Henry Keefe tries to live in the present.
“The duty of the present moment, it’s pretty clear,” he said.
“Whether it’s sending that email or having a conversation at dinner, I aim to sanctify the ordinary moments in my day.”
Keefe graduated from UW-Madison in 2021 and was married the same year.
Four years later, he works as a data analyst at American Family Insurance’s headquarters in Madison.
In his work, Keefe evaluates performance data, and provides insights and recommendations to company leadership and insurance agents in the field.
Keefe said he’s the “guy who studies the numbers,” and by identifying trends, agents can use his recommendations to help give customers the best product.
Keefe is now the father of two girls, and his family are parishioners of St. Patrick Church in Cottage Grove, part of Stella Maris Pastorate.
Balancing work, family life, and prayer is difficult, Keefe said, and sanctifying those “ordinary moments” is how he keeps God present when life is busy.
“Doing my work well, living life with my family well, [and] my times of prayer, all of that is a strong conversation with God, attempting to keep His presence there,” Keefe said.
Setting up ‘fence posts’
Keefe shared that by introducing “fence posts” into his workday, he’s able to “keep up that conversation” with God.
“My whole day can be prayer — going to a meeting or doing an hour’s worth of work,” Keefe explained.
The inspiration for these “fence posts,” Keefe shared, came from his involvement with Opus Dei and from learning about the community’s founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá.
“St. Josemaría would say, ‘An hour of study . . . is like an hour of prayer,’ [and] ‘We are able to be contemplatives in the middle of the world,’” Keefe said.
“I try not to live with my ‘faith hat’ over here and my ‘work hat’ over here; it’s all Henry Keefe.”
Continuing, Keefe said that “fence posts” can be as big as attending a daily Mass before work or during the noon hour or as small as praying a few “Hail Marys” throughout the workday.
Even in simple things at work, like “the email you push the send button on, you can choose to include God,” Keefe said.
“Fence posts” are a part of a “a unified experience,” he said, as he strives to offer his work to God.
That understanding comes from the Book of Genesis.
“God made us to work in the Garden before the Fall,” he explained.
“He created Man to till the land, and so work is a calling that we’re all to fulfill. From a loving Father, work is not this terrible thing,” and actually, “Work is a great means for the apostle,” Keefe said.
“You can sanctify your work, sanctify yourself in your work, and sanctify others through your work.
“The quiet and persevering work of trying to live for God and help others get to know God is an opportunity we get to have,” Keefe said.
Be like leaven
A metaphor Keefe keeps in mind at work is that Catholics are called to be like leaven in society.
“We are just like everybody else, but we’ve been given the gift of faith,” he said.
“The yeast is not seen in the finished product, in the loaf of bread, but it’s what gives it the rise that it needs.”
That yeast, explained Keefe, are the times when he’s called into a project late, goes out of his way to make small talk with coworkers he’s not as familiar with, or other moments where he can make a small sacrifice for someone else.
“Offering your work to God and also doing it for the company, your coworkers, and growing as a professional is an important thing to witness to,” he said.
He added that in his friendships at work, he’s able to evangelize.
“God, Jesus, spent 30 years in the town of Nazareth, and I’m sure he made good friends over that time.
“By just having good friendships with people, we are able to grow on a very personal level and build trust,” Keefe said.
“When the time comes that someone may seek our guidance or help, we can be Christ passing by to other people,” he said.
Do you know someone who shares their “faith at work” and serves to evangelize others? We want to tell their stories! Send your ideas to [email protected].