another part of Father Vic’s job is to participate in the interview process for men applying to Glenmary. He anticipates next year’s prenovitiate class will be even larger than this year’s seven! When he interviews a prospective student, he says he “looks for guys who love the Church, are good-hearted and willing to serve the community.”
That is a perfect description of Father Vic: good-hearted, willing to serve and a person who loves the Church. A native of Philadelphia, he was considering priesthood as a student at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md.
“That’s where I discovered a love for rural ministry and Glenmary—which really suits me,” he says. “To be a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia would have overwhelmed me. It’s just too big!” After discerning his vocation and working for four years in a program with handicapped adults, he joined Glenmary in 1978 and was ordained in 1987.
Father Vic says he misses being in the missions. But, he says he “stays busy when the guys in the house are in classes by working in the community.” He mentors students at Beaver Dam Middle School, recently helped a lady whose basement was flooded after a big rain, and assists Hispanics trying to find work. “The Hispanic community knows they have allies in the house,” he says.
At the end of the academic year, Father Vic and his seven prenovices will do some traveling through Glenmary’s missions before the students move on to the Glenmary novitiate in Maple Mount, Ky. During the summer months, Father Vic will also take some classes in formation work to help him prepare for the in-coming prenovitiate class.
His favorite times in the Glenmary House of Studies are those unstructured times of day-to-day living. “I like when we can share our uniqueness, when we’re sitting around the table for an hour or two, enjoying each other’s company,” he says. “I think it’s important to have a joyful house,” Father Vic says.
Father Vic believes his love for service and his flexible nature well suits him for formation ministry. “But nobody aspires to have a job in formation,” he emphasizes. Glenmary men all want to be in the missions! “But I took this job,” he says, “because I think I can share my zest and joy for the missions!”
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