A monthly letter from the Glenmary Vocation Office

November 2007

A Tapestry of Diversity

Driving through the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, the fall colors are bouquets of God’s grandeur. The rust, the brown and the smatterings of red scattered among the evergreens with the bare trees adding contrast, announce the beauty and wonder of God’s diverse creation. In my hours of driving through these autumn scenes my thoughts turn to thanksgiving for the diverse people Glenmary serves.

Just like the wide variety of color and the diversity of trees that form a beautiful unified autumn scene, so do the people living in what we call “Mission Land, USA.” Whether one remembers the people of mountain folk of Appalachia, the Native Americans in Oklahoma, the evangelicals of Mississippi, the Filipinos in North Carolina, the African Americans of Georgia or the Mexican Americans in Arkansas, the bouquet of God’s people form a unified beauty of humanity.

The diversity of culture and race is only a small part of the glorious variety that makes up the folks we Glenmarians are honored to serve. We have rich and poor, educated and semi-literate, foreigners (in the south, anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line is a foreigner!) and locals who, all together, praise God and participate in his Holy Communion.

It is true that in many Catholic parishes there is a diversity of people. Yet, it is the smallness of Glenmary that adds to the intensity of this experience. At many large parishes or schools, a diverse group tends to still sort itself out by similarities. In the cafeteria people tend to sit like with other like them whether that is the jocks, the nerds, the cool ones, the chess club or whatever the categories are today. In cities people can align themselves with the tradition of the parish they attend. There are Roman Catholics who attend churches where Polish is the main language of worship, or Latin, or English or Spanish. Even within a parish, we can tend to separate by what time we attend Mass, if it’s a youth mass, family mass, seniors, etc. This just is not possible in our little missions.

When I was pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in New Albany, Miss., we had about 70 families. I had folks born in Poland, Germany, Vietnam, Mexico, Panama, France, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and the Philippines. You add this to those who are strong in their Irish heritage or Cajun roots or African-American traditions and you truly have many beautiful leaves and unique trees planted in the same soil of faith. Among each of these groups were professionals, laborers, business owners, factory workers, stay-at-home moms, day laborers, unemployed and the unemployable. Together we were a community of believers.

Eventually, there were two Masses in New Albany—one in English and one in Spanish. But on feast days and holy days of obligation we had only one Mass for everyone. What makes this experience so special and different than larger parishes is the intensity of living together, worshiping together and working together. There is no hiding from one’s personal prejudices or from the cultural gifts rubbing up against each other. The struggle to fit together required everyone to reflect on the saying of Jesus, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35) Or that of Paul, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28).

As a missioner what I see is beauty in this diversity. It truly is like the mountainside. These Appalachian mountains may be small compared to the Rockies, yet when you stand on Natural Bridge at the Red River Gorge, you do not count individual trees but see a blur of vastness that cover the mountain like the local quilts sewn by the people of Kentucky. You do not notice each unique tree, but rather a mountainside decorated in God’s manifestation of power. Each tree, with its shape and colors, blends in to the hillside creating a tapestry. That is how each of the folks we minister to blend into our mission parishes. They bring their individual lives, their cultural heritage and their deep faith to form a strong Christian community giving witness and welcome to all.

What a privilege God has given Glenmarians and our coworkers to guide a community to embrace its beauty; to accept is diversity and develop its unity. This intense living of the Spirit of Christ with a small group is one of the joys of being a Glenmarian.

Come share that joy with us.

P.S. For those living in the United States, it is still not too late to join us for the Thanksgiving Mission Experience in the hills of Kentucky.