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In
Search of the Spirit
A
monthly letter from the Glenmary Vocation Office
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August 2005
First Glenmary Brother a True Pioneer
A Tribute to Brother Vince Wilmes (1915–2005)
By Father Steve Pawelk
What does a pioneer look like? Is it a young, tall man, with large hands used to holding a plow led by horses or mules? Or is it an old man, leaning on a cane, with wrinkled, arthritic hands struggling to hold a deck of cards? The answer: both. And both men are Glenmary Brother Vince Wilmes.
Brother Vince was a trail blazer. He was the first Glenmary brother and only the third member of Glenmary when he arrived in Cincinnati in 1940 at age 25. The trails he blazed for the rest of his years in Glenmary led him into the backwoods of Virginia coal country, along the dirt roads of South Georgia, up the hollers of Eastern Kentucky.
The story goes that when Brother Vince first called Father Bishop from his home in Missouri, he asked, "How many brothers are there?" Father Bishop simply answered, "Just come and we will talk." When he arrived, Father Bishop informed Vince that he would be the first brother and gave him a big welcome. Brother Vince stayed and served the people of the home missions well for 64 years; he died August 15 at the age of 89.
Upon my arrival on the Glenmary scene in 1983, Brother Vince was already an elder in Glenmary. My first significant experience with him was during a summer assignment in 1985 in Morehead, Ky. Brother Vince and I went to a craft sale in Owingsville (a mission from Morehead at that time) to sell his famous handcrafted crosses. He sat in the sun for four hours, talked to many people and sold one cross. Brother Vince was not disappointed, however; he had made many new friends.
For me, Brother Vince was "living history." He was full of stories about the early days in the missions, our founder Father Bishop, and the poor he was always working with--or writing to in prison. I always made it a point to introduce vocation prospects to him, and I would tell them that all his stories were true and some were even factual. (As a poet, Brother Vince told the truth through the lens of his deep love for the lost and most marginalized people and his hope that even the most down and out could be saved.)
Here is a revealing story about him: Towards the end of Brother Vince's mission assignment in Olive Hill, Ky., a single mother with many needs asked to borrow his car. In his generous and trusting spirit, Brother Vince handed over the keys. A few days later he called Glenmary headquarters and asked for another car. When asked what was wrong with his current one, he said, "Nothing. It just hasn't come back yet."
I do not know if the women returned or if the car was ever recovered. Brother Vince, like any good storyteller, always left you wanting more.
The gospel challenge which invites us to walk two miles when we are asked to walk only one, or to give our shirt as well when someone asks only for our coat—this was the challenge that Brother Vince lived out in his daily spirituality.
Brother Vince was a happy, dedicated and giving missioner to the very end. Whether he was playing cards, making crosses, or helping in the mail room at Glenmary headquarters, he always had a prayer, a story or a thought to share. He was constantly sending me suggestions for vocations and assuring me of his constant prayer for them. This precious mentor to me was also loved by all.
May the spirit of this home mission pioneer continue to blaze in the hearts of those of us who knew him—and continue to inspire those who join in Glenmary's mission in the future.
For the press release about Brother Vince's life and death
For a story about him from Glenmary Challenge
