Summer Mission Experience

Students have been hanging out at Glenmary headquarters for about a week now. It has been great excitement for everyone - among other things having the extra workers to help with the odd-jobs around the place. They have also had a chance to visit with the other members passing through headquarters at this time and spend some time with our senior members. Yesterday we had a a special blessing at the end of Mass for those students who are now leaving for their summer mission assignment. "Summer Mission Experience" or "Summer Mission Excitement" as I mistakenly called it at the end of Mass yesterday, is a grand tradition which dates back to the founding of Glenmary. All Glenmary members have had the experience of going out for a two to three month stint during their summer breaks from school. It has been a joy this week to hear the senior members living at headquarters share stories from their mission experiences with the students preparing to go out this summer. Fr. Jim Kelly who is 94 years old, still has strong memories from his experience and could practically recite his daily schedule while he was in the Georgia missions over 70 years ago. As another member has said "it was the summer mission experiences, being with the people, that sustained and motivated me when I returned to school."

Glenmary's aspirants, Paul Cottingham, Jerry Wilkerson and Juan Pablo Santos will have "Exciting" times this summer in the missions in Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas.