The following story first appeared in the Autumn 2006 Glenmary Challenge.
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Men in Mission Now!
Glenmary prenovices—from four cultures—make a difference
in their rural Western Kentucky Community
By Father Vic Subb

WHAT'S COOKING? Father Vic Subb, director of the prenovitiate program, inspects what Aaron Wessman is preparing for dinner.

When I opened the front door of the Glenmary House of Studies in Hartford, Ky., last year, I often encountered new and interesting aromas of food cooking. If I looked into the pot, I still would often not know what was cooking, given the many countries and cultures of those doing the cooking. But I knew it would be good. It always was! Yet it was always a bit of a mystery—just as this prenovitiate house has been for me.

I was named director of the prenovitiate program last year and welcomed seven prenovices in August 2005. These seven first-year men from four different countries came together in Hartford to discern their call to be a Glenmary missioner. The men—three from Kenya, one from Nigeria, two from the United States, one from Mexico—were able to form community in the house quickly. And they definitely added spice to the greater Hartford community throughout the year!

I believe the strength and the challenge of our house was in its diversity. The diversity of cultures brought to each of us the gift of being able to look at the world differently—and it certainly provided new insights for me to ponder.

I felt—and continue to feel—that it’s important for the men in this first year of formation to know that they are missioners now. Ordination or Final Oath may seem far in the future; but, by our baptism, we are all already called to be missioners. The men responded well to this baptismal call and reached out as very active members of the Hartford and the wider Ohio County community.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were ministry days—days the men really looked forward to. They would go out into the community to visit inmates at the local jail and residents of the nursing home. They transported people to doctor appointments, tutored at the local school, mentored young people and sorted clothes at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. They worked at the local food pantry and at the parish in Beaver Dam, a former Glenmary mission.

At the dinner table on these evenings, I enjoyed hearing the men tell of their ministry adventures for the day. That might be one man telling how he listened to a man in jail who was worried about his family. Or another man telling how he spent time interacting with the staff of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Or how another took someone to the doctor and had to wait two hours for that person to be seen. Another may have talked about playing catch with a group of middle-schoolers.

These are just some of the many ways our prenovices were present to the community this past year.

The Glenmary House of Studies is well-known and respected in Ohio County. For 20 years men have come, lived and ministered here during their first year of formation with Glenmary. People from many local agencies have commented to me on how our men have been a positive example of service to the area. Common remarks include: “The Glenmary guys are always there when there is a need.” “The elderly look forward to their visits.” “The children enjoyed the presentation of another culture in class today.”

As a missioner, I find great joy in knowing our Glenmary students make a difference in the community—and are already thinking of themselves as men in mission!

The prenovitiate’s aim is to help nurture men’s faith by daily communal and private prayer and Mass. In addition, two classes a semester at Brescia University help further their education. Workshops focusing on aspects of Glenmary and visits to Glenmary missions also help develop a Glenmary identity and spirit.

The new academic year is beginning, and assistant director Brother Tom Sheehy and I are expecting four new men this fall, again from very diverse backgrounds (Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico and the United States). New opportunities for ministry are awaiting. New aromas of food will fill the kitchen. I can only smile and wonder, “What’s cooking?”

Read more about Glenmary's men in formation