The following story first appeared in the Spring 2004 Glenmary Challenge.
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Choosing to Be Catholic
As Easter approaches, four members of Glenmary's St. Matthew Church in Ripley, Miss., reflect on their faith journeys to Catholicism and how this little mission was—and still is— at the center of their journeys.
By Jean Bach

Faith Journeys: Mark Roberson, Flo Bennett and Rick Hill, from left, along with James Polk (not pictured) have taken different faith journeys which continue at Glenmary's mission in Ripley, Miss.

In the seven-year history of Glenmary’s mission in Ripley, Miss., four adults have entered or are in the process of entering the Catholic Church. In most U.S. parishes, those would not be exceptional statistics. But in Tippah County, those numbers are amazing.

Before pastoral coordinator Polly Duncan-Collum first called together this faith community in 1997, there were 15 known Catholics from Tippah County attending a Glenmary mission in a neighboring county.

Today, of the 47,000 registered Catholics in the Diocese of Jackson, only 276 live in Tippah County; 120 of those are members of the Tippah County Catholic Church, known today as St. Matthew Catholic Church.

James Polk, Rick Hill, Mark Roberson and Flo Bennett have taken very different roads on their faith journeys. But all agree that it was the presence of this small mission church and the work and ministry of this faith community in the county that profoundly affected their decision to inquire about the Catholic faith.

“We’re seen as a church that proclaims the Good News of Christ and reaches out to all people no matter their race, faith tradition, economic status,” says Sister Kate Regan, pastoral coordinator of the mission since 2000.

New members and those who are in the process of becoming new members, she says, are the “heartbeat of the community, each bringing their own special gifts.” As Easter approaches, these four new members reflect on how they realized God’s plan for their lives through the community of St. Matthew.

Living His Faith Every Day
James Polk’s First Communion candle is displayed prominently on a shelf in his kitchen. He sees it every day and it’s a reminder of God’s presence in his life and of his Catholic faith. But James doesn’t need reminders. His faith is part of all that he does, whether it’s teaching at an alternative school for troubled youth or serving as music minister at St. Matthew or checking up on someone in the community whom he hasn’t seen for a while.

Tired of city life in Los Angeles, James, now 70, moved to Ripley 20 years ago after a visit with his aunt, Allyne Clarke, a devout Catholic who was one of the early enthusiasts for establishing a Catholic community in Tippah County.

He grew up Pentecostal but says he somehow knew he “wanted to be Catholic.” But it took his aunt’s death and the formation of a local Catholic community in Tippah County to make him realize God’s plan for him. He started attending Mass and soon began preparation for entry into the Church. He was fully initiated in 2000.

“The people of St. Matthew are amazing,” he says. “You never knew there could be so much love, and the fellowship is fantastic.”

He knows that firsthand. In December of last year, he became very ill and says he “saw angels three times” while in the hospital. Throughout his ordeal, the members of St. Matthew were there for him. The line was so long to visit him in the ICU, many of the visitors couldn’t get in to see him.

But being Catholic means much more to him than the fellowship. On a personal level, it means having an “identification you can recognize.”

“Living my faith every day causes people to wonder,” he says. “Then that gives me the opportunity to explain and clarify many of the misunderstandings and myths that abound about Catholicism in the county.”

Today, James’s health is much better. He’s back to teaching and has resumed his role as music minister at the parish. He regrets that his illness forced him to miss the Christmas debut of the mission’s Hispanic choir, which he formed. They sang “Go Tell It on the Mountain” in English after being taught the words and music by James. The reviews were very positive.

“My dream is to have a choir like Whoopi Goldberg had in Sister Act,” he laughs.

Finding ‘The Rest’
There are many things that attracted Rick Hill, 46, to the Catholic Church, especially the Eucharist. “While the Methodist tradition holds Eucharist as very holy, I always sensed there was more there, but it couldn’t be explained through Methodist theology,” he says. “I found ‘the rest’ in Catholic theology.”

He met Polly Duncan-Collum and her family at a social event, and they became friends. “They invited me to come to the church for a visit and, after a while, I did.”

That visit, the Texas native says, was the spark to his interest in Catholicism and led to his entry into the Church six years ago.

