The story behind Glenmary’s 200th perpetual profession reveals the heart of missioner life. By Laney Blevins

Dark clouds hovered over Glenmary headquarters as Glenmarians, family members, and friends gathered for an outdoor celebration. It rained the day before, soaking the grassy grounds. The forecast called for more thunderstorms, but the rain never came.
Instead, beneath an overcast sky that seemed determined to break open at any moment, there was laughter, embraces, and gratitude as Brother Jude Smith became the 200th Glenmarian to profess perpetual vows to the Glenmary way of life.

It was a milestone decades in the making, not simply because of one man’s vocation, but because it represented the enduring mission of the Glenmary Home Missioners. Two hundred men have now made a lifelong commitment to serving some of the most forgotten places in rural America, carrying forward the vision of Father William Howard Bishop since 1939.
For Glenmary President Father Dan Dorsey, the milestone is worth celebrating — not because of the number itself, but because of what it represents.
“It’s a very unique missionary effort,” Father Dan says. “It’s a very challenging missionary effort. It’s a very rewarding missionary effort.”
Two hundred Glenmarians have answered the call since Glenmary’s founding. Some served for decades before entering eternal life. Others discerned that God was leading them elsewhere. Every vocation has helped shape the society’s story.
But when Brother Jude thinks about becoming Glenmary’s 200th member, he doesn’t think about numbers.
“I don’t think of 200,” he says. “I think of hundreds, if not thousands, of years — the hours, the service, and the lives that have been changed.”
In many ways, that is the story of Glenmary.

The Mission Hasn’t Changed

Father Dan has watched Glenmary evolve over the years. The rural communities Glenmary serves have changed dramatically. Many mission areas now include large Spanish-speaking populations. Missioners minister in multiple languages, accompany immigrant families, and respond to challenges that didn’t exist when Glenmary was founded 87 years ago.
“Our ministry has changed,” Father Dan says. “Our mission hasn’t.” That mission remains remarkably focused: bringing Christ’s love to rural communities that are often overlooked, underserved, or forgotten. “Our mission is always very clear,” Father Dan adds. “You’re there to serve everyone.”
Not just Catholics. Not just people who attend Mass. Everyone.

What Mission Looks Like

Sometimes that mission looks surprisingly ordinary. One day while walking through Cuthbert, Georgia, Brother Jude met Martha Coffin.
An Episcopalian with a deep love for serving others, Martha makes palm crosses each year for a local Methodist church. She enjoys talking about faith with Brother Jude and Sister Imelda Ngwitu, and welcomes people from many different Christian traditions into her life.
Over time, an unexpected friendship grew. Brother Jude and Sister Imelda stop by to visit, help around the house, or drive Martha to visit friends. Looking back, Martha sees God’s hand in the relationship.
“God just knows how to put certain people in your life,” she says. “They’ve just become sort of part of my family.”
There are no dramatic headlines in Martha’s story, just friendship. Yet relationships like these are exactly what Glenmary has been building for generations.

Presence Before Programs

Ask Brother Jude what missioner life looks like, and he doesn’t begin by listing projects or accomplishments. Instead, he talks about people. He speaks of visiting homes, accompanying families through difficult seasons, helping someone pay a utility bill, connecting neighbors with resources, and simply listening when someone needs to know they are not alone.
He compares much of the work to the ministry of St. Vincent de Paul: not simply offering temporary assistance, but walking with people long enough to understand the deeper challenges they face. That kind of ministry begins with presence.
Years ago, while walking through New Orleans on a hot day, Brother Jude noticed a group of Christians handing out bottles of cold water. There were no loudspeakers. No condemnation. Just a bottle of water and a reminder that Jesus loves you. He has never forgotten it. For him, that simple act captures something essential about evangelization.
“We do things, I think, without judgment,” he said. “With grace and mercy.”
Those two words surfaced repeatedly as he reflected on his own formation. Brother Jude speaks openly about the grace he received from fellow Glenmarians during difficult moments and how that experience now shapes the way he ministers to others.
“The grace and mercy that was bestowed upon me,” he says, “shows me what I need to give to other people.”

A Different Kind of Calling

Brother Jude’s path to Glenmary was anything but direct. He explored several religious communities before discovering Glenmary through an online vocation network. At first, he imagined becoming a foreign missionary. Instead, he found himself called to mission in rural America.
What surprised him most wasn’t where Glenmary serves; it was how Glenmary serves. During one of his earliest mission assignments, he expected someone to hand him a list of responsibilities.
Instead, fellow Glenmarian Brother Joe Steen asked him a question: “What do you want to do?”
That invitation to discover and develop his own gifts transformed the way he understood religious life. Today, Brother Jude’s ministry includes advocacy, prison ministry, pastoral care, and health and wellness coaching — each flowing from the unique gifts God has placed within him.
“I don’t feel like I’m going to work,” he says, with a smile. “I feel like I get to play today.”
It’s an unusual description of missioner life, but one that reflects the joy he has found in serving others.

Looking Ahead

As Glenmary celebrates its 200th perpetual profession, Father Dan hopes the milestone inspires others to consider where God may be calling them. “My hope is that there are future generations,” he says.
Brother Jude shares that hope. He wants others to discover what he has found: a missionary community rooted in prayer, shaped by grace, and committed to serving wherever the need is greatest.
“I hope they know this is a joyful life,” he says. “I hope they find their joy in ministry like I’ve found mine.”
The significance of Glenmary’s 200th consecrated member will never be measured simply by a number. It will be measured in friendships like the one Brother Jude shares with Martha Coffin. It will be measured in neighbors who know someone will show up when they need help. It will be measured in forgotten communities that discover they have not been forgotten after all.
For nearly a century, Glenmary has carried Christ’s presence into places many others pass by. Brother Jude’s perpetual profession is not the end of that story. It is simply the next chapter.