Father Heindl Laid to Rest
If selflessness and suffering bring God’s grace, then Father Heindl has received an abundance. His acts of courage in World War II, and the suffering he underwent the last few months from his burns, make him an example for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
Father Heindl, who died Monday at 96, was buried with full military honors after a funeral Mass that nearly filled the 700-seat sanctuary of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Greece.
Relatives and colleagues of Father Heindl, who was ordained 70 years ago and was the oldest active priest in the Diocese of Rochester, said he planned his funeral specifically.
“Father Heindl did not want this to be about him, but about Jesus, whom he loved, whom he served, and whom, as a Catholic, he grew to know in his 96 years,” said the Rev. Timothy T. Brown, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo.
“He would want this to be about the Lord.”
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.