Father William Howard Bishop, founder of Glenmary Home Missioners, wrote regularly to the missioners out in the field in order to update and inspire them in their missionary efforts. We continue to read from these in our morning prayer here at Glenmary headquarters. Today I share a couple of nuggets from his Mid-Winter Letters, written in the 1940’s.
“Winter is a time when the poor suffer very much. Who are the poor of your mission area? Do you know them? Now is the chance to show them you are their friend. The most telling approach to the “other sheep” is by works of charity for the poor. Catholics and even non-Catholics in better circumstances give willingly old clothes, provisions and money to anybody who is in touch with suffering poverty. The priest in every community should be that one. The missionary priest, above all, should covet this honor for himself. Christ loved His poor and we are other Christs.” Mid-Winter Letter Rev. William Howard Bishop 1944
“Love the Poor, the sick, the helpless and attend to them. They are God’s influentials. They are his aristocrats. He loves them. If you are known in your community as the contact man for all the poor and unfortunate of the place, you could not have a more honorable title on earth or one that would make you more welcome in the courts of heaven. Besides this, you will be a marvelous drawing power for converts.” Mid-Winter Letter Rev.William Howard Bishop 1948
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