To say Brother Larry Jochim has left his mark on the places he has served is an understatement. From 1965 to 1997, he led 46 major building projects in 13 states. Most of those projects were churches or parish buildings constructed or renovated by the Glenmary Brothers’ Building Crew. This group of brothers traveled throughout Mission Land, USA, working on construction projects at Glenmary missions.

"We built for the love of God, not for money," he says. But he didn’t see his ministry as just about buildings. Another large part of the ministry was building community. Soliciting help from the parish made the parish draw closer together—everyone working for the love of God.

Throughout his 50 years of ministry, a special friend has always traveled with him: St. Joseph. At the start of each project, the work crew placed a statue of St. Joseph at the work site. As soon as the building was under roof, St. Joseph moved indoors until the job was completed.

"He was a member of the crew when I arrived," laughs Brother Larry, and everyone knew he was a permanent member.

It’s estimated that the Brothers’ Building Crew saved Glenmary missions 25 to 35 percent of the cost of any project—sometimes much more. For example, the church in Norton, Va., cost the parish $93,000. A local contractor estimated the cost at $250,000.

All the jobs were special to those who worked on them, but perhaps most memorable to Brother Larry was the project in Peebles, Ohio. The work crew constructed a building which was a combination church and parish hall.

"The people really rallied on that project and the Spirit was so alive," he remembers. "It was a joyful experience."

This self-taught builder began learning his craft growing up on his family’s farm in Poseyville, Ind., and he hasn’t stopped learning since. During his formation years, he worked on the original Glenmary seminary building in Cincinnati learning a lot from Brother Bob Hoffman. Brother Joe Steen, who served a four-year apprenticeship with the carpenter’s union before joining Glenmary, is another reference point for Brother Larry.

"I still pick up pointers from other builders," he says. During his years with the work crew, he would try to return to a parish a year after the project was completed to ask how well the building met the needs of the people and what things they would want to do differently if they had the chance. Then he would include any positive changes into the next project.

The projects he has worked on are now memorialized in a quilt given to him for his 50th jubilee by the parishioners of Immaculate Conception Church, in Hugo, Okla., where Brother Larry has lived since receiving senior member status in 1998.

Each block of the quilt is dedicated to a state in which Brother Larry has worked. "It’s just beautiful," he says.

It wasn’t an easy decision to leave behind the major building projects. "The ladders were just getting too high," he laughs. His ministry in Hugo is a good transition because he still does some building and construction work, as well as social ministry.

His life as a brother has been more than he anticipated when he took his first oath in 1950, much more. The ability to move easily from job to job, place to place with the work crew was a special grace given to him by God, he says, opening him to so many wonderful experiences and people.

"The Lord has blessed me in many ways," he says. "I’ve been given the chance to share in people’s lives and been allowed to let others touch my life. I’m so very grateful."

The Hugo mission was turned back to the Diocese of Tulsa in 2003. Brother Larry is currently living in Nashville, Tenn.