Fr. Paul Gerard Hinnebusch, O.P.

, went home to God,

August 20, 2002, at the 3pm hour of mercy,
in his 86th year of life and 59th year of priesthood.

A Biograhical Tribute to Father Honeybunch

Family influences and decisions
Father Paul Hinnebusch, O.P., was born January 27, 1917, in Pittsburgh, PA, son of
John and Anne Hinnebusch, the sixth of their ten children. He was baptized Gerard
Leonard, and added Albert (after St. Albert the Great) as his confirmation name.
He chose Paul" when he entered the Dominican order, after St Paul one of his
favorite New Testament authors.
He grew up in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh, a wonderful parish community.
His older sisters and brothers helped educate the younger ones in spiritual and
moral values. Paul, at his brother Joe's advice, became a daily communicant from the
time of his first communion. Later on, when Joe was a college student he suggested
that he and Paul read scripture for 15 minutes daily, and that practice too became a
lifelong habit for Paul.
Mary Ann and Jack Metz and their children called him uncle. Sister Clair Hinnebusch
of the Pittsburgh Diocese, Sisters Regina Ann and Dorothy of Columbus, OH,
brother Ray of Canton, OH, and Fr John Frederick Hinnebusch, O.P. of Washington,
DC all called him brother. His parents called him son, others called him writer or
spiritual director, still others called him confessor, friend, Papa, or Father. To many,
he was fondly addressed as Father Honeybunch.
Who was this man, Father Paul Hinnebusch, Order of Preachers? He was a tall man,
leanly built whose large fine-boned hands moved in poetic accompaniment as he
spoke. His smile began with a twinkle of excitement in his eyes and spread like the
sun across the horizon of his face. His eyes especially sparkled as he shared
enthusiastically about Jesus. With his well-tuned sense of humor, he laughed at
himself and his human foibles, and was always ready to share a joke or favorite

story. He was a world-class listener, totally present when someone shared

confidences, yet at the same time also alert to receive the Holy Spirit's thoughts to
present when appropriate.
His parents set an example more by their actions than words. Before she became
too ill, his mother went to daily mass. During Lent, his father would drive her to
church and Gerard would always go with them, as he just loved to hear the sermons.
It was his mother's desire that some of her children be priests and Religious, Of
the ten Hinnebusch children, four sons became Dominican priests and three
daughters became Dominican sisters.
From a very early age Paul was aware he had a vocation to the priesthood, and by the
time he was in high school he knew for sure. When it was time for him to go away to
become a Dominican he finally told his mother, and she said, You didn't have to tell
me. I always knew you were going to do that; all through the years I knew.'"
Father Paul was always ready to encourage and affirm others, especially children. He
emulated the encouragement his father gave him all those years ago for his first
writing efforts. Father Paul began his writing career in the third grade when he
wrote a story about a picture Sister showed him; and he earned his first 'royalty' as
a pre-school child when his father paid him a penny for a song he composed in
praise of the snow.
A few years later on one rainy day, when he had nothing else to do, young Gerard (as
his family called him) put together a two-page hand printed family newspaper he
named The Harum Scarum Weekly." He wrote headlines, a story about the family
car getting stuck in the mud, added a comic strip with stick-figure pictures, a few
jokes from a book he was reading, and news items of that week's family happenings.
Hand printed, it was a two page newspaper, which he never showed to anyone. When
his father found it in a stack of papers on the library table, he thought it was
wonderful and told his son Paul, "Hey, you ought to do this often." With that a
budding publishing career began. Every week for the next two years Paul produced a
hand printed edition of "The Harum Scarum Weekly," receiving contributions from
other family members. This career ended when he left for boarding school.
Schools and Seminary to Ordination and priesthood.
In 1937, after completing his sophomore year at Duquesne
University in Pittsburgh, Paul entered the Dominican novitiate in

Springfield, KY, the oldest Dominican establishment in the country. He later studied
philosophy and theology at the Dominican House of Studies in River Forest, IL,
where he was ordained June 8, 1944 (two days after D-Day).
In his roles as priest and teacher he served in pastoral work in South Dakota (194548), taught high school religion in Illinois (1949-54), lectured in Sacred Scripture
and Dogmatic Theology at St. Mary's Dominican College, New Orleans, LA (1954-62),
and at the Dominican Sisters Novitiate, Ponchatoula, LA (1962-68). Hundreds of
these lectures are available on his website. He also lectured on contemporary
spirituality at Notre Dame University (1968), at the University of Dallas (1977), and
at St. Louis University (1979).
Charismatic Renewal
His involvement in the Charismatic Renewal began in the summer of 1968 while at
Notre Dame University where he was to teach Contemporary Spirituality. He had
read something about those "Pentecostals" and planned to look into it. Then some
Holy Ghost Fathers asked him to speak to them on prayer. After his talk one of
them came up to him and said, "Thanks for explaining the Pentecostals to me."
Father Paul replied that he knew nothing about them and Hed never been to a
prayer meeting. He was simply talking about prayer as it happens in the Acts of the
Apostles. The priest continued, "You are explaining something I didn't understand,"
and dragged Father Paul off to his first prayer meeting. Favorably impressed, he
continued attending the prayer meetings for the six weeks he taught classes there.
Then he was sent to Iowa and to Minnesota where there were no prayer meetings.
The next prayer meeting he attended was a few years later when he came to Dallas,
Texas.
His provincial thought a House of Prayer might be a way to generate a spirit of
prayer in the Dominican province. Nudged by the Holy Spirit he volunteered himself
and a friend to come. The Dominicans at Bishop Lynch High School offered them
space and the one-year experiment began. It was a tremendous experience for each
participant.
Catholic Community of God's Delight
In 1972, an old friend, Father O'Conner, author of Catholic Pentecostals, organized
a theological symposium to discover what was going on in the renewal and how to
explain it in the light of traditional Catholic theology. When Father Paul told him

