By TARA CONNOLLY Staff writer
Holly Benner, mission education director for the Diocese of Allentown and national coordinator for Missionary Childhood Association (MCA), believes the glory of the Catholic faith and her journey to conversion needs to be shared, and has entered the blogging world to share her passion.
After being named mission education director in 2016, Benner was also appointed the national coordinator in 2019. As national coordinator and MCA being part of the Pontifical Mission Societies that operates in New York City, part of Benner’s responsibilities was to launch a blog.
The monthly blog, “Hol(l)y Headlines,” which she began authoring last March, looks at extraordinary priests she has encountered, stories of martyrs and answering God’s call to serve the poor.
“It is a way for me to tell my story of my conversion, calling and experiences of serving the poor in the missions,” said Benner.
With a deep passion for the missions and experience in making mission real at the diocesan level, Benner has traveled frequently to Africa as president of a faith-based nonprofit organization that she founded, focused on developing sustainable water resources among poor communities.
By blogging about her experiences, she has catapulted her stories to the national level.
“There is a lot of good news about our Catholic faith, and it is time to start sharing it,” said Benner.
Her most recent blog, “An Extraordinary Missionary Priest,” shares the story of Father Thomas Kevin Kraft, a native of the Allentown Diocese, whom she encountered during an RCIA class while seeking to become a full member of the Catholic Church.
“Father Kevin made a sacrifice to leave the comfort of his home here in the United States. He had felt called to serve the poor in mission countries, spending most of his ministerial life (30-plus years) in missionary work,” wrote Benner.
“Father Kevin faced some dangerous challenges throughout his mission work. While living in Lima for a couple of years, he was surrounded by car bombings and electrical lines toppling to black out the city, along with being robbed for material items and money.
“In 1991 he lived in Chimbote, where he had worked for five years. The ‘Shining Path’ movement began threatening foreign priests and tried to blackmail the bishop into resigning while Father Kevin was living there.”
Another blog entry recounts her 20th anniversary of being baptized in the Catholic Church on the Easter Vigil and a reflection on the needs of people in Third World countries:
“Unfortunately, we know that many children in developing countries live a far different reality, not only during the Easter Season but also during the hours of each day – a reality filled more with the suffering and sacrifice of Good Friday and less with the joy and hope of Easter Sunday.
“Throughout my mission travels, I have witnessed many missionaries who have been called to serve the poor by working toward providing everyday necessities for children.”
Benner’s November blog is expected to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday with a focus on gratitude.
To access or subscribe to the blog, visit www.missio.org under then click on the blogs tab, or go directly to Holly Headlines.
To contact Benner, email holly@stmchurchallentown.org or call 610-433-7413.
