HENDRICK, THOMAS AUGUSTINE

Bishop; b. Penn Yan, N.Y., Oct. 29, 1849; d. Cebu, Philippine Islands, Nov. 30, 1909. Born of immigrant Irish parents, Hendrick attended St. John's College (Fordham), N.Y.; Seton Hall University, N.J.; and St. Joseph's Seminary, Troy, N.Y. After ordination on June 7, 1873, he served in several parishes in the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y. His interest in youth and education led to his election as president of the Rochester Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and his appointment to the N.Y. State Board of Regents (1900–04). Hendrick was closely associated with leaders of the Republican Party, including Theodore Roosevelt, and his name was proposed for the archbishopric of Manila after the Spanish American War when Spanish bishops were being supplanted by Americans. Although not named to Manila, Hendrick was consecrated in Rome, Aug. 23, 1903, as bishop of Cebu. Taking possession of a see that had suffered in the transition from Spanish to American rule, Hendrick spent months visiting the many islands that made up his diocese. He reactivated 50 elementary schools and enlisted priests from abroad to help fill the dozens of parishes left vacant by the ravages of war and the withdrawal of many Spanish friars. In criticism of U.S. authorities in the Philippines, the bishop alleged that they had failed to safeguard the rights of the Catholic Church in the Islands. He accused American authorities of favoring Aglipayans for responsible government positions, and his criticism of the occupying authorities for recognizing Aglipayan claims to Catholic Church property was later vindicated by the Philippine Supreme Court's decision sustaining Catholic ownership.

Bibliography: t. a. hendrick papers, MSS, Nazareth College, Rochester, N.Y. f. j. zwierlein, Theodore Roosevelt and Catholics, 1882–1919 (St. Louis 1956).

[r. m. quinn]