‘I ran away from the circus to join Glenmary–to be a brother to all?!’

Brother David

My day is winding down and although I’m tired, my mind races with thoughts of the turn my life will take in just a few short weeks. By the time you read this letter, I will have taken my Final Oath as a Glenmary brother. In doing so, I promise to dedicate myself to work in the missions of the rural United States, and I commit myself to a life of poverty, chastity, obedience and prayer.

Usually Father Dominic Duggins keeps you up-to-date about Glenmary’s ministry in Mission Land, USA. But I asked him if I could write to you at this time to thank you for the role you have played in my formation over the last five years.

I am grateful to all our donors for the generous outpouring of prayers and financial gifts. These have supported me during my years of formation. I hope I can count on the same support as I embark on a lifetime of home mission ministry.

It’s amazing, but by God’s grace everything I’ve ever done is now fitting together as I move into this new stage of my life. And I do mean everything, even things that might seem to have nothing to do with life as a Glenmary brother—like juggling!

You see, when I was a growing up in Columbus, Ohio, a neighbor taught me to juggle. Eventually I got to be a pretty good juggler—good enough to juggle full-time and travel throughout the country performing at carnivals and street fairs. I can even ride a unicycle and juggle at the same time!

I like to tell people that I ran away from the circus to join Glenmary! Seriously, though, as a juggler I developed the ability to relax and concentrate at the same time, something I’ve discovered I can really use in my mission service and outreach. If I am relaxing in the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit, I am better able to concentrate on the needs of the people in front of me!

My missionary formation started unofficially at the Glenmary Farm, “the place where peace came—and stayed,” according to its motto. I first came to the Farm in 1989 as a high school volunteer, but I returned many times and even served as a volunteer Farm manager in 1994. Those were years of discernment, years in which I was considering religious life as well as other options. I finally determined that God was calling me to life as a home missioner and began official formation in 2001 when I entered Glenmary as a brotherhood candidate.

Not too many people understand the vocational call of a brother. It’s not as common as the call to priesthood—and really quite different from ordained ministry. In my religious life I will be a “brother to all,” a role that will allow me to walk in solidarity with people in a ministry of presence. As a brother, I am free to serve as an advocate, an interpreter, a religious educator, or even an evangelist as I visit people in their homes.

In the coming year I’ll finish my degree in pastoral ministry at Brescia University in Owensboro, Ky., and then I’ll move on to my first assignment. Perhaps that assignment will mean continuing my work in Spanish-speaking communities where I’ve been blessed to serve during formation.

What an irony! In high school, I failed two years of Latin and a teacher told me I’d never be able to learn a foreign language. But, after living and working in Spanish-speaking communities in Santa Fe, Chicago, and the Glenmary missions in South Georgia and Western Kentucky, I was comfortable enough to take theology courses in Spanish when I studied in Mexico last year. And I even passed!

Or, perhaps my first assignment will allow me to continue the kind of work I did in Canton, Miss., during the summer of 2004, where I worked with the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. There are 10 poultry processing plants in that region of Mississippi which employ thousands of workers. About 80 percent are Spanish-speaking. I was part of a network focusing on improving wages, benefits and working conditions for low-wage workers. Although the struggles for worker rights—including worker safety—were difficult, there was a great sense of joy and laughter and love in the people I met.

Regardless of my assignment, though, I know I will walk in love and solidarity with the people in the home missions. I thank you for the opportunity to serve in this way.

As I begin this next stage in my faith journey, I hope you will continue to pray for me, my fellow Glenmarians, and for all the people we serve. And I want you to know that you have a special place in my prayers of thanksgiving. Thanks to you, I have a lifetime of mission ministry to look forward to as I live out my dream of being a “brother to all.”

Your brother in mission

Brother David Henley