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For Sacred Heart Brother Gary Humes, the phrase “Life begins at 40” might aptly apply to his religious life.
A freshman theology teacher at Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen, Brother Gary did not enter religious life until he neared age 40.
“I was in my late 30s when I entered the postulancy,” said Brother Gary, who is celebrating 25 years of his first profession and 10 years at the school that was founded in 1901 by the religious order.
“I guess I wanted to really make sure, and I had a lot of varied life experiences,” he said in a recent telephone interview with “The Catholic Spirit.”
“Even though I was involved in the Catholic Church and everything else, I said ‘I really want to make sure this is what I want to do.’”
In his pre-religious life, Brother Gary, 64, taught 10 years at Our Lady of Grace Elementary School (now Academy) in the Archdiocese of New York. He said he was enjoying life in the New York City area, teaching at other schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn (N.Y.), but he wanted more.
He visited several religious orders and “really prayed about it, discerned it,” before deciding on the Sacred Heart Brothers.
Given his background in education, Brother Gary said he preferred becoming a brother over a priest. While most priestly orders serve parishes, the brothers devote their lives to teaching, which was Brother Gary’s training. Teaching and the community were integral components since the formation of the Brothers’ order in Lyon, France, by Father Andre Coindre, in 1821.
“The community life factor was something that drew me into religious life,” Brother Gary said.
Growing up near Harrisburg, Pa., Brother Gary said church was always important.
“My parish was like my second home,” he said. There, he was an altar server and involved in the Catholic Youth Organization program.
Priests and nuns nurtured his faith, from elementary school to Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, to Alvernia College in Reading, Pa., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies and secondary education.
“I mean, it was just having all those religious around me, being part of Catholic education and going on to college,” Brother Gary said, when asked to name a person who influenced him to serve in the religious life. “I was ingrained in it, because I saw how dedicated they were.”
He said the order’s “strong fraternity” combined with a chance to teach students and meet their families are aspects of his vocation that he enjoys. He also enjoys sharing community living with Sacred Heart Brother Richard Leven, the longtime guidance counselor and cross-country coach at Saint Joseph.
“He’s 82. Some kids say that their grandparents remember him,” Brother Gary said of his fellow religious.
Brother Gary, whose order’s uniform includes a distinguished crucifix with the Sacred Heart of Jesus worn around his neck, said there are some challenges to being in a religious order.
“It’s gotten a lot better over the years,” he explained, “but I think sometimes not being with my family and friends as much as I would like to be, because you do have your obligations. Being a community member, you just can’t pick up and go.
“But there have been so many other blessings,” he added. “You might not see your family as much, but you become part of so many other people’s families.”
He then recalled an Italian family in Brooklyn, whose children he taught, and being invited to Christmas Eve dinners.
“I got to enjoy the fish – all this food!” Brother Gary said. “I like pasta, so I was eating the pasta. Then, when I saw the other dishes, I was like, ‘I don’t know how much more I could eat.’
“The next time I knew to pace myself. We became part of their family.”
Keeping pace with the family of brothers, students and parents at Saint Joseph High has become paramount to Brother Gary.