“The first time I stepped into the ‘church’ (at that time, the community met in a hotel room), I saw a lot of diversity. There were African Americans, Filipinos, Hispanics, a ‘sampling of Yankees’ and natives. For such a small group, that was pretty remarkable,” he remembers. “And very appealing.”

Rick’s wife, Bonnie, remains Methodist. Although that causes no conflict, he admits there is a certain loneliness in not being able to share Sunday worship with her each week. “But,” he laughs, “she works for Sister Kate in the parish office so there is a lot of commonality.”

The church in Ripley is integrated into the community, he says. And that’s important in an area were Catholicism isn’t always understood. “In my job (with the local Health Department) and in social circles, it will come up that I’m Catholic and eyebrows will be raised. That’s a wonderful opportunity to answer questions and dispel myths.”

But one of the most powerful ways he has “been Catholic to the greater community” happened a couple years ago when St. Matthew joined with a local African-American church for a death penalty prayer vigil which coincided with the execution of an inmate. “It was a beautiful experience to share solidarity with other Christians in our county as well as with the man, his family and, of course, the victim’s family.”

He serves as eucharistic minister, is a member of the RCIA team and, like the rest of the Catholic community, volunteers for fundraisers and any other event at the church.

“I chose to be Catholic and I have never regretted it,” he says.

Not a Numbers Game
It took Mark Roberson 26 years to make his decision to join the Church. That’s how long he’s been with his wife.

“My wife and her entire family are from Guatemala and are devout Catholics,” says the Belize native. “It just took me a little while to catch on.”

Mark, 46, entered the Catholic Church last Easter. A consultant for a local saw mill company, he came to Ripley for a temporary job which has lasted four years! He now divides his time between his home in Orlando, Fla., and Ripley, so he gets to experience two extremes of Church.

“Our parish in Orlando has over 5,000 families,” he says. Because of the huge population, there isn’t much chance of getting to know the priests or other ministers, let alone other members of the congregation.

“The whole beauty of St. Matthew is that it is a mission. It’s not about a numbers game or feeling like a number when I attend Mass. It’s more personal and intimate. I know everyone at Mass and they know me.”

It’s that intimacy that attracted him to the mission and ultimately helped the former U. S. Marine decide to join the Church.

Sister Kate says he donates much of his time to the Church since his family lives in Orlando. He acted as the contractor for the remodeling of the mission’s current worship space, is part of the RCIA team, is a lector and taught Spanish classes at the church for two years. The Spanish classes were an opportunity to help those who work with the ever-growing local Hispanic population learn Spanish.

In retrospect, the classes were a way to bring people of the county through the doors of the church. Many who attended the classes never would have visited otherwise. “Following the classes, we’d offer a 50-cent tour and explain things. It was a chance for education and clarification,” he says.

For as long as his job allows, he will remain an active member of the mission, continuing to donate his time and energy. “It’s a really wonderful community and I feel very blessed to be part of it,” he says.

A Journey in Process
Flo Bennett, 67, a native of Tippah County, was one of those who took the 50-cent tour after a Spanish class. At the time, she says, she was in search of a place where “I could connect with my spiritual self.” She couldn’t find a home and thought the Catholic Church might be the answer.

She later met Rick Hill and he invited her to attend a service. “I’d heard a lot of hard stories about Catholics throughout my life,” she says, “so I decided to see for myself what it was all about.” She did and she liked it. She is currently part of the mission’s RCIA program, which is led by Sister Kate, Rick Hill and Mark Roberson.

As a native, she says, she has seen how the little mission “has done so much for the community—and that really attracted me.”

“I’d pass by the church and there was a voice inside me that kept prodding me to ask some questions and attend a service,” she remembers.

“My journey is in process,” she says. Because of health problems, that journey has been delayed, but she is looking forward to the day when she is fully initiated into the Church. “Although I already consider it my home church,” she says.

And the members of the community feel the same. During a recent illness, her son, who lives out of town, was worried about her because she lives alone.

“I told him that all I have to do is pick up the phone and there will be someone here to help me if I need it,” she says.

“After all, isn’t that what being a community of God is all about?”