The following story first appeared in the Autumn 2004 Glenmary Challenge.
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Building 'Nests' That Endure
Miracles can and do happen when the master builder is God
By Father Dan Dorsey

BUILDING CHURCH: Father Chet Artysiewicz, pastor of Glenmary's mission in Monticello, Ark., shares his enthusiasm for music.

I have always been fascinated with birds’ nests. They are a true marvel of nature. The engineering that goes into them would make any MIT graduate proud. Imagine building your house with string, paper, twigs and mud—and then having this edifice withstand even the most ferocious of storms! The genius of the master nest-builder lies in using “engineering” know-how to piece together fragile materials to form an almost indestructible home.

The ministry of a Glenmary missioner is similar. A missioner is sent into an area with high mission need (few Catholics, many unchurched, high poverty level) and, over a period of time, the missioner carefully “constructs” a Church community using a variety of materials.

What are the “building materials” that we missioners use?

The first and most obvious are the people in the mission area. A missioner gathers Catholics and begins the building process. The assembled folks come from a variety of backgrounds and often speak a variety of languages. An invitation is also extended to everyone in the area who would like to make the Catholic Church his or her home. (Like a bird’s nest under construction, the small, struggling Church is fragile and vulnerable.)

A second important building material, is you—our partners in mission. Without your prayers and financial support, there would be no Glenmary missioners or missions. Without you there would no building up of the Catholic Church in the neglected and forgotten areas of our country. You are an essential component of the Glenmary mission effort!

The third and most important building material is the grace of God. We missioners quickly learn that, no matter how skilled we may be at building, nothing of substance or of permanence happens without the grace of the Master Builder.

Recently I received a CD entitled, The Mission Voices of St. Mark’s Catholic Church. St. Mark is a Glenmary mission located in southeast Arkansas. St. Mark parishioners created this CD to share their experience with the larger Catholic community—and to raise funds for a larger church building for this growing mission parish.

As I listened to the people speak about their Catholic faith and tell the story of St. Mark, the image of the bird’s nest came to mind. Slowly, and often with great struggle and sacrifice, this Catholic community has been “constructed” over a period of 30 years. What a glorious testament to all of the parishioners, Glenmary missioners who have served there, our donors—and to the Master Builder!

Truly, a miracle has occurred in this small southern town of Monticello, Ark. The spirit of this miracle is captured on the CD in the words of one parishioner: “The first Sunday we visited St. Mark the people overwhelmed us with their friendliness and welcoming spirit. You can’t slip in the back door and hide. The Glenmary missioners visit your home and listen to your stories."

St. Mark in Monticello is not a unique story in Glenmary, but rather a part of the larger missionary effort occurring here in the United States. These mission voices often struggle to be heard because they emanate from the neglected regions of our country. Because they are fragile, they struggle to grow and become Church. Miracles do happen when the Master Builder is God!