March 2019
Glenmary Home Missioners
Chasing out the Snakes
Our Time of Awareness
It’s not exactly the St. Patrick story, but Anna Breeding remembers when there were snakes in the rafters at Holy Family church. There was a dirt floor, too. Anna is one of the founding members of Holy Family, a Glenmary parish in Lafayette, Tenn. Just as St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, so, too, the Tennessee parishioners prevailed. And now, finally, they can move out of temporary quarters. Construction is nearing completion for the first permanent Catholic church ever to be built in Macon County. The parish hopes to celebrate Mass in the new space midsummer, God willing. Anna tells the story of how Holy Family mission parish came to be. She remembers moving to the area some 40 years ago with her husband, who had grown up nearby (they met in California, once Anna’s home, when he was in the military). “In 1982 a Glenmary priest lived in Franklin, Ky. about 40 miles from Lafayette,” recalls Anna. “The priest wanted a church in Lafayette because we didn’t have one. We had to go to Scottsville, Ky. [about 30 miles]. It was hard, but we did it.” In Glenmary fashion, the community came together. If a priest would come to Lafayette, they would find a place to have Mass. With Glenmary’s help, “We bought this little brown Church, no windows,” says Anna. “I think it was a Church of God. (It actually had been abandoned during construction.) “We had the first Mass September 11, 1982. Eventually, in 2003, Glenmary assigned a full-time priest to Macon County. Father Dennis Holly was the first pastor. The old church, in such rough condition, was a temporary building, they knew, back in the 1980s. They gradually made improvements. “But about 12 years ago, we really got serious about building a new Church.” They started a long process of planning a building project. Two years ago, they started a capital campaign to get construction rolling. Architectural blueprints were completed; Holy Family got the go-ahead from the Diocese of Nashville to start construction toward the end of last year. What will it be like to be in a new Church? “I really can’t say because we’re so used to what we’re in.” Then she chokes up a bit: “It’s just going to be unbelievable.”
I hope your Lent is off to a good start! Did you know that Ash Wednesday, March 6 this year, is one of the busiest days of the Church year? And it’s not even a holy day of obligation! In many cities you’ll see people wearing ashes on their foreheads, all day. It’s not quite the same in our Glenmary missions. Yes, the faithful will come to church and celebrate the beginning of Lent, our time of renewal in preparation for Easter. Some members of other Christian denominations will receive ashes, too. But in areas where Catholics are a tiny minority, pointing out that you’re Catholic can be awkward. We Glenmarians, of course, strive always to build awareness and understanding of Catholicism in the areas we serve. And we encourage our parishioners to share their faith. But still, that’s easier for Catholics in areas where Catholics are plentiful. One of the more frequent comments I hear from people who visit or move into our Glenmary parishes is how much they took for granted elsewhere. In the missions, Catholics sometimes see their faith in a new light. Things stand out that they never noticed before. Isn’t that what Lent’s all about, for all of us? Let’s dedicate ourselves in the coming weeks to seeing our faith in a new light. Let’s appreciate our faith more this Lent. It’s a lesson that the missions bring to Catholics everywhere.
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Yours in Christ,
Father Chet Artysiewicz President
Jesus tells us in Matthew 18, “Where two or more are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Despite its small and underground location, Holy Family mission parish has worshipped God gratefully and joyfully for many years. They are brimming with excitement to now have a new church building underway that will finally accommodate their growing parish!
Parishioners at Holy Family worshipped in the underground church, which was simple by anyone’s standard.
She says some people come to Mass in the existing church, sitting on folding chairs, and “feel like they’re in a dungeon!” She hopes that creating a more welcoming space will encourage non-practicing Catholics to come back to Church. The new building won’t be the final stage, she says; it’s seen as a fellowship hall when a future space, reserved for worship only, gets built. She’s not so sure that will be anytime soon. But things in this new space will definitely be different: “We’ll have our separate sanctuary. We’ll have separate classrooms. We’ll have our separate fellowship hall. But now when we have anything, it’s right there in the sanctuary. Although Anna’s been there since the beginning, a big part of the story of Holy Family, for another telling, is the presence of a substantial local Hispanic Catholic population. Those parishioners are an active and growing group,
BAM Spotlight
Finally, ground was broken. Glenmary Father Vic Subb (far right) looks on as Bishop of Knoxville Mark Spalding plants a shovel.
who have devoted lots of energy to raising funds for a new Church. People from many cultures in Macon County are coming together. Holy Family is a story of loving acceptance, as older and newer parishioners worship in the same building and cross cultural divides. Seeking to be truly Catholic is leading them to become a parish worthy of their name: Holy Family. Isn’t that a goal for all of us? Speaking of the Holy Family, happy St. Joseph Day! (St. Joseph Day is March 19, just two days after St. Patrick’s.)
Holy Family parishioners hope to finish construction and begin worshipping in their new church building this summer.
Name: Rita Madak Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Occupation: Accountant (retired) She came away from a mission tour to Lafayette, Tenn., more sure than ever that Glenmary is a sign of hope in today’s Church: “I was really happy to go, and to be at Glenmary headquarters. They made me feel so welcome.” She finds the Glenmary parishioners “so impressive! They struggle so much to keep the Church alive. It’s so easy for us to get to church in the city.”
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