His Words are Still True Today

“What is the Home Missioners’ greatest present need? Vocations and funds! But suppose the founder were asked to confine his primary need to one single thing. He would answer that humanly speaking the choice would be hard, as little can be done with either unless there is a good supply of the other. But knowing that there is a provident God looking on who will not let them down on the material side so long as men are willing to sacrifice themselves for so grand Cause, his reply is, without hesitation: VOCATIONS, VOCATIONS, and then MORE VOCATIONS—of the very best type that can be had.” William Howard Bishop 1944

Recently I re-read these words by our founder, fifty-six years later and they are still true. I especially take to heart the closing line, "the very best type that can be had." I know personally how great the needs are in the missions and know that the best type is what they deserve.

“For the love of Christ impels us...” (2 Cor. 5:14)

"Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Father William Howard Bishop saw that the needs of millions of Americans in rural areas and small towns were left unattended by the predominantly urban centered American Catholic Church. The love of Jesus Christ impelled him to respond by founding the Home Missioners of America, a Society of priests and Brothers dedicated to the apostolate of bringing the charity and the Gospel of Christ to the “neglected regions of America.”

These opening words of Glenmary’s Constitution highlight our mission today. And it is our same love of Christ which inspires us, the members of Glenmary Home Missioners to continue to go out to and serve in the mission and neglected areas of the North America. And it is a Mission which much larger than us as individuals or a community. My hope is to invite more people who share in that vision to respond and join us in focusing in on that vision today.

Time to Go Back

I thought when I arrived in Chicago the other day I was going to be up here in the city for two weeks. Sometimes plans change. Tuesday afternoon a parishioner from the mission in Danville, Arkansas called me to inform me that, David, his 3-year-old son had just died in a tragic accident. The training in Chicago is important but I knew my place was in Arkansas, with the family. I wanted to offer my support to the family as well as allow myself the chance to grieve the loss of this young boy who I had known for the last three years. A twelve hour drive through the night was the least I could do. At the funeral mass there was a great show of support for the family, over 400 people packed into St. Andrew Catholic Church. A very sad event but little David will continue to live on in our hearts.

As Glenmarians we grow close to the people we serve and although we can’t make it back to our former missions every week for all the weddings, baptisms or funerals, there are times that it is imperative that we return.

I hope though that the next occasion I return to visit the community in Danville, it will be for a positive event and that I will have more time to spend with the whole community.

Back from México, off to Chicago.

The last two weeks I spent traveling through Mexico and did not have a chance to update my blog. It was a great trip, traveling from Tlaxcala to Aguascalientes with many stops in between. My main mission during this trip was to visit a number of prospects, contacts and seminarians. I am thankful for the hospitality of everyone who received me, lots of good food, conversation and company. One of the men I visited has been accepted as an aspirant with Glenmary for this coming year, another hopes to enter the Curso Introductorio in Arandas, Jalisco and a couple of others are hoping to come visit the missions this fall. Many others with whom I visited are at differing stages of discernment and I ask for your continued prayers for them during their time of discernment.

Will be here in the office today in order to try and get caught up and then will be headed off to the National Religious Vocation Conference in Chicago, Illinois for the next two weeks.