Since 1939, Glenmary Home Missioners has been planting seeds of Catholicism in areas of the United States that once had no Catholic presence. The seed starts small: mass in someone’s home or perhaps a rented storefront. But, with time, it might just grow into building a church and establishing a flourishing parish.
When it comes to the Catholic Church, Glenmary President Father Dan Dorsey says the dogmas and doctrines are wonderful, the very backbone of what Catholicism is all about. “But the thing that convinces people, the thing that wins over people, the thing that impresses or changes hearts,” he says, “is that of love.”
Going into these areas to love and serve people, regardless of who they are, is what Glenmary is all about. And what better symbol of love is there than the Catholic Eucharist?
“So, the first thing we do is that we go and break bread,” says Father Kenn Wandera.
The Gift of Love
The Eucharist is the center of it all, a gift connecting us to God and to one another. “I receive this gift, this very special, unique gift,” says Brother Joe Steen. “And every gift from God I have to share. It’s never more if I keep it. I don’t have it. It’s lost. I can’t keep anything that God has given me.” To share the gift of the Eucharist is to share love, to nurture the seeds that have been sown in the communities Glenmary serves.
Although the Eucharist has a personal meaning for everybody, Father Steve Pawelk says the Eucharist has power way beyond his personal kinship with it. When he offers Mass as a priest in the county he is serving, he is bringing the lives of every person in the county to the altar. Those who have suffered illness or hardship, made mistakes, struggle through life, or maybe even are not part of any church are on the altar. When he offers the host, he envisions those people and offers them to Jesus.
“The Eucharist is not just about my personal experience, but I’m transforming a county through the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit by offering the Eucharist,” says Father Steve. “It is the gift of God that they receive from the Glenmary priests who are there.”
Comfort Through Hardship
For many, the Eucharist provides a sense of comfort through hardship, acting as a powerful reminder of faith. Father Aaron Wessman recalls a period when he was struggling but felt drawn to a space where he could sit in the presence of the Eucharist. “I think my faith became more animated,” he says. “And I think that God, through ways that only God can know, helped me in those moments.”
Recalling these moments is profound, given the hardship and sadness, struggles, and sufferings many people in the communities Glenmary serves come to face. “I actually feel deep inside that I am providing them with a nourishment and with something they cannot receive in any other place,” says Father Aaron, when speaking about offering the Eucharist in the mission areas.
The Heart of Our Mission
The Eucharist is the heart of Glenmary’s mission, playing a pivotal role in developing connections to the people we serve. In this period of Eucharistic revival, we see how great a gift from God this sacrament is. Glenmary’s ability to share this gift with the neglected and forgotten communities we serve helps us build God’s kingdom and spread his word through love.
“I can’t think of a better way to live one’s life than to do so as a Glenmary home missioner bringing this gift to the people of our missions,” says Father Aaron.
