At the age of 24,  now-Brother Jack Henn had a pretty wonderful life. After graduating from Thomas More College with a degree in accounting, he spent a few years working as a public accountant and a corporate auditor. It afforded him a nice car and comfortable place to live. Plus, he had a wonderful family, good health and an active social life with many friends and dates.

But there was still something missing.

“I needed something to touch my heart on a deeper level,” Brother Jack said.

So, he began his search. In one year, he wrote to 25 different religious orders. As he discerned religious life, he reviewed many informational packets and visited several orders until one day his mother suggested he contact Glenmary Home Missioners. A native of Bellevue, Ky., he had never heard of Glenmary, though he was only about 30 minutes away.

“I called the vocation director, who was Father Jerry Dorn at that time,” Brother Jack said. “When he asked me where I was from, I told him, and he said, ‘Why don’t you just come up and see me?’”

He began volunteering at The Glenmary Farm, spending two one-week sessions in Vanceburg, Ky., and a one-month term there. The opportunity allowed him to meet Glenmarians and see them in action.

“I loved the experience and the environment,” Brother Jack said. “(The Glenmarians’) spirit was contagious as far as their energy, vitality and willingness to serve. The people we met and the poor we helped made me want to become a brother.”

He also was attracted to the idea of being a missioner in America. While he felt called to service, he did not necessarily want to serve overseas. By serving in Appalachia and rural America, he could help the poor and give back without having to learn another language.

“I felt so blessed, and I wanted to give back,” Brother Jack said. “I wanted to devote my life to a calling that was very meaningful, and I felt that entailed a life of service with a community of Christian believers. I wanted to give my whole life to religious life.

“As I was looking around, the brotherhood attracted me,” Brother Jack said. “I perceived the brothers not as the leaders of the church but as those walking with the people and connecting with them on a deep, grassroots level.”

However, while his parents, family and friends were supportive, they were also surprised by his call to religious life. Brother Jack had served as an altar boy and regularly attended Mass, but he was never an overly religious person.

“I took my parents out to dinner at the Maisonette (a five-star restaurant in downtown Cincinnati) to tell them I was entering the brotherhood,” Brother Jack said. “They were shocked. They thought I was going to tell them I was getting engaged. I would have loved to hear their conversation after I left.”

Many of his friends thought he would not last six months. But, he and Brother Virgil Siefker still remain from their formation class.

In his more than 40 years as a Glenmarian, Brother Jack has served in many locations, including several stints in the vocation office. But he is most proud of the work he has done addressing racism in rural communities. His subtle approach helped unify his missions.

For example, he led an all-black Boy Scout troop and coached the first integrated softball team in one area. He recruited the best players in town to play for his team, and though his sponsor business was initially skeptical, it was fully supportive when the team became the best in the area.

Brother Jack also helped to create an integrated youth center for teens. He and several ministers in town approached the owner of a vacant roller-skating rink and bowling alley and proposed buying, renovating and turning the building into an after school center where teens could socialize, play ping pong and pinball and roller-skate. The owner gave the group the building for free. Glenmary granted the group money to renovate and paint the building and sent many volunteers to help with the work.

“We sometimes had more than 200 kids there,” Brother Jack said. “It was great, because it was the only social activity for black and white kids. I was never the one to carry the banner for integration. I did it slowly and subtly so I could break down stereotypes and prejudices and make inroads in an area.”

Throughout his tenure, Brother Jack has made friends throughout the United States, from the south, where he served in Georgia to the employees at New England high schools and colleges that helped him recruit volunteers for The Glenmary Farm. He also was inspired and encouraged in his spiritual journey and religious life by Glenmarians like Father Frank Korznik and his diocesan spiritual director Father Bob Mattingly.

“Being a Glenmarian allows you the freedom to use your gifts and talents to help others,” Brother Jack said. “It allows you the opportunity to be with people who are struggling, too, and to make a difference in their lives. It can be a real blessing to be a part of that.”