Too Soon to Go

Despite being on "Swahili time" Neil and I are getting ready to depart Kenya tomorrow. The time has gone by way TOO quickly - as is the case on most trips. I am extremely grateful for the wonderful hospitality we have been shown by so many people. So much good food - Ugali, Chapati and Sukuma Wiki are some of the ones which will be most missed when I am back stateside. One custom that I am always struck by is the ritual of washing hands before a meal. Before a meal is served, someone usually brings a pitcher of hot water, a bowl, soap and a towel in order to wash everyones hands before eating. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” as the sayings go. To me it somehow seems as a unifying moment as we wash from the same bowl before eating together around the same table. More personal or meaningful than the way we do it back in the U.S. and just assume everyone has gone to the washroom and washed their hands before eating...

Maasai Legend of the Sun and Moon

I read a good folkloric story from The Maasai people which was adapted by A.C. Harris. I came across it in the book "Kenya" by Jane Barsby.

Maasai Legend of the Sun and Moon

Long ago the sun married the moon but one day they fought and the moon struck the sun on the head. Of course the sun hit back, and damaged the moon. When they had finished fighting, the sun was so ashamed of his battered face that he became so dazzlingly bright that humans could not regard him without half closing their eyes. The moon, however, was not in the least bit ashamed and anyone looking at her can see that her mouth is cut and one of her eyes is missing.

Questions about Applying to Glenmary Home Missioners

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” Jeremiah 1:5

In my short time as Vocation Director I have learned that nobody’s discernment process with Glenmary is exactly the same. Some people get to know us quickly and feel that Glenmary is the perfect fit for them and they apply within a year, while others, like me, take a long time to discern. I made my first mission trip as a prospect in 1990 and then waited ten years before I started the formal application process with Glenmary and finally entered into formation in 2001. There are lots of steps in the discernment journey but the most important aspect of the process though is to stay in communication with God through it all. “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

During the discernment journey many questions arise which are good and natural. For example... Am I being called? Am I good or holy enough? What can I offer? These types of questions are important to wrestle with and to share with God and with your spiritual director. Other important and frequently asked questions by people who are discerning are specifically about the different stages of the Glenmary formation. People want to know: How long does the formation last? When does it start? What will I study? Where will I live? Etcetera... There is a really informative page about all the stages of discernment and the formation process on our Glenmary Website.

Discerners also frequently ask about the application process itself. What is the application process? How do I start? What does it entail?

After getting to know us, visiting with us and discerning your call to serve in the missions, the formal application is just one more step for us to get to know you. This step includes submitting information like your Baptismal and Confirmation records, a recent photograph, copies of your school transcripts, three letters of recommendation. We also request that you have a physical and psychological assessment. The application process also includes interviews with one of the formation directors and a couple of Glenmarians on the admissions committee. The actual application has questions about your family, school and work background as well as space for you to write about why you want to become a Glenmary priest or brother. It is all part of the process which we walk through with you and one that helps us to get to know you better and one that helps you to discern your call a little more with each step. The application process does take some time to complete but it is worth the while in order to finally enter into and to continue down the path to which God has been calling you since before you were created. “O LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar... ...You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.” Psalm 139 1-2.13

Taking the Back-Roads

Glenmary has had a very blessed retreat with five fine men who came to discern with us their call to serve with Glenmary. The retreat ended after the Sunday Liturgy which we celebrated in Our Lady of Guadalupe mission parish operated by the MISIONEROS GUADALUPANOS. Their parish is near the retreat centre and with such lively liturgies it is a fitting way to celebrate at the end of the retreat. After Mass the candidates returned to their homes. Today Neil and I make our travel plans to go and see each of the candidates at their homes for another interview. This is always the favorite part of the trip for me; meeting the families of these young men, getting to see more of the country and sometimes receiving a really delicious typical Kenyan meal.

Retreat

Fr Neil and I are having a fabulous time in Kenya. We have been here for less than a week but we have already experienced the wonderful Kenyan sense of hospitality. "Karibu!"

Today starts the first day of our turn to offer hospitality as we welcome the five candidates participating in the Discernment Retreat for Glenmary Home Missioners. Please keep these men in your prayers as they learn more about Glenmary and they discern whether or not they are being called to be a Glenmary Missioner.

This weekend's retreat will include a lot of information about Glenmary and in particular are call to the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience. As we reflect on these today with the candidates on our retreat, I would like to share with you some of Glenmary's writings on these three promises:

Chastity

• We dare to attempt such a way of life only as a response to a gift of God. Fidelity to our original choice over the years is a witness to the working of the Spirit in our lives, an experience of the Father’s love, and a sign to ourselves of the vitality of our response.

Poverty

• We, as Glenmarians, have freely chosen to share with one another: our time, talents, insights, love, companionship, and material possessions. Each member agrees to contribute to the common fund the fruits of his labors and all gifts given for Glenmary work. We do this to further the home mission apostolate and to enrich our community and personal lives. Therefore, no member who withdraws from the Society has a right to compensation for his labors performed while a member of the Glenmary Society. However, a member does remain capable of acquiring, possessing, administering and disposing of temporal goods which have come, or will come to him under a personal title, not as a member of the Society.

Obedience

• Believing that God has called us to service in community, each of us commits himself to active cooperation in the apostolic work of the Society. Recognizing as well the need for a unified apostolate, and the efficient functioning of diverse elements within the Society, we accept freely and joyfully the decisions of the officers and directors and decision-making bodies aimed at achieving the goals of the Society. We recognize that obedience has a necessary place in our lives and ask of all a loyalty corresponding to this necessity.

Prayer

• We as Glenmarians hold that prayer is essential to our Christian life and apostolate, and we pledge to one another a continual effort to pray faithfully.

