The following story first appeared in the Autumn 2001 Glenmary Challenge.
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Brother Jack Henn: 
Behind the Scenes Ministry
By Karen Hurley

Brother Jack Henn at his desk at Glenmary's Cincinnati headquarters.

When Bellevue, Ky., native  Jack Henn entered Glenmary after several years as an accountant, he opened himself to “whatever possibilities Glenmary presented.” Now, as he looks back on his first 25 years as a Glenmary missioner, he says it has been “an exciting, growth-filled journey,” and he has been “stretched as a person.”

One of those “stretchings” has been the call to leadership in the Glenmary community. Brother Jack is currently serving his second four-year term as second vice-president, a job that he describes as “a ministry of support.”

“The crux of my job,” he says, “is to be of service to the guys in the field.”

A 1986 story that appeared in Our Sunday Visitor about Brother Jack’s work with volunteers at the Glenmary Farm gives a foretaste of how he approaches his current administrative role.

“’This is your most important day,’ he tells the five young men gathering around him in the old farmhouse living room. ‘Today we’re the group that works behind the scenes to keep the camp going for the other guys [who were off building homes and ministering directly to folks in Eastern Kentucky].…We dream of being heroes and living romantic adventures, but most of life is composed of doing small things in a spirit of joy.’”

Brother Jack has also been involved in other behind-the-scenes ministry for Glenmary. He has served as vocation director, director of the candidacy program and novice director.

But he has also managed some years on the front lines in the missions. He spent 1978-82 as a parish brother in Sylvania, Ga., where he focused on work with youth. He served as scoutmaster for an all-black Boy Scout troop, and he helped establish a Christian Youth Center to bring blacks and whites in the community together for social and recreational opportunities.

A sports enthusiast, Brother Jack was one of the few white players in the local basketball league. He also coached youth teams in baseball, softball and basketball. He believed that racial stereotypes and biases would be alleviated if youth knew one another.

In Sautee, Ga., he spent a year (1988-89) working in a shelter for folks struggling with all kinds of difficulties—homelessness, abuse, unemployment.

Aside from his Glenmary commitments (as leadership representative for the Glenmary Co-Missioners and the Glenmary Justice Commission), he also remains an active member of the Religious Brothers Conference. He believes in the vocation of brotherhood—not just for Glenmary, but for the entire Church. He wishes that more people understood the role of brotherhood in the church today.

Brother Jack sees his jubilee year as a time to reflect on what has been and to look forward to what is to come. His hope for himself: “to get back someday to direct service in the missions.” His hope for Glenmary: “to continue to be creative in how we do mission ministry. That we won’t be fearful of the future, that we won’t be afraid to take risks.”