“From the Archives” — Monsignor Frank J. Hendrick

Monsignor Frank J. Hendrick served as pastor at Saint Mary Church from 1981 to 1991. He originally planned to study medicine, graduating from the University of Richmond in 1948 with a degree in biology and chemistry. During the summer of 1948, however, he read an article in The Catholic Virginian (the newspaper of the Diocese of Richmond) about a former high school classmate who was becoming a Benedictine monk. The Holy Spirit moved quickly and, on a two-week notice, Frank Hendrick decided that he, too, would study for the priesthood and entered Mount Saint Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD.

“I felt that vocation would be better for me, so I thought I’d give it a chance,” Monsignor Hendrick recalled. “Once I went, I never decided to do anything else but become a priest.”

The Vietnam War occurred during the early years of Monsignor Hendrick’s priesthood. He recognized the need for military chaplains and volunteered his services as a U.S. Army chaplain from 1969-1972. As a member of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, he celebrated Masses in the jungle, at fire-bases and artillery encampments.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to witness the grace of God in the lives of individuals who recognize that life is very precious and that life could be cut short,” he recalled.

Following his return from overseas, Monsignor Hendrick was pastor for both Saint Ann and Saint Agnes parishes in Arlington, before being assigned to Saint Mary. With his typical modesty, he described his years at Saint Mary parish as those of a “plain old parish priest.”

– Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2021. An archive of the features is located here.