Henneks stand their ground with postal service and win “heart” for Corpus Christi

Audrey and Jerome Henneck took on the postal service on behalf of the “Body of Christ.” Rebecca Esparza for the South Texas Catholic

A casual conversation with a friend at Villa Maria community not only intrigued Jerome and Audrey Hennek, it also inspired the couple to take action, as their intrigue soon sparked outrage.

At issue was the United States Postal Service’s abbreviation of Corpus Christi as CRP. The abbreviation sounded too much like human waste. Their friend pointed out she thought the abbreviation was disrespectful for a name with such a dignified and spiritual meaning as the “Body of Christ.”

“The more we reflected and prayed about it, the more we became angry that an abbreviation used to describe human waste, CRP, was also being used to designate Corpus Christi’s location for the postal service,” said Jerome Hennek, a resident at Mount Carmel Assisted Living along with his wife Audrey.

“We were not going to just sit idly by and let this continue, so we set out to have it changed,” he said. “This was an insult to Christians everywhere.”

The Henneks, who marked 63 years of marriage last year with a special wedding anniversary Mass celebrated by Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey, moved to Corpus Christi four years ago from the Rio Grande Valley.

Their letter-writing campaign began with correspondence to U. S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz in late January of this year. It only took a few weeks to receive responses from both senators, each expressing concern for the couple’s outrage at the usage of CRP as the postal abbreviation for Corpus Christi.

By March, the couple received a letter from Senator Cornyn’s office that the postal service had agreed to make the change, as per the Henneks’ request. The change would be reflected on the postal service’s Web site by mid-March and in mailer software by April.

Direct mail pieces and the postal service Web site now reflect the new official postal designation for Corpus Christi is COR, which in Latin means “heart.” All thanks to the Henneks who still believe in the power of prayer to promote change for the better.

“All three of our sons served in the military and one is now buried in Riverside National Cemetery, as a result of his wounds in the war. It was about time we showed respect to our Christian heroes by changing this abbreviation and we couldn’t be happier this change was made,” Jerome Hennek said.

The Henneks received a congratulatory call from Corpus Christi Mayor Nelda Martinez about their work to change the abbreviation.

“Mayor Martinez called to thank us for making a difference and it meant a lot that she took the time to contact us,” Audrey Hennek said. “We were thrilled.”

“We care about our identity. We are very blessed to have a name so beautiful as Corpus Christi—the Body of Christ,” Mayor Martinez said. “We appreciate them for taking the initiative. Great example for others to follow.”

The couple, who are both 83 and first met when they were eight-years-old at a swimming pool in St. Cloud, Minn., has done decades of missionary work and dedicated their entire lives to helping the less fortunate. They estimate distributing more than $7 million worth of merchandise via their vast Catholic-based charitable work.

However, they feel strongly their work helping others is not done.

Indeed, they are facing a new challenge with trying to get the Federal Aviation Administration to change the initials for Corpus Christi International Airport, which also is the negative sounding CRP.

“It’s a condemnation,” Jerome Henneck said, upon hearing that the FAA uses the same distasteful acronym. “They should absolutely conform with the USPS. Having this designation for our airport is a crime and a sin to Christians everywhere. I’ll get started right away to change this abbreviation with the FAA, starting with our elected officials. It’s not going to be easy, but I’ve got plenty of time.”

He said their experience proves people can move mountains when the Holy Spirit backs them up.

“Never underestimate the power one person has to make a difference,” he said.