Deacon Patrick Henning, who was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 1992 and served the Diocese of Sacramento for more than 18 years, died on Dec. 10. He was 75.
Bishop Jaime Soto will preside at a funeral Mass for Deacon Henning on Monday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m. in St. Mel Church, located at 4745 Pennsylvania Ave. in Fair Oaks. A reception will follow the Mass. The rite of committal at Calvary Cemetery and Funeral Center will be attended by family only.
A rosary and vigil service will be held on Sunday, Dec. 19, at 4 p.m. in St. Mel Church.
Deacon Henning served in various ministries at St, Mel Parish from 1992 to 2009, and retired on April 5, 2011.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Deacon Henning had struggled in his brief by very difficult fight with cancer and was surrounded by his family, who cared for him with love throughout his illness and his final days.
In an interview with The Catholic Herald in March 2005, Henning reflected on his tireless dedication to securing just wages and working conditions for laborers for more than 30 years. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had appointed the longtime labor leader to direct the state’s Employment Development Department in November 2004. He served in that role until 2009 and was appointed to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors in June 2013.
Prior to serving as EDD director, he had worked as the legislative expert on the state’s Assembly and Senate labor committees for 17 years. There he monitored thousands of pieces of legislation, frequently sorting out information from business lobbyists as well as labor groups.
In the 1980s, in addition to being state labor commissioner under then-Gov. Jerry Brown, Henning was a member of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, regulating labor relations during difficult battles between farmworker unions and then-Gov. George Deukemejian.
From 1970 to 1981, he was a union organizer and contract negotiator in various parts of the country for service employees, hotel and restaurant workers and operating engineers. In the 1970s, he was also executive director of the Catholic Labor Institute of Southern California, an independent organization that promoted harmonious labor relations.
Among his priorities as EDD director, Henning told The Catholic Herald, were job training, a bipartisan approach to making California more creative among the workforce and employers, talking with growers and farmworkers about working conditions and fair wages, and “attacking the vast underground economy” with the help of state and local law enforcement agencies.
All of these goals meshed well with his ministry as a permanent deacon, he said, because he was fulfilling one of the deacon’s primary missions – that of reaching out to all people who need assistance.
“This is about economic justice for workers, as well as keeping businesses in the state economically viable,” he said. “I don’t believe in polarization politics. I have to work with everyone to get the resources to help out both working families and employers.”
The essence of his work, he said “is common-sense justice, dignity and the inherent rights of workers, as laid out so well in Catholic social teaching. I was certainly brought up in that culture and this job is a chance for me to put that teaching into practice.”
Henning said it was his father, Jack Henning (who died in June 2009), who served as undersecretary of labor under President John F. Kennedy, as ambassador to New Zealand under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and as executive secretary-treasurer of the state labor federation for 26 years, who instilled in him an empathy for working people.
“He taught me that working men and women are the backbone of this country and that they ought to be recognized for their contribution,” Henning told The Sacramento Bee in 2005.
He is survived by his loving wife, Gina, of more than 50 years. They raised four children: Patrick, Robert (deceased), Erin and Michael. He also leaves behind four grandchildren: Chloe, Joseph, Nora and Jack. He was the devoted brother of John, Brian (deceased), Nancy, Daniel, Thomas and Mary. He is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, and many other family and friends.
In remembrance of his dedicated life of service and in lieu of flowers, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to St. Anthony's Dining Room in San Francisco.