By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
Admiration, gratitude, a few tears, and quite a few laughs filled the ballroom at the Hilton Anatole on Feb. 23 as The Catholic Foundation presented its 42nd annual Catholic Foundation Award to Henry “Hank” Hermann. A devoted servant of the Church and the community, Hermann has dedicated decades of his life to serving the less fortunate through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas, including through the founding of the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy.
“When I consider the past recipients of this award, I have to ask myself, ‘Why me?’” Hermann said in accepting the award. “I am beyond humbled.”
In honoring Hermann with The Catholic Foundation Award, Tom Yoxall, chair of The Catholic Foundation board, said the foundation was adding his name to a distinguished legacy of servant leaders who have made a profound impact on the community.
“Our past recipients have made a deep and meaningful impact on our community,” Yoxall said. “It’s the reason we recognize them with our highest honor, the Catholic Foundation Award.”
Yoxall recalled first meeting Hermann more than five years ago when he presented to the foundation’s trustees as a grant recipient, sharing the mission and work of the pharmacy.
“All of us trustees were overwhelmed with his loving vision,” Yoxall said.
Inspired to serve
A native of Ennis, Texas, Hermann graduated kindergarten from Ursuline Academy of Dallas and later attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Jesuit College Prepartory School of Dallas, and Woodrow Wilson High School.
Hermann credits his journey of faith and service to the influence of his sister, LaClaire, who encouraged him to reflect on how he could give back in gratitude for the blessings in his life. That reflection ultimately led him in 1999 to join the Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, an experience that he said transformed his faith.
“I took her advice very seriously but was uncertain about how God might tell me what to do,” Hermann said, “and even if He did; how would I know that it was really His answer?”
His sister was adamant he would know when the answer presented itself.
“She suggested that I increase my familiarity with the Bible,” Herman said, noting that a passage from Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 25:35-40) provided God’s answer: “Feed the hungry; clothe the naked.”
“Perhaps this Bible-reading experience wasn’t as spectacular as St. Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus, but it was nevertheless a defining moment in my life,” Hermann said. “At the time, that scripture reading literally took my breath away.”
After working with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for a year, Hermann then established and served as the founding president of the SVdP conference at Christ the King Catholic Church, was elected president of the St. Vincent de Paul Council of North Texas in 2002, and played roles in the creation of council programs such as StudyTime and the mini-loan program.
“I can tell you that membership in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul changed my life,” Hermann said. “I transformed from self-centered and materialistic to someone who has sought to live his Catholic and Christian faith serving others.”
Helping those in need
A defining achievement of Hermann’s work with the society has been the creation of the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, a first-of-its-kind in Texas charitable pharmacy that provides prescription medications at no cost to low-income, uninsured individuals. Since opening in 2018, the pharmacy has served more than 8,100 patients and has filled more than 175,000 physical prescriptions, the equivalent of more than 380,000 30-day prescriptions.
“I believe I have been called to do things as a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul that have exceeded my abilities, including the creation of the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy,” Hermann said, “but as I have come to understand, with God’s help anything is possible.”
Calling the SVdP Thrift Store, pharmacy, and other programs “beautiful things,” Hermann noted those efforts were only the “tip of the St. Vincent de Paul iceberg” in the Diocese of Dallas.
“So much of the society’s mission of service is, by design, not very visible,” he explained. “It is the person-to-person service to the needy by the 800-plus wonderful Vincentian volunteers in our parish-based conferences. Operating out of sight, these dedicated individuals have the privilege of growing in personal holiness by helping others.”
Matt Kramer, president and CEO of The Catholic Foundation, praised Hermann’s “passionate and persistent” efforts to establish a charitable pharmacy in the Dallas area, saying the pharmacy has positively changed the trajectory of numerous lives.
“Thanks to Hank’s benevolent mindset that aligned his devotion for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul with his vision of streamlining the way people receive medication, thousands of people do not have to make the tough decision of choosing to buy groceries or purchase prescriptions,” Kramer said.
In his acceptance speech, Hermann credited many individuals who played a role in his journey, including his late wife, Margaret, whom he honored with deep affection.
“She is here in my heart, and I know she is in the hearts of many in this room who knew and loved her,” he said.
He also expressed gratitude for his daughters, Catherine and Kelly; his grandchildren, Benjamin, Camille, and Henry; his extended family; and key figures within The Catholic Foundation and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
The Catholic Foundation also recognized Hal Tehan Scholar Luke Nettune, a junior from Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, during the evening’s program.
Hermann offered words of encouragement to Nettune and all young people seeking to serve.
“I hope each of you have had or will have the opportunity to experience the joy of finding a cause or an unmet need that resonates with your soul,” Hermann said. “How better can we show our love of God than by trying to improve the lives of others?”
As the evening concluded, Hermann invited attendees to consider joining the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
“Membership transformed my life for the better,” he said. “It could do the same for you.”
Cutline for featured image: Tom Yoxall, left, chair of The Catholic Foundation board, and Matt Kramer, right, president and CEO of The Catholic Foundation, present The Catholic Foundation Award to Henry “Hank” Hermann during the 42nd annual Catholic Foundation Award Dinner on Feb. 22 at the Hilton Anatole Dallas. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
