Brother Shawn McEnany was the older of two children born to Herbert and Mary Doris (Laferriere) McEnany on January 1, 1962. Shawn grew up in the Lowell area of Massachusetts and first contacted the Brothers of the Sacred Heart during his high school career at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Graduating in 1979, Shawn entered the formation program of the Brothers while studying at Providence College. He formally entered the Institute in 1982, completing his novitiate in New Orleans, Louisiana, and taking first vows in Rhode Island in 1983. He made his perpetual profession at the Brothers' Chapel in Harrisville, Rhode Island in 1991.

Shawn completed his studies in history at Providence College in 1984 and a teaching career followed at Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, St Dominic Regional High School in Lewiston, Maine, and at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, New Hampshire. He gained a Masters degree in religious studies from St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT, during this period. Shawn also then studied for a social work degree at Rhode Island College. He worked in that field in Rhode Island, qualifying as a Licensed Social Worker (LICSW).

Beginning around 2000, Shawn experienced growing heart disease issues. Complications from diabetes and kidney disease resulted in a greater need for medical support. Shawn retired from active ministry in 2014 and lived at the Brothers community in Harrisville, Rhode Island, while receiving continuing medical treatment. He aided the Brothers through work in a variety of internal ministries, and shared his love of and talent in music with the community as well as his considerable writing skills. These health issues and related concerns led to his passing at Fatima Hospital on July 14, 2017.

Shawn is survived by his sister, Sheila McEnany Markowitz of California, and brother-in-law, Ken Markowitz, as well as an aunt and cousins.

MCENANY -- The services for Brother Shawn McEnany will be held at the Brothers Retirement Community, 685 Steere Farm Rd., Harrisville, Rhode Island. The wake will be Friday, July 21, 7:00 - 9:00 pm and on Saturday, July 22, 9:00-10:00 am, with the funeral in the chapel there at 10:30 am. The celebration of his life will be followed by burial in the community cemetery on the grounds of the residence.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation, 4600 Elysian Fields Ave., New Orleans, LA, 70122.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Keene-Brown Funeral Home, 445 Greenville Road, North Smithfield, RI.

www.brownfuneralhomes.com.