Volunteer Missionary Trips

Short-term Volunteers

Glenmary Home Missioners welcome school and adult groups for week-long immersion trips to our volunteer missionary program. Groups are limited to no more than 24 members, aged 14 and over. The volunteer missionary trips is designed to give individuals a first-hand experience of missionary service in rural Appalachia. The sessions are a retreat-like mission immersions, blending the values of service, culture, prayer, community and reflection in an environment of simple living. For more information please contact Joe Grosek, director of Glenmary’s volunteer programs via email, or call 606-202-3658.

High school forms and information 
University and Adult forms and information

Long-term Volunteers (Mountain Managers)

Glenmary Home Missioners is seeking individuals to serve as long-term volunteers, aka Mountain Managers, at the Glenmary Group Volunteer program site on Joppa Mountain in Grainger County, Tenn.

Mountain Managers live on site and serve terms from three to 24 months with negotiable starting dates and breaks for Christmas and summer. Duties include: overall supervision and leadership of volunteer groups; Planning and coordination with local directors of programs for weekly activities; Renovation and rehab projects for those in need in Union and Grainger counties; Meal planning, preparation, clean-up for groups of 12-35; Purchasing food and household supplies; Sale and inventory control of program memorabilia; General maintenance and upkeep of volunteer facility; Manual labor at building/renovation sites; Nursing home visitation; Community outreach; Environmental protection and landscaping.

Glenmary provides room and board and full medical coverage for staff. Mountain Managers receive a monthly stipend of $300, domestic telephone use and use of a Glenmary vehicle. For more information or to apply, click here.

“The amazing thing about being a Glenmary volunteer is that the Glenmary spirit of ecumenism and charity is everywhere.” — Alyson M.

What is Glenmary?

Glenmary is a Catholic society of priests, brothers and lay missioners who serve
primarily in Appalachia and the deep South. Glenmary was founded in 1939 by Father William Howard Bishop, who had a dream that the Catholic Church would be present everywhere in the United States.

Glenmary has served mission churches in 14 states with the goal to return developed parishes to the care of the local diocese. We can then move on to new mission territory.

Glenmary is proud that more than 120 parishes are former Glenmary missions. Our missions are in counties where less than 1% of the population is Catholic, as high as 75% claim no faith affiliation at all. Poverty averages 20%, almost two times the national average.