In a county where Catholics represent less than 1% of the population, Brother Craig Digmann fosters unity through “ecumenical evangelization.” Text and photos by Omar Cabrera

Brother Craig Digmann was taking one of his usual bicycle rides in the small town of Plymouth, North Carolina, when he recognized a young man washing his car in his driveway. Sitting at the front porch of the house were two women: the boy’s cousin, Cornese Debrew, and her elderly mother. Brother Craig stopped to greet them, as he often does with people around town. Just like that, it marked the beginning of a friendship the two women and the boy cherish to this day.

After Brother Craig left, Cornese recalls, “I asked my cousin ‘How do you know him?’ He said that one day he and some friends were playing at the basketball court and it was hot in the summer, and he said Brother Craig came with his bike and he brought them cold bottles of water.”

Those small acts of generosity, when intentionally repeated, can go a long way, the Glenmary Brother says. “If you see a person at their church on Sunday, that’s great. But, if you see them at the post office, then at the grocery store, then sitting at a basketball game with them, those multiple places make the relationship much deeper.”

Brother Craig serves in Washington County reaching out mainly to non-Catholics to foster unity among people regardless of their religious affiliation, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, or any other difference. He ties all he does to the “Great Commission that Jesus left to us, his disciples: to go preach the Gospel to all nations.” He calls his ministry “ecumenical evangelization.”

A friend at school

Three days a week, Brother Craig begins his day greeting students at the Washington County school. “I give a lot of fist bumps,” the Glenmarian says.

“He meets and greets students as they come in, with a warm smile. Sometimes, he would say ‘Oh, you had a good game last night!’” says Denise Harris, career development coordinator for Washington County Schools.

Brother Craig is able to connect with students in this way because he also attends their basketball and baseball games. That presence is especially important given that “some students may not have any parental support there because their parents may be absent in their family, or may be at work,” Denise adds.

Glenmary also supports students at Washington County with scholarships for seniors who are starting college. Brother Craig, along with a committee, chooses the winners from a pool of applicants, based on economic need and the desire and commitment to continue their education. An anonymous and generous Glenmary donor has made these grants possible for the past two years. This summer, two $1,000 scholarships and two $500 scholarships will go directly to the students’ colleges to help with tuition.

Work for Christian unity

Brother Craig also strives to foster unity among Christians from different denominations. On weekends, he visits non-Catholic churches, oftentimes by invitation, and other times, taking the initiative to reach out to those groups.

Denise, the school official, explains that she also serves as a youth minister and participates in an initiative called Faith and Blue, which strives to build bridges by connecting law enforcement, faith leaders, and the community. “We visit different churches often, and I’ve seen him (Brother Craig) at different churches.”

Brother Craig says that sometimes he even gets invited to preach and to sing at Protestant churches. This is not an easy task, adds Father Aaron Wessman, Glenmary’s first vice president. “As a Catholic who deeply loves the Mass, what he encounters is not his usual style of worship. The hymns are different, the sermons are usually longer [. . .] But Digmann bows his head, listens attentively, and sings,” writes Father Aaron in his book The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World.

Glenmary serves in counties where Catholics are a minority. “Less than 1 percent,” Brother Craig says. “Do we just ignore the other 99 percent in the county? No! We go to the lost and forgotten.”

As for the two women that Brother Craig Digmann met at the front porch, they enjoy his visits. “My mother is 82. When she sees Brother Craig, she gets happy and she says ‘Oh, here comes my friend on the bike!’” Cornese says. “He’s a wonderful asset to our community and to our children especially, because he really loves our children.”

“Mission means to go out, to go forth. And that’s what the Lord has called me to do,” the Glenmarian says.