When Glenmarians come to a new town or county, they bring Jesus with them in a way that part of the country has likely never known. They bring him in the Eucharist.
It’s important to remember that God is already present in the areas where Glenmary ministers. God is acting in the lives of each of his children, his word is being proclaimed in dozens of churches and good deeds are being done already by others in God’s name. Glenmary priests and brothers will also work with many of these people, proclaim the Word and help the poor, but they do so empowered by Christ in the Eucharist.
“When I walk in other churches, for me personally, there’s always something missing,” says Glenmary Brother Joe Steen. “Folks have the scriptures and God is very present there . . . but it’s the sense of this God who became so incarnated. That’s one thing about Catholicism: We’re a very incarnational religion.
“The world is not bad, materials are not bad, our bodies are not bad. This is all a creation of God,” Steen adds. “This little material thing, this little flat piece of bread, that’s us being all raised up to God. Hopefully people can see that in one another, and despite that we’re sinners see it in us too.”
Glenmary First Vice President Father Aaron Wessman often reflects on how the Eucharist unites across geographical bounds.
“When I think about the Eucharist I think of the presence of God intimately in my life and the lives of all people,” he says. “If I go to the shores of east Africa or the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico, or to the rolling fields of rural America, I know that in the Eucharist in a tabernacle in a chapel or a church, Christ is there present to me and to all people. Along with this theme of the presence of God in the Eucharist, there is also an invitation. It’s an invitation to me to share the gift of the Eucharist with other people.”
One goal as missioners bringing Christ to small towns or to rural America is to make Jesus known and loved. Through Catholic nurture and evangelization many are introduced to the incarnational Jesus fully present in the Eucharist. In turn, they may become champions for the Eucharist as well.
Glenmary’s Director of Development Chris Phelps didn’t grow up in Glenmary mission territory, but she is one such champion.
“The Eucharist means everything to me,” she says. “What an awesome gift that Jesus is present to us and comes to us individually in the Eucharist at Mass and during intimate moments at adoration. Knowing Jesus in this way allows me to trust him and to find him in others. I really couldn’t live without it.”
With Glenmary’s continued effort and God’s grace, more and more people will come to feel the same.
—John Stegeman