• “The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.”

    St. John Chrysostom

  • “More desirable than gold, than a hoard of purest gold, Sweeter also than honey or drippings from the comb.”

    Psalm 19: 11

  • “This Congregation of Divine Mercy will be in God’s Church like a beehive in a magnificent garden, hidden and meek. The sisters will work like bees to feed their neighbors’ souls with honey, while the wax will flame for the glory of God.”

    St. Faustina Diary (664)

  • “The cooperation of the living community of believers in the Church in some way resembles the activity of bees. It builds up the community of light.”

    Pope Benedict XVI

  • “Have patience and persevere in the holy exercise of meditation; be content to begin with small steps till you have legs to run, better still wings to fly. Be content to be obedient, which is never a small thing for a soul which has chosen God for its portion. And be resigned to be, for the present, a little bee in the hive which will soon become a large bee capable of making honey.”

    St. Padre Pio

  • “Humility must always be doing its work like a bee making its honey in the hive: without humility all will be lost.”

    St. Teresa of Ávila

Inspiration

Over the past 5 years, Portage North parishioner and beekeeper Aimee Crane has presented several talks on bees and beekeeping at local shops, garden clubs, science classrooms, and festivals.

From these interactions, she has met hundreds of people who wish to keep in touch and share ways they are making a difference in their community, their gardens, or lifestyle to help the honey bees. Each interaction is exciting and the energy is palpable. Aimee has repeat encounters where the person relays how they took interest in something shared, and spread that light to someone else. They feel empowered and proud to take this knowledge and gift it with others.

Aimee states:

“I often share with God that I wish people became just as excited by His word and teachings as much as they were excited by my bees.”

She calls her interactions, “beevangelization.”

2025 is a big year.

This year being a Jubilee year, the theme “Pilgrims of Hope” is intended to help restore hope and trust, and to encourage Catholics to rediscover their spirituality. This year is also the 50th anniversary or “Golden” anniversary of the dedication of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Aurora, Ohio. Leaning into the excitement of these two historic milestones, we felt compelled to share our light in a much bigger way.

Beekeeping has a rich history in our Catholic faith. There is much that God can teach us through
these humble creatures.

We are convinced that by creating an active and focused community of workers within the Portage North parishes of the Diocese of Youngstown, we can strive to be faithful stewards of God’s gifts and serve others under the protection of our Queen of heaven and earth, the Blessed Virgin Mary. We also believe that through studying bees and caring for the natural world around us, we can inspire Catholics to bravely answer God’s call to discipleship through proclaiming the Gospel by our actions.

This is the genesis of Glory Bee.