January 2019
Glenmary Home Missioners
A Grand Reunion
Happy New Year!
Mike Magnotta doesn’t remember any of it. Father Rollie Hautz scratches his head, too. After all, it was 60 years ago. But Father Rollie did the baptizing, and then-baby Mike wound up meeting him again, this time in Cincinnati, at Glenmary headquarters. Back in 1958 Father Rollie’s missions included Lebanon, Virginia, in the Appalachian mountains. There were a handful of Catholics in the area. Father Rollie celebrated sacraments with them all, as he worked to spread the Gospel and to establish permanent Catholic parishes. Mike’s dad, Joe, worked near Lebanon, building the Clinch River power plant. A lifelong Catholic, Joe naturally brought his new baby to nearby St. Paul, to be baptized. He and his wife, Marti, became friends with Father Rollie, having him over to the house from time to time for Sunday dinner. Little could he imagine that decades later his granddaughter would be creating the magazine (Glenmary Challenge) for Father Rollie’s society, Glenmary, in Cincinnati. That’s where Mike and his wife, Linda, settled. Cassie, Mike’s second daughter, had come to work at Glenmary as a publications designer, after answering an ad online just back in 2017. Trained in design, at the time she was working at a local violin shop. Creative people have many talents, and Cassie is no exception. On Thanksgiving, 2018, Cassie and her mother decided to open the family table to Cassie’s new friends at Glenmary. Never one to turn down a meal, Father Chet (photo on right) brought along Father Gerry “Pete” Peterson. Assistant Development Director Rachel Thome and her brother Chris came along, too. As Father Chet made small talk with Cassie’s dad, Mike, they compared personal history. “Where are you from?” Father Chet asked him. “You’ve probably never heard of it,” Mike replied. “I was born in a small town in the Virginia mountains.” “Try me,” said Father Chet. “Lebanon,” said Mike. “Hey, we used to have a parish there….” You might see where this story’s going. Sure
B
(continued on reverse side)
y the time most of you read this, Christmas trees will be curbside or in attics, lights will be taken down and decorations put away. We do it all a little too quickly—Christmas season goes past New Year’s, to the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. That’s when we mark the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, that will lead us from the Incarnation to the Resurrection. After we fully celebrate the birth of our Lord, will hear the Gospel stories of Jesus ministry. Did Jesus set out to start a Church? In a sense, he did: “When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them,” he said (Matthew 18:20). Jesus came to teach us to love in a new way, and to do that togeher. Glenmary is all about bringing people together, in a new way. In the areas we serve, Catholics are a small part of the overall population, and tend to be scattered. When we come to town, one of the first things we do is to establish a place for regular Mass. Whether it be a trailer, a storefront, or even worship space borrowed from a local Protestant congregation, ours is a welcome mat for Catholics and anyone who wishes to experience the sacramental life of the Church. That’s bringing people together, the way Jesus did: Start small and grow. Glenmary Missioners try to do the same. Thank you for being part of it!
Yours in Christ,
Father Chet Artysiewicz President
PHOTOS BY JOHN FEISTER
“I was born in a town in the Virginia mountains”--Mike Magnotta
(Left to right) Father Rollie Hautz enjoys a “baptismal reunion” with Cassie, Mike, and Linda Magnotta.
enough, Mike had been baptized in the parish, unbeknownst to him, by a Glenmary priest, Father Rollie Hautz. Mike’s older sister, texted by Cassie, remembered Father “House” coming for dinner back then. Father Chet made a phone call to verify where Father Rollie was in 1958, and, sure, enough, his assignment included St. Vivian’s Chapel (mobile home), in Lebanon. This would call for a reunion! Father Rollie, 91, is now living in a retirement home in Cincinnati. Once a month he comes to Glenmary headquarters for an evening of prayer and social time with other Glenmarians. When he came this past December, he was surprised to meet Mike and family, and even allowed a few photos as he and Mike exchanged memories and a photo scrapbook. Of course, as we said at the outset, then a baby,
BAM Spotlight
Mike didn’t remember any of the Baptism. But, truthfully, a parish priest with service as long as Father Rollie’s doesn’t remember many of the hundreds of babies he baptized, either. Alas, Mike was no exception. “I was a pastor for more than 60 years!” Father Rollie explained, proudly. Then Linda, Mike’s wife produced the baptismal certificate. At the bottom, in blue ink, clear as day, was a signature: “Fr. Roland Hautz.” Meanwhile, Cassie Magnotta is pinching herself! Is this some kind of dream? In a big city, among literally hundreds of design opportunities, how did she wind up working at Glenmary, among the society who baptized her father in another state? Her conclusion, no pun intended: “It’s Providence at work.” --John Feister
Name: Bill Jurgensen Hometown: Danville, Kentucky Occupation: Federal agent (retired) Bill and his family were living in Hazard, Kentucky, in 1964 when a Glenmary priest visited. The good impression never wore off. He and his wife agreed that they should add Glenmary to their charitable giving: “54 years later I have never missed a monthly donation!”
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