Green City in the Sun

Fr Neil and I are off to Nairobi, Kenya to prepare for the upcoming Glenmary Vocation Discernment Retreat. When I look at the plane ticket I always get confused when I try to figure out how many hours we will actually be traveling. I do know that we leave Cincinnati about 3:00 in the afternoon today and won't land in Nairobi until 8:30 tomorrow night - so as far as I am concerned it is over 24 hours travel time! Two men who were accepted after last year's retreat will be meeting us at the airport - Ambrose and Godfrey. We will spend the first night at Tangaza College where they are studying and maybe even sleep a little of the next day too as we adjust to the jet lag. Then we'll be off and running. After a day to show Neil around beautiful Nairobi we'll have a little time to get ready for the weekend's retreat. We have five young men who have been accepted to participate in the retreat as they continue to discern their call to religious missionary life with Glenmary Home Missioners. I am looking forward to meeting these men in person this weekend and continue this discernment journey with them. Pray for us and all those participating in the upcoming retreat.

Nairobi, Kenya 2010

I am busy packing for tomorrow's trip - trying to squeeze just a little bit more into the suitcase. So I leave you with some of the memorable images from last year's trip. Enjoy...

Structural Dissatisfaction

I recently read a short story by Jennifer Egan titled "Safari." It is a fitting story since it takes place in Kenya, where I am preparing to visit next week. Unlike the main characters in this story though, I am not traveling to Kenya for a "Safari" in the sense of visiting game parks in order to see the wild animals. It could be noted though, that in Kiswahili "Safari" means journey or any type of traveling.

While in Kenya I will be hosting a discernment retreat for a number of candidates who are discerning a vocation with Glenmary. Will also do some traveling around the country as I visit the candidates at their homes and meet their families. It is always a wonderful experience to travel and have the opportunity to enter into another culture. A common trait of our travel experiences is that we are often changed as we have new eyes to look at situations in our life and culture when we return from our trip. For the author of the aforementioned book this is called "Structural Dissatisfaction." Which she defines as "Returning to circumstances that once pleased you, having experienced a more thrilling or opulent way of life, and finding that you can no longer tolerate them." I enjoyed rereading that line in her story a few times as I pondered its meaning... I realized that this quote reminded me of another phrase, the unofficial motto of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps; "Ruined for Life." I think this JVC motto means that after being and serving in an intense mission situation and in extremely impoverished place their volunteers are unable to return to their previous state of life and live in the same way that they were prior to their experience. Not being able to return to our previous life could be a scary thought before one enters into a commitment such as volunteering for a couple of years, we have to ask, am I ready to be changed? I think that the same phrase can be said after we enter into a formation program to become a missionary priest or brother. We are “Ruined for Life” meaning we are unable to return to live our life as we previously had - our experiences gives us new eyes to see the world and prepares us to use that new vision in our service to the mission areas of the United States.

Are we ready to surrender who we are and allow God to guide us into who we are to become? Entering the discernment and formation program can be a big step but where else in life does one have the support of formators who are trained in guiding us in this process. Glenmary wants its members to be prepared as whole, healthy humans who are able to use their gifts to serve in the missions. A big step but one that is very doable. Are you ready to begin your "Safari" or journey in formation, and then on to the missions which will inevitably change you forever?

Mission Visits Might Include a Meal and Sometimes Even More

I think that one of the most important stages in discerning a vocation with Glenmary or any religious community is getting to know one another. And one of the best ways to do that is to take a mission trip. Glenmary has missions in 9 different states; Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virgina, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma. One of those is bound to be near enough for a visit. More information about where each of the missions in these states are located can be found on our webpage "Where we Serve". So why not take a road-trip and check it out in person? Arrangements can be made ahead of time and we can travel to the missions together or if you're just passing through the area you could call ahead to find out Mass times and stop in for a visit. No pressure or commitment at this stage... just call us up and let us know when you might be available and we can usually work something out.

Glenmarians are very welcoming and known for their hospitality... We love visitors, so you might even get a free meal out of the visit or more when you stop in to see us. One time a young thief entered a Glenmary residence and one of the older Glenmary members passed him in the hallway. The Glenmarian presumed that the young man was a student or prospect in for a visit. So the Glenmarian gave the thief a hug goodbye and wished him his blessings on his journey as he went out the door with the bag of loot - what hospitality!

Light to the Little Missions

"You are the light of the world... Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:14-16)

This weekend I have been visiting a few of the Glenmary Missions in Southern Georgia. One Mass that I attended at the Holy Cross Mission in Pembroke, Georgia only fifteen people were present! A small crowd in comparison to what a parish located in a large northern city in the U.S. would have on a Sunday, but this is “Mission Land USA” - places in the U.S. where less than 1% of the population is catholic and over half the population in the area do not belong to any church! Growing up in Columbus, Ohio it was eye opening to learn that there is such a need here in the United States. I think it was the Greek historian Herodotus who once said; "It is a fact, an odd fact yet often noted that the farther you go from home the stranger things get."

It should not matter where you live: north or south, big city or rural - everyone has the right to receive the sacraments. Glenmary recognizes that right and serves in missions in the small neglected areas of the U.S. - places like Pembroke and hundreds of other areas where the Eucharist and the sacraments would not be available to the people otherwise. William Howard Bishop, founder of Glenmary Home Missioners once wrote; "The one great central thought that brought out society (Glenmary) into existence in these unfavored regions was the fact that these regions, of all others in America, are, generally speaking, the least supplied with and the most in need of Christ's Church and the means of propagating it."

Are you called to be a light by serving with Glenmary Home Missioners in these little mission areas of the U.S.?

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Mother Teresa