America's Behind-The-Scenes Missionaries
Interest Strong in Stories of America's Behind-The-Scenes Missionaries
CHICAGO - They labor quietly in America's Catholic missions, as priests bringing the sacraments hundreds of miles to Native American outposts, as Sisters operating food pantries for the poor in New Mexico or teaching prisoners how to read in Louisiana, and as deacons running thrift sales to raise money for parishioners struggling to pay their utility bills in Kentucky. Day in and day out they work, without many taking much notice.
That is, until the Catholic Church Extension Society began recognizing American missionaries doing extraordinary work and singling some of them out as genuine "Hidden Heroes" on the organization's web site. And it turns out that many visitors to the web site do care about what these Catholic missionaries are up to, because during the past several months, the "Hidden Heroes" stories have garnered more readership than any other area.
The individual stories are compelling. Father Tom Frost in Arizona tends to 40 missions serving 18,000 Catholics in the Arizona desert, and has put 274,000 miles on his old pickup truck. Sister Marlene Kochert operates the St. Elizabeth Food Pantry at the St. Mary Mission in Tohatchi, high in the desert of New Mexico, where she treks up mountains to bring boxes of food to the aging Navajo people living in dirt-floor hogans. In the Louisiana bayou, Sister Leah Sellers heads up an Adult Literacy Program at Landry Parish Jail, helping prisoners obtain their GED.
"I hang onto those moments when I can reach just one person," Sister Leah said. "My whole thrust of being here is because God doesn't give up on us. I am here to help show people that God still loves them. Faith and education are the two things that are going to help rehabilitate people."
Then there's Franciscan Brother Jerry Beetz, pastoral director of Holy Cross Church in Breathitt County, Kentucky, who conducts monthly thrift sales the first Friday of each month to raise money for parishioners who face having their heat cut off because they can't pay their utility bills. And Sister Kathleen Mary Radich, OSF, in Alaska's Yukon, who serves as Coordinator of Rural Ministries for 23 villages of Yup'ik Eskimo Catholics, hopping on an all-terrain vehicle to go teach catechists, prepare a simple meal for a poor family, or train Native Americans as deacons in this region hard hit by the priest shortage.
April's "Hidden Hero" is Father Julian Cassar from Eastern Oregon, who in wintertime negotiates an icy, treacherous mountain pass several times a week to get to three mission churches, routinely travels 40 miles to reach a sick parishioner, and keeps a parish fund for food and gasoline vouchers for struggling parishioners.
More of Father Julian's story is told in the April issue of Extension Magazine, which is on the Catholic Extension web site.
"These missionaries are inspiring," said Catholic Extension President Bishop William R. Houck. "They are not normally in the spotlight, but they do masterful work as part of their regular daily routine. We honor them, and try to lift them up for inspiration to our Catholic people and to recognize in some small way the unique and unusual work they are doing. Our 'Hidden Heroes' recognition on our web site is a means of thanking them for their commitment to Jesus Christ, and I'm grateful that more people are becoming aware of their extraordinary efforts."
For more than 100 years, the Chicago-based Catholic Church Extension Society has supported Catholic missions in the U.S. by funding church construction, religious and seminary education, outreach ministries, evangelization, salaries and operating expenses. Catholic Extension is the leading supporter of Catholic missions in the U.S. and has distributed more than $400 million over its history. For more information about Catholic Extension or to read about the "Hidden Heroes," please visit www.catholicextension.org.