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Vocation Prayer

      God’s Blessings to all of you who are discerning a vocation in the Church and to those visiting this Web site.

Let me introduce myself, I am Brother Lyle Hennen, SCJ and a Vocation Recruiter with the Priests of the Sacred Heart located in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. My early years began in Prior Lake, Minnesota. I was the youngest of four children raised in a small town where everyone knew each other. My education was in the public school system, raised in a multi-cultural, ecumenical setting. For two years after college I taught junior and senior high school English and Art. Then I began a career in the corporate world as a sales consultant for Marshall Fields in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After seventeen years of working for Marshall Fields, I owned a home overlooking a beautiful Minnesota lake, a car, and a pontoon and had many friends. In my parish church I served in many ministries and belonged to Scripture classes. 

One morning after one hour of private prayer, an inner voice called me to full time ministry in the Church. I did nothing about it and two weeks later the inner voice returned again saying, “Do something about it. ”At that time I was 45 years old and began to discern and search for a second career seminary. A friend of mine told me about Sacred Heart School of Theology, a second career seminary in Hales Corners, Wisconsin owned by the Priests of the Sacred Heart. Before entering the seminary I did work among the poor and learned about the ministries to the poor with the Priests of the Sacred Heart. I joined the order and received a degree in Theology from Sacred Heart School of Theology in 1996. In January of 1997 I began full time ministry as a Social Service Minister in Holly Springs, Mississippi among the Black Americans. There is great poverty among the poor of Mississippi. Many people live in homes with dirt floors and no plumbing. These homes were handed down from their great grandparents and parents. I was the director of Catholic Community Outreach with five staff members who helped the poor acquire emergency food, clothing, and housing, jobs and utility assistance. There are very few jobs in this area and many factories were closing their doors due to the bad economic situation.

I could see a real need for low income housing in this area. I joined the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity and we built three homes in five years. Also I served as a board member for Marshall County Community Development Corporation, the founder of Bro. Bob’s Center, a homeless shelter, and New Hope Village, a transitional housing project.  Bro. Bob’s Center was named after a former brother of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Bro. Bob Herauf.  He died from a long struggle with cancer and I continued the work he started. Also I served as the director of Volunteer Services for over 200 high school and college students who came every year to work among the poor of Mississippi. It was there in the suffering and poverty of the poor in Mississippi that I learned to better know Jesus Christ. These people lived their lives in gratitude to God and they had very little in life. Their faith in God was so natural and something they spoke about often. I met Jesus in the lives of these Black Americans who struggled daily just to receive the basic necessities in life.

“Come follow me,” Jesus said “and I will make you fishers of mankind.” At once they left their boats and followed him. ”(Matthew 4:19-20) I left my friends, family, career, house and boat and followed Jesus. My new life is more rewarding and fulfilling than all the money/material things I had before joining the Priests of the Sacred Heart. My discernment process did not happen alone but was a process of seeking opinions of other people, those of family, friends, parish priest and religious. “Behold, I come O God, to do your will.” (Heb. 10:9) We are called to make choices and discern what is God’s will in our life. Doing God’s will is for our well-being.

If you have a desire to discern priesthood, brotherhood and religious life, please contact our vocation office. 1-800-609-5559 or my e-mail at lylehe@wi.rr.com.  You can lead a life of fulfillment and have the opportunity to do a variety of ministries with the Priests of the Sacred Heart.

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