August 2018
Glenmary Home Missioners
St. Michael the Archangel celebrates new beginning
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little boy broke from his parents’ side in a gravel parking lot and ran to a window. When his face pressed onto the glass—creating its first smudge—his eyes widened. Whatever the child said as he peered through the window wasn’t audible to those inside, but they understood his sentiment. The parishioners of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic mission were finally home. At 5 p.m. on June 30, Father Tom Charters presided at the first Mass in St. Michael the Archangel’s new multipurpose building. The 5 p.m. crowd and their Sunday morning counterparts came for Mass, of course, but also to see their new home for the first time. The new structure houses parish offices, a religious education classroom, a kitchen, storage and a large room to be used for Mass and other activities. The restrooms even have showers. On land purchased for the mission by the Diocese of Knoxville in 2012, the building cost just over $500,000. Bishop of Knoxville, Richard Stika will be in attendance on Sept. 29, the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, for the official dedication. For the past five years the congregation celebrated Mass in the basement of an old, rented ranch house in a residential neighborhood. St. Michael’s had begun using that location after outgrowing its previous rented space at the local Elks club. “The idea then was, we had 100 people and we could hold 150 at the house,” said Father Tom. “We thought it would take us another five years to get to 150. Well, we filled it up to 150 in the first year and now we’ve grown to 300 parishioners. It was jam-packed on different occasions.” The worship space at the new location has seating for about 190, with room for additional chairs on special occasions. With two Masses each weekend (5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday) there’s enough room for everyone. On the weekend of the first Masses, some finishing touches remained incomplete. The kitchen counters (continued on reverse side)
Nonstop progress in the missions It has been a joy to watch the developments at our Tennesee missions of St. Michael the Archangel, St. Teresa of Kolkata and Holy Family these past few months. All three engaged in building projects, and as you read in this newsletter, St. Michael finished first. The construction of St. Michael the Archangel’s new building and worship space was a landmark moment not only for Glenmary, but for Unicoi County, Tenn. For the first time, Catholics in that county can point to a real, physical building and say, “That’s our home.” The good news keeps coming. Concrete is being poured at St. Teresa of Kolkata, and Holy Family celebrated a ground breaking on Aug. 1. St. John Paul II in Rutledge, Tenn. is also working toward building. A church isn’t the end all be all of a mission. The heart of a mission is the community of believers who come together to worship and to serve. Still, when a mission moves out of a rented basement, or storefront or other temporary home and into a structure it owns, it is a sign of that community’s growth and an occaision for prayers of gratitude. My gratitude as I continue to monitor these developments is first to God, whose grace has sustained Glenmary’s work. The mission parishioners are owed a debt as well for their unfailing faith. Also I thank the many Glenmarians who have served these missions. Finally, once again, thank YOU. Without your monthly gifts and prayers, much of what we do would not be possible. Yours in Christ,
Father Chet Artysiewicz President
Unicoi Co. mission celebrates Mass in new home
Top left, Father Tom Charters presides at the first Sunday Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Mission’s new multipurpose building. At top right, parishioners prepare the gifts during the first Saturday Mass. Below is the building’s main entrance.
hadn’t been installed. There was no landscaping. A sign along North Mohawk Drive still read “Our Future Home.” In the weeks since, the sanctuary has been raised and the crucifix was installed behind the altar. A statue of St. Michael the Archangel and a relief of Our Lady of Guadalupe now adorn the worship space. Should the mission continue to grow, one day a more traditional church structure could be built on the same site, and the multipurpose building would become a parish hall. But all that is still years away. For now, thanks to the hard work of parish volunteers, the generosity of Glenmary donors, and the grace of God, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Mission has a place of its own.
BAM Spotlight
This month, the BAM Spotlight is on FUTURE BAM members. Last year, BAM members gave $245,993 to support the home missions. Looking to the future, Glenmary is seeking to add new members to our monthly giving program. Will you share the good news? Tell your friends and family about Glenmary and the BAM monthly giving program. Visit Glenmary.org/BAM for more information. Thank you BAM members for all your support!
This newsletter is published monthly by Glenmary Home Missioners, P.O. Box 465618, Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618 • www.glenmary.org. For more information about the Boost-A-Month Club, contact Father Don Tranel, dtranel@glenmary.org, 800-935-0975.