Support of Home Mission Outreach a Natural Fit in 1949—and It Still Fits Today
Glenmary Home Missioners was the first charitable organization newlyweds George and Rosemary Walther began contributing to after their marriage in 1946. They chose Glenmary when a missioner spoke at their Cincinnati parish in 1949. From then on, they made monthly contributions to support the home missions.
“Glenmary is such a worthy organization to support,” George says. “We were always very faithful to Glenmary, supporting them in whatever way we could.”
He says he has always had a special place in his heart for mission work and a very special devotion to Mary, so supporting Glenmary’s ministry seemed a natural. In addition, as a native of the Cincinnati area, George has been connected to Glenmary’s work in Cincinnati and Eastern Kentucky. “I guess I saw it as helping out the folks locally from the area where I grew up,” he says.
The retired nuclear engineer is a native of Covington, Ky., but his career took him and Rosemary all over the country—south, east and to Hawaii. But all the while, he says, “we kept up with Glenmary and kept the connections we had made since beginning our association with Glenmary.”
Those connections to Glenmary and to the many Glenmarians who became the couple’s friends over the years were made a little stronger following Rosemary’s death in 1983.
“I got a lot of support and prayers from Glenmary Home Missioners throughout Rosemary’s illness and following her death,” he remembers.
In the late 1990s, he established a Charitable Remainder Trust with Glenmary as beneficiary, primarily using Rosemary’s money.
“It’s a reminder of Rosemary,” he says, “and it’s a way to honor her memory by continuing to support a very important organization. Although she isn’t here, good work is being continued in her name.”
He also donated three stained-glass windows to the chapel in the Glenmary residence located in Cincinnati. One window is donated in Rosemary’s name, the other two are in memory of her parents and George’s parents.
“I was so happy to be able to do that and it’s something that I’m really proud of,” he says. “It’s nice to know that there is a lasting memory of Rosemary in a space that is home to an organization and mission she cared so deeply about.
Although George says a lot of work has been accomplished by Glenmary since the society’s founding gin 1939, he realizes there is a lot of work to be done. He hopes, in some small way, the charitable trust and his donations are helping the work continue.
“The trust and my association with Glenmary have been a really positive, wonderful experience,” he says. Reflecting on his life, he says he is grateful that there have been more ups than downs. And those ups continue today as he and his second wife, Kay, are enjoying the slower pace of retirement.
“It’s been a good life and I’m grateful for that,” he says. Much has gone into that good life: marriage, family, a wonderful job—and, he says, it’s important to remember to give something back.
“It’s good to feel like I’m a part of helping those right here at home,” he says of his loyalty to Glenmary. “Mission work is very important to the life of the Church, and I’m happy to be part of that.”
