Glenmary Father Chet Artyciewicz offers the Eucharist to young parishioners at the dedication of the just-built St. Teresa of Kolkata church in Maynardville, Tenn.
October is Mission Awareness Month. It’s an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the source of our charism.
In the time of founder Father William Howard Bishop, Glenmary’s charism, our particular gift of the Holy Spirit, was already evolving. Seeking converts was a key goal for Father Bishop in the 1940s, but his vision grew. Eventually he came to see that all people of a mission county, whether they ever become Catholic, are a missioner’s responsibility. As Glenmarians say today, “The whole county is our parish.”
“In the beginning [Father Bishop] was like any traditional missionary,” says Father Steve Pawelk, Glenmary’s Second Vice President. “He was going to convert the world. He’s going to go in there, build a church, build a school…
“[Later], he said we need to adopt all the people in the county as our own,” Father Steve says. “So, the dominant idea of Father Bishop was the moral uplift, that some people would become Catholic, but that we were there to do moral uplift, to spread Catholicity and Catholic principles in a way that made the kingdom of God more present.”
Father Bishop founded Glenmary in 1939, 23 years before the the Second Vatican Council and 74 years before Pope Francis articulated the notion that “every Christian is a missionary” (Evangelii Gaudium). While Father Bishop wouldn’t have used the same language, he built Glenmary to include all forms of Catholic missionary life.
“In his original letter, he says missionaries should include priests, brothers, sisters, and eventually, lay people,” explains Father Steve. “So, from the very beginning of his mission, he saw a role for lay people. He saw lay people as part of the mission effort. Anyone who was able could find their role to help promote the Gospel.”
Glenmary has been a pioneer in using lay people to foster its mission. Today, Glenmary’s mission in Overton County, Tenn., is overseen by Lorenzo Aju, a layman, who is at the earliest stages of developing a parish. Most Glenmary missions rely on lay coordinators and team members. Glenmary national staff like Director of Ecumenism Nathan Smith, Director of Evangelization Lawain McNeil and Director of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Polly Duncan Collum are all laypeople. All three are making an impact on the national Catholic scene. Smith’s work building Christian unity has even been affirmed by Vatican officials.
“It’s very unusual for a community like Glenmary of fewer than 60 people to have its ministry on the national level to go all the way to the level of the Vatican (in terms of at least knowledge of what we are doing),” Father Steve says. “Leadership is about allowing the Spirit to move in the talents that are there. Whether those talents be missioners in the field, or laypeople with great talent hired to do a national ministry.”
This story first appeared in Glenmary’s Cultivate newsletter.