The following story first appeared in the Winter 2006 Glenmary Challenge.
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Coming Full Circle
Brother David Henley's path to brotherhood included stints at the Glenmary Farm, as a juggler and serving in homeless shelters. His Final Oath marks the beginning of a life-long commitment to serve the neglected in the home missions as 'a brother to all.'

A BROTHER TO ALL: Brother David (above) laughs during Father Neil Pezzulo’s homily at the Aug. 21 Mass held in Nazareth, Ky.

When Brother David Henley decided to enter Glenmary in 2001, he was the only student in formation that year. He asked himself, “Why am I here? Why am I the only one here.” But he decided he couldn’t answer for anyone but himself.

“The world might think I am crazy for choosing a life of poverty, chastity, obedience and prayer,” he says. “But I don’t know any other way.”

On Aug. 21, 2006, Brother David, 35, made his 2001 choice permanent as he took his Final Oath as a Glenmary Home Missioner on the first night of the week-long annual Glenmary Congress held in Nazareth, Ky.

Glenmary president Father Dan Dorsey told those gathered for the Final Oath Mass and ceremony that “This man’s willingness to make a lifelong commitment to serve the neglected people in our home missions is good news worthy of celebration.”

Brother David, a Columbus, Ohio, native, traveled a circuitous path to the celebration on Aug. 21—a path that involved a stint traveling the country as a juggler and performing at street fairs, carnivals and, for six months, in Branson, Mo.

That path—which has come full circle—has given rise to one of Brother David’s favorite quips: “I ran away from the circus to join Glenmary!”

He first became aware of Glenmary in 1989 as a high school student volunteer who spent a week at the Glenmary Farm in Vanceburg, Ky. He returned to the Farm as an on-site manager of the volunteer program in the 1990s. He then spent several years working in homeless shelters in Chicago and Santa Fe, N.M.

Eventually, the call to missionary brotherhood brought him back to where he began—Glenmary. He had remained in contact with Glenmary’s vocation office throughout his travels and, in early 2000, began the application process.

“Glenmary has been such a good fit for me,” Brother David says. “I can’t imagine doing anything else. This is who I am.”

Fluent in Spanish, Brother David professed his Final Oath in both English and Spanish. In his years with Glenmary, he has worked primarily with the Spanish-speakers living in Glenmary mission areas in Swainsboro, Ga., Crossett and Hamburg, Ark., and Beaver Dam and Hartford, Ky.

This academic year Brother David is living in Hartford, Ky., and will complete a degree in pastoral ministry at nearby Brescia University. He has been a resident of Ohio County for the past five years while in formation and has deep connections with the folks living in the county, especially the Spanish-speaking immigrants.

He spends a lot of his time interpreting and advocating for the Hispanic community who, he says, “bring so much energy and life to the Hartford community and to the local church community.” His translation skills are especially important in medical, legal and educational situations.

Brother David recently told of his experience helping coach a Spanish-speaking woman through the birth of her twins. His voice cracked as he described what it was like to see the grandfather holding the babies after they were born.

“There’s great joy and satisfaction in the relationships we (Glenmary missioners) form with those we serve… It’s just an incredible gift.”

Because outreach and service have been such an integral part of his life, he encourages others to also become involved, no matter their vocation in life. “I have found that those I have served have helped me find out who I am—and I’ve gotten much more than what I’ve given.”

As he looks to the future, Brother David says he is looking forward to whatever mission assignment he receives. His goal, he says, is to be “a brother to all, to walk in solidarity with people in a ministry of presence.”

Read more about Brother David

View a slideshow of Final Oath photos