Witnesses to Unity. Day 7: Brother Craig Digmann

An Octave of Prayers for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Welcome to Day Seven of a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, brought to you by three Catholic spirituality centers. We invite you to pray with us as we post short prayers and reflections based the witness of eight ecumenical leaders, one for each of the eight days.

The spirituality centers are the Marillac Center in Leavenworth, Kansas, the Sophia Center in Atchison, Kansas and Precious Blood Renewal Center in Liberty, Missouri.

We encourage you to share these prayers with members of your family and circle of acquaintances, including those who belong to another faith tradition.

Together, let us pray. (pause)

A reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew 28:16-20

The 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshipped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Brother Craig Digmann

Brother Craig Digmann is a white, middle-aged man, and a religious brother in a missionary organization called the Glenmary Home Missioners. 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, where both sides often share the blame. This division is regularly coupled with misunderstanding, prejudice, and sometimes, even hatred.

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.

To build these relationships, he dedicates himself to visiting every church in the county in which he lives. Brother Craig is determined 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.

Brother Craig’s approach is humble and nonthreatening. As he states: “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.” He’s adamant about allowing the Spirit of God to guide him in making prudent decisions and adapting to the many situations he encounters. He states: “I just need to have an openness to allow the Spirit to somehow work through me.”

One Protestant man from the county where he served, summarized Brother Craig’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.” The man continued: “We enjoy his presence in our community and his willingness to know our culture, our names, and even our struggles.”

Few more complimentary words could be said about a person who has given his life to a mission of “crossing over.”

(The above material is taken from the book The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World by Aaron Wessman.)

Take a minute of silence now and reflect:

• In spite of different church traditions and practices, how does confessing “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” affect my relationships with other Christians?

Then pray:

God our Father, I praise you and bless your name.

Accept my thanksgiving for the unity that Christians already enjoy

in the confession of Jesus the Lord,

in the communion that you desire,

and for which your Son prayed.

I ask this in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thank you for praying with us today. Please join us again tomorrow.

All of the prayers in this series can be found here: Witnesses to Unity: Prayers for Christian Unity.

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Watch our introductory video

Learn more about these Catholic Spirituality Centers:

The Marillac Center, the retreat and spirituality center of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, in Leavenworth, Kansas.

The Sophia Center is a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas.

Precious Blood Renewal Center, in Liberty, Missouri, is a ministry of the United States Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, a Catholic religious order.

Photo Credit: Washington County High School, Plymouth, North Carolina.

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