First Mass of Fr. Daniel Heenan, FSSP
Fr. Daniel Heenan, FSSP, ordained in Leesburg, Virginia, on Saturday June 14, 2014, offered his first Mass the next day at the chapel of Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. Fr. John Brancich, FSSP, was Assistant Priest, with Fr. Rhone Lillard, FSSP, assisting as Deacon, and Fr. Joshua Curtis, FSSP, assisting as Subdeacon.
Fr. Heenan is the oldest son of John and Lisa Heenan, and has two younger brothers and a younger sister. He lived in various places growing up, eventually settling in Northern Virginia when he was in high school. There he first began to think of a vocation, thanks in large part to the many excellent priests he met there. Following high school, he spent time studying Spanish in Guatemala and working at a mission in the Dominican Republic.
When he returned, he decided that he would attend St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, as a seminarian for the Diocese of Arlington. After a year and a half, he decided to leave St. Charles and enroll at Christendom College. It was during his time as a student at Christendom, particularly during the semester he spent in Rome, that he developed a love for the Traditional Latin Mass.
Fr. Heenan graduated with a degree in Philosophy and History in 2005 and took a job teaching middle school at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Potomac Falls, VA. He also enrolled as a graduate student and teaching assistant in the history department at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Though he loved his job as a teacher, he could not avoid the conclusion that he had to give more thought to the idea of a priestly vocation.
In early 2007, Father decided to take a retreat at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary and give the seminary another chance. The subsequent events that took place, particularly in helping him to eradicate his debt, helped to confirm that this was indeed where God was leading him.
Fr. Heenan is tremendously grateful for the earnest and prayerful support he has received from so many of the faithful along the way. He humbly asks for your continued prayers that God may make him a holy priest.
Many thanks to Christendom College for the images.
July 7, 2014