how impressed he was with the prayer meetings, Father O'Conner invited him to
participate in the symposium. That was the nudge he needed. He knew he could not
reflect on the renewal unless he had experienced it for himself. Father Tamberello
sent him to Bobbie Cavnar's home for a Tuesday night meeting where they were
preparing the Life in the Spirit Seminars, and since then Father Paul attended God's
Delight prayer meetings. He said with a big smile in 1984, "I never missed one of
those meetings unless I was sick or out of town. And I went to that symposium too.
The Holy Spirit was kind of tricky in the way he got me to Dallas." From 1974 until
Bishop Tschoepe retired in 1990, Father Paul served the bishop as liaison and
provided spiritual direction to the renewal.
Father Paul had a deep and true love for the people of God's Delight and lived daily
his call to be part of the mission God has placed on their lives. In return, they
celebrated with him, served with him, prayed with him, and loved and appreciated
him. 'Father Honeybunch' (a special nickname) was truly part of the very fabric of
our lives. Friendship in the Lord, written during his second year in Dallas includes a
chapter on the Community of God's Delight.
Father Paul believed in total commitment to Jesus Christ and the call placed on his
life. He shared this in his dedication to the people of God's Delight as well as to his
own Dominican Community. Ever since he came to those first meetings at Bobbie
Cavnar's home, he participated as fully as possible. He helped the dream to come
true for the women's ministry team as the first women's retreats became reality.
He was at prayer meeting almost every Sunday before his long last illness and was
available to those who called on him for confession, spiritual direction, baptisms,
weddings, anniversaries, last rites, wakes, and funerals. He had a gift of friendship,
and fully shared in everyones joys, sorrows, frustrations, and victories. He was
always ready with an encouraging word and an insight that would lead anyone to a
deeper love of our Lord. His love for Jesus was especially apparent when he
presided at the Eucharist. When he pronounced, "Behold! this is Jesus, the Lamb of
God who died to take away our sins.....," one knew without a doubt that Jesus was
truly present in the host one would soon receive.
Writer and Preacher
Father Paul's enthusiasm was apparent in his books on prayer, community,
friendship, Our Lady, and scripture. Many of his lectures from 19 years as a teacher
were distilled in his books and articles. More than 100 of his articles were published

in religious and theological journals and other collections. He authored 18 published

books and others still to be published. Seven books are in foreign language
translations. His most popular books are Friendship in the Lord and Praise a Way of
Life. Other books include: Dynamic Contemplation, Mother of Jesus Present With
Us, Come and You Will See: St. John's Course in Contemplation, The Lord's Prayer in
the Light of Our Lord's Life and Preaching, and The Beatitudes.
Father Paul's choice of St. Albert as his confirmation patron proved prophetic in his
life. For many years he was a member of the St. Albert the Great Dominican
Province and, before he was sent to Our Lady of Wisdom nursing home in New
Orleans, he resided at St. Albert's Priory on the University of Dallas campus in
Irving, Texas.
From 1987 he gave weekly conferences on the spiritual life to Mother Teresa's
Sisters of Charity in south Dallas. Every Thursday morning for over seven years he
was in the traffic at quarter to 7 going through downtown Dallas to their convent
near St James parish. Hundreds of these Thursday conferences are on his website.
He read and prayed the scriptures, prepared homilies and conference talks.
Although hed been preaching over 57 years he still puts as much prayer and work
into a homily as he ever did, making it new each time. Lectures he gave 42+ years ago
on Themes of the Old Testament and courses in the Gospels and the Letters of St.
Paul were recorded on old 7-inch reel tape. Father Paul's eyes sparkled when he
recalled that the reels hold 24 miles of him talking. Some of those lectures may still
be used in the formation of their young sisters by the Cloistered Dominican sisters
in Lufkin, Texas. Father Paul supported many of those discerning a call to the
priesthood or Religious life, including some from Gods Delight.
In 1994 the Dominican Order awarded Father Paul the post-doctoral degree of
Master of Sacred Theology for his many writings on the sacred scriptures and on
the theology of the spiritual life.
Celebration of 50 years
Ordained to the priesthood June 8, 1944 on the Feast of Corpus Christi, he
celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination June 4, 1994, with the liturgy for the
Feast of Corpus Christi.
Fr Paul, or Fr Honeybunch, as he was affectionately nicknamed, went home to God at

2:55 pm August 20, 2002 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Vigil and Funeral were
celebrated there at St Dominic Priory on August 22/23, 2002. A Memorial Mass was
celebrated at the University of Dallas, Chapel of the Incarnation August 30, 2002.
On September 8, 2002, a Memorial Celebration at the Christian Community of Gods
Delight (CCGD) completed the expression of official services to honor this priest so
deeply loved by so many.
Those who did not have the pleasure of knowing this outwardly ordinary yet
spiritually extraordinary priest can get to know him by reading and praying through
his homilies and teachings posted on his website. One of his friends remarked that
listening to his homilies is like overhearing a Saint at prayer, and catching a glimpse
into his soul.
To some he was known lovingly as Father Honeybunch, to others he is Papa, Big
Paul, Uncle Paul, or Father Paul. To God and many, many others he is Faithful and
True.
Thank you Fr Paul, for all you gave us, and for your continued prayers and priestly
blessings for us and for all souls. We join your praise before the throne of God.
You are in our hearts forever, just a thought away!
By Barbara Yablonski with Celine Powers