Five home missioners mark 50 and 25 years since First Oath

Golden Jubilarians

Father Gus: In Hayesville, N.C.

Father Gus Guppenberger, 73, wanted to be an engineer when he was a young man. But he changed his mind after a priest told him “There’s a way of building bridges between heaven and earth.” And that’s exactly what he has been doing in his years as a Glenmary missioner.

Known for his outgoing nature and sense of humor—and his white beard—Father Gus was known to portray Santa Claus in several missions he served. A native of Batavia, N.Y., he joined Glenmary in 1954, took his First Oath in 1957 and was ordained in 1961.

He served as associate pastor of missions in Dahlonega and Statesboro, Ga., and Jefferson, Texas. He pastored missions in Franklin, Ky., Andrews, N.C., and Waynesboro, Ga., and offered fill-in help at missions in South Georgia. He returned to Glenmary Headquarters in 1990 to work in the Mission Office. For many years, Father Gus held the record for giving the most mission appeals of any missioner.

As a senior member living in Cincinnati, Father Gus still gives appeals throughout the year but also mixes in time for personal travel.

Father Richard: In Jefferson, N.C.

Father Richard Kreimer, 69, began his home mission ministry in the kitchen. After joining Glenmary in 1955 as a brother, the Cincinnati native was assigned to Glenmary’s novitiate house in Aurora, Ind., as cook and prefect. He then moved on to Buck Creek, N.C., as cook and maintenance man at Buck Creek Lodge which was used by Glenmary as a summer camp for poor children and for various Glenmary meetings.

He eventually returned to Cincinnati to run the kitchen at Glenmary Headquarters where his cooking became legendary.

He left the kitchen behind when he began study for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1979 and assigned as associate pastor and then pastor of the mission in Jefferson, N.C. In 1983, he became the associate director of Glenmary’s Mission Office. He returned to the missions in 1992 as the pastor of missions in Southwest Ohio. He moved back to Cincinnati and the Mission Office in 1994, remaining there until taking senior membership in 2002. Currently, Father Richard lives in Cincinnati.

Father les: Novitiate in Aurora, Ind.

Father Les Schmidt, 73, has been a leader in social justice throughout his years of home mission ministry. He has lived and worked in the Appalachian region for over 40 years and currently works as a regional worker based in Big Stone Gap, Va. A product of a Glenmary mission in West Union, Ohio, Father Les took his First Oath in 1957 and was ordained in 1961.

Following ordination, Father Les was assigned as associate pastor of the Norton, Va., mission. He also served as associate pastor in Appalachia and Gate City, Va., before moving to New York to pursue a masters degree in sociology. He returned to the Virginia missions in 1970 and has never left, except for a few temporary assignments lasting less than a year.

Over the years he has helped organize the Catholic Committee of Appalachia and revitalize the Catholic Committee of the South. He also played a key role in the creation of two pastoral letters from the bishops of Appalachia: This Land Is Home to Me and At Home In the Web of Life as well as in Voices and Choices, a pastoral of the Catholic bishops of the South focusing on the poultry industry. In 2002, Father Les received the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan Award for his work in the Appalachian region. He continues his justice work today addressing the escalation of for-profit prisons in Appalachia.

Silver Jubilarians

Father Tom: Center, in formation in Cincinnati.

Father Tom Kirkendoll, 50, knew as a high school student that he wanted to do mission work but he didn’t want to go overseas. A guidance counselor at his Milwaukee high school put him in contact with Glenmary and the rest, as they say, is history.

The son of Baptist parents, Father Tom entered Glenmary in 1977, took his First Oath in 1982 and was ordained as a Glenmary priest in 1987.

After his ordination, Father Tom was assigned as the associate pastor in Claxton, Ga. He returned to Cincinnati to work as a vocation counselor, an assignment the energetic young priest took to readily. His affable personality was a draw among young people he spoke with. It was through his efforts that the Mission Awareness Program for high school boys was reinstituted within Glenmary.

Father Tom received his first pastorate in 1992 at Holy Redeemer in McRae, Ga. In 1997, he was seriously injured in a car accident and his recovery required years of intense physical therapy.

He returned to the missions in 2000 serving in Kentucky and West Virginia. Today, he serves as the associate novitiate director at Glenmary’s Novitiate House in Maple Mount, Ky., where he works with the first-year novices. He also offers fill-in help at Glenmary missions and works with Marriage Encounter.

Father Brian: A pastor in South Georgia.

Father Brian LaBurt, 55, credits his family, hometown friends and those he came to know during visits to Glenmary missions for nurturing his vocation to the priesthood. The accomplished organist was attracted to Glenmary’s home mission ministry because of his desire to work in Appalachia. Father Brian, a native of Tuxedo, N.Y., joined Glenmary in 1980, took his First Oath in 1982 and was ordained in 1986.

After ordination he was assigned to Blairsville, Ga., as associate pastor. He moved on to West Union, Ohio, and Shelbyville, Tenn., before being assigned his first pastorate in Swainsboro, Ga., in 1990.

As the Spanish-speaking population grew in South Georgia—and in Father Brian’s missions—he chose to begin learning Spanish. He took part in a program offered by the Mexican-American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas, in 1990 and 1993 and has become fluent in the language. His ministry in Swainsboro, Waynesboro and Claxton, Ga., focused on ministering to both Anglo and Spanish-speaking communities.

Father Brian is currently on a period of renewal and is awaiting a new assignment.