The Man Who Crosses Over

by father aaron wessman

Glenmarians are marked by the characteristic of any good missioner: the ability to cross over into another person’s life. By crossing over, I simply mean to get to know another person, even someone with a very different background from my own, to form a loving communion. How can I step out of polarized, fractured groups, and begin living the mission of Jesus more fully? That’s a question for all of us.

To do it requires intention. We need to go out of our way to know the other. Luckily, I find examples among many Glenmary missioners, whether they be Glenmarians, or coworkers, even supporters in our Glenmary family. One example I offered in my book The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World is Glenmary Brother Craig Digmann.

A white, middle-aged man, Brother Craig has crossed over into cultures not his own. As a Catholic serving in rural, southern counties in the United States, he’s accustomed to living around the majority Protestant—mostly evangelical and Pentecostal— Christian population. He’s also aware of the division that exists between Catholics and Protestants, one where both sides often share the blame. This division is regularly coupled with misunderstanding, prejudice, and sometimes, even hatred.

Brother Craig feels inspired to overcome these divides. He orders his life and mission around Jesus’ prayer that all Christians would be one (see Jesus’ prayer in John 17). That members of the same body of Christ could find reasons to hate each other is, to him, unacceptable, though he understands well the long, sad history of division between Christians. So, he devotes himself, one relationship at a time, to overcoming this hatred and bringing about unity.

A public witness

As he is known to say: “It’s about relationships.” To build these relationships, he dedicates himself to visiting every church in the county in which he lives. This process begins by meticulously mapping out the churches, often hundreds of them, recording their address, logging contacts, and planning for a visit. Once mapped out, Brother Craig resolutely determines to fulfill his passion: to visit them all.

Arriving early at the various churches, Brother Craig often sees a few friendly faces he has met throughout the town—some have invited him to attend their services. With those he meets for the first time, he smiles, shakes hands, talks about the weather, comments on local high school sports, asks questions, and then readies himself to pray.

He’s aware that, for many of the people he meets, he is the first Catholic that they have ever talked to. Once the worship service begins, Brother Craig follows the lead of the congregation. As a Catholic who deeply loves the Mass, what he encounters is not his usual style of worship. The hymns are different, the sermons are usually longer, and, though not common, he’s seen communities still practice snake handling, seen as a test of biblical faith.

But Brother Craig bows his head, listens attentively, and sings. (He would never handle snakes, by the way.) In some situations, Brother Craig is called upon to lead a prayer in front of the group. That’s remarkable in that he’s often the first Catholic to cross the threshold of these worship spaces.

Unity among differences

Brother Craig’s presence in leading the prayer, along with the community’s hospitality extended to him, image an important reality: that unity can exist even when there are differences. Brother Craig’s approach is humble and nonthreatening. As he says, “I have tried to not be intrusive or to force my faith on any I have met, but to walk with people wherever they are in their lives.”

In one of his assignments as a missioner, he visited nearly 200 Protestant churches (all in his area).

From these momentous efforts, it is easy to understand how Protestants in the area have considered him, a Catholic, their ‘pastor.’ Furthermore, those he encountered regularly sought his advice in church matters, asked him for prayers, invited him to talk about Catholicism, accompanied him to Catholic worship, and even called upon him to give the sermon in the absence of their own minister!

One Protestant man from the county where Brother Craig served summarized the brother’s presence like this: “[In] my numerous experiences of fellowship with him, [he] has exemplified a deep respect of my community and its culture. He has become one of us, exhibiting utmost kindness.”

That’s the kind of public witness that might well encourage others not only to cross over into his life, but also to the lives of others in their community.

“We enjoy his presence in our community and his willingness to know our culture, our names, and even our struggles,” the man continued. What testimony! Few more complimentary words could be said about a person who has given his life to a mission of crossing over.