Glenmary Brother Jack Henn was interested in working with the poor, especially within a religious community. Being able to do this work full-time drew him to the vocation of a religious Brother. “I wanted to devote my whole life to that endeavor, and Glenmary’s work in Appalachia and the deep South is a good fit,” says Brother Jack.
Although he grew up in an urban area, young Jack Henn was attracted to rural areas — the countryside and the slower pace of life with less hustle and bustle.
Brother Jack has served in missions in North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Kentucky; as vocation director, formation director, and vice president of Glenmary Home Missioners for three different four-year terms. Currently he is assigned at our Glenmary headquarters in Fairfield, Ohio helping transport elderly Glenmarians to medical appointments, shopping and other needs.
“One of the attractions of the Brotherhood vocation is that you can be very creative in your ministry,” Brother Jack explains of his varied assignments. Nursing, social work, ecumenism, social outreach, and building trades are some of the ways in which Glenmary Brothers work with the poor and marginalized.
“There’s a lot of prejudice and misconceptions about Catholics in the south. Our men go into various counties, meet people, belong to different organizations and rub shoulders with people who may have never met a Catholic in their life. It’s an interesting ministry to go into that kind of environment and break down barriers that have formed for generations,” Brother Jack states.
Brother Jack highlighted a Glenmary brother who goes to Protestant and Evangelical churches in his mission county. “Over a year’s time he would go to 80 churches and get known in the county. He breaks down barriers in all these churches who have odd or not very affirming ideas of what a Catholic is.”
Another Brother works in Tennessee, off the Appalachian Trail. “Every day he parks his truck and provides food and drink for the hikers who come through the trail. Our men do a variety of things that are out-of-the-box or different,” says Brother Jack.
Still another Brother started a food pantry in Windsor, North Carolina, now operating for 25 years. The pantry reaches about 750 families per month and provides close to 10,000 weekend backpacks for elementary and middle school students yearly.
“In our mission areas the average Catholic population is about one half of one percent. Yet, in most of our counties, when people are in need of help, the overwhelming response is ‘go see the Catholic.’ That is our reputation in our mission areas,” Brother Jack remarks.
Brother Jack’s own interests in the missions entailed working with the elderly, visiting those in local nursing homes, and coaching youth sports. “My goal was always to get around and get involved in as much as possible.”
-Mary Ellen Pellegrini
