Glenmary’s founder, Father William Howard Bishop, was fond of maps. He had worked selling Rand McNally maps as a summer job during his college years, and, years later, used maps to persuade people of the need for Glenmary. His “No Priest-Land” map told the story of pastoral need in the United States. Many other maps followed, including the decennial Church Membership Study, used across denominations. So when we wanted to tell our story to the tens of thousands from across the nation who gathered in Indianapolis for July’s Eucharistic Congress, what do you think we did? Of course, we made a map–a huge one.
This map was 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide, on the back wall our exhibit booth. We asked Congress participants who walked by to stop a minute and place a pin in the map where THEY celebrate the Eucharist. While they were doing so, they couldn’t help but notice the counties where there is no access to the Catholic Eucharist. That is where Glenmary serves. On the map—seen on this page—red counties have no established Catholic presence; those outlined in black are places where Glenmary has established Catholic churches. Once again, in the spirit of our founder, a map helps tell the story. Zoom in with your browser and take a closer look.
Brother David Henley helps a few young visitors locate their home counties on the mission map. Notice thousands of pins!
Two sisters obviously live and work in South Texas. They were part of a vast stream of visitors who filled the map with pins.