Msgr. Carl Hinrichsen (1921-2016) was born in Newark in 1921. He attended St. Benedict’s Prep and then Princeton University, graduating in 1943 with a degree in economics. He entered the U.S. Army immediately after graduation. After completing officer training, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and sent to the University of Missouri to study German. In 1945 he was stationed at Siapan, Okinawa. He served in the Pacific Theater until 1946, when he returned home as a first lieutenant and was discharged.

Upon his return he went to work in the insurance industry, but in 1950 he was called to a vocation and entered Immaculate Conception Seminary. He was ordained in 1955 by Archbishop Thomas A. Boland in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Newark. He was assigned to St. Leo’s, Irvington, then returned to his studies in 1957 when he enrolled at the Catholic University of America. He completed his doctorate there in 1960, writing his doctoral dissertation on the history of the Archdiocese of Newark. He was then assigned to Immaculate Conception Seminary, where he taught church history from 1961 to 1972.

Throughout his career Msgr. Hinrichsen served in a number of parishes, including St. Catherine’s, Glen Rock; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Ridgewood; and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Maplewood. His longest tenure was at Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes, where he served as pastor from 1977 until his retirement in 1994. While there he was active in fundraising and the construction of a new church building. He spent his retirement at Our Lady of Mercy in Park Ridge, where he continued to be active in parish life.