This article originally appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of El Reto Glenmary.
At 71, Father Vic Subb is back on a mission. His new home is a small town on the banks of the Roanoke River in North Carolina. Plymouth has just over 3,000 residents and is just over an hour from the ocean.
"It's a town that struggles economically, but it has a lot of beauty," says Father Vic. "I think the people seem to be good. The population is made up of different races, but people seem to live in harmony, and that's a big plus."
Father Vic arrived to serve at St. Joan of Arc Mission, where Hispanics make up the majority of parishioners. Another Glenmary mission is located half an hour away in Williamston, a town of about 5,000 people. Glenmary also has a presence in Windsor, another town about half an hour away, where the Tavares Missionary Family and Brother Curt Kedley, who supports a local food bank, live.
Father Vic is excited to return to the missions after a hiatus.
"I came in September and I feel good. I'm starting to get to know the people," he says, referring mostly to the Catholic parishioners. "They are a good group of people. There seems to be harmony, a lot of harmony in the parish."
His housemate in Plymouth is Brother Craig Digmann, from Glenmary, who does ecumenical outreach to churches of different denominations and also supports Father Vic with administrative tasks.
Taking a break to improve his health
Prior to his return to a mission, Father Vic lived for a little more than a year and a half at Glenmary's motherhouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had been transferred there to attend to health issues, including a skin cancer that required surgery. He also suffers from a neurosis that causes difficulty walking, so he underwent physical therapy.
His time in Cincinnati was fruitful, he says. "I had cancer surgery, melanoma surgery, as well as cataract surgery, so it was good. I had the opportunity to renew some relationships; I also had the opportunity to work in the office, where a lot of great people work, at Glenmary."
During his time at headquarters, Father Vic supported the Development department, which is dedicated to fundraising and maintaining relationships with Glenmary's donors.
Prior to moving to Cincinnati, Father served as pastor in charge of mission in Lafayette, Tennessee, for more than nine years. "I really, really miss the people of Lafayette. I felt a lot of closeness with the people. In many ways, I felt like a relative to them and they embraced me with a lot of kindness, so I felt like a grandfather at times, but I hope it was more than that, spiritually," he says.
A new reality
Now, hundreds of miles away from Lafayette and Cincinnati, Father Vic is adjusting to his new community.
Becky Barnes, a parishioner at St. Joan of Arc, says, "He's fitting in well. He's getting along well with people. He's very approachable to talk to and very easy-going. I think we're really going to enjoy him."
"I'm learning a lot from him. I like the simple way he does things," adds Arlene Purugganan, another parishioner and member of one of the parish choirs.
Both women say that one of Father Vic's challenges will be to keep alive the youth group left by previous priests Father Richard Toboso and Father Jose Carlos Miguel Lopez.
"Once a month, Father Richard and Father Jose would meet with the youth group and have Mass. Usually, they would do some kind of outdoor sport, like volleyball. They would take them bowling and things like that," Barnes recalls. "I don't know how Father Vic is going to keep their (youth) interest high."
Challenges
With his mobility limitations, Father Vic can't participate with the youth in activities that require intense physical exercise. But he assures that the parish youth group will continue. One of the options he is considering is to cooperate with the priest who runs the Glenmary mission in Williamston, Father Vijaya Katta, and his youth group. "My plan is to talk to them, maybe do some youth activities together. They have a much more developed youth program," says Father Vic.
Another complicated task for Father here at St. Joan of Arc is home visitation. Some parishioners live an hour away from the parish house, so visiting them takes practically half a day, considering that driving back and forth alone requires two hours.
Despite his health limitations, Father Vic assures, like a good pastor, that "Home visits are very important. Just as they travel from far away to come to church, I feel I must travel far to visit them."
All in all, he is excited to return to active service on a mission. This may be the last one in his life before he becomes a senior member. For now, both he and the parishioners seem to be adjusting very well and enjoying their time together.
Photos
Photos by Omar Cabrera
