Joanie Hendricks

Director of Children’s Formation

Joanie comes from a large family of devout and involved Catholics. Always feeling slightly inferior to their strong, unwavering beliefs, she settled on being a “bad” Catholic and never took strides to find her niche and place in the Church. While having children helped bring her closer to the faith, it was attending the Welcome retreat at St. Patrick that truly helped her overcome her sense of guilt and helped her reignite her faith and love for serving the Lord.

Her role as Children’s Formation Director is a true evolution of her experience and desire to bring children to God. Most recently, Joanie was a preschool assistant at St. Patrick after having been a stay-at-home mom for 10 years to her children – Harper, Hudson, and Madison. All three are actively involved at St. Patrick and have recently found a love for serving at Mass (Madison is still waiting for her day at the alter and is also looking forward to singing in the church choir one day).

Prior to staying at home, Joanie worked with children in the capacity of Public Relations Director for Warren County Public Schools in Bowling Green, Kentucky. During her tenure, she showcased children and educational accomplishments on both local and national platforms. She developed engaging websites for the schools and was often traveling across the country to broadcast the green school initiatives developing in Warren County.

Joanie’s background in news and editorial journalism from Western Kentucky University also presented her with the opportunities to work as a reporter at newspapers and TV stations in Bowling Green, Greenwood, S.C., and Owensboro, Ky. She covered everything from entertainment features to crime and public safety.

Joanie and her husband, James, have been married for 15 years and are ecstatic to be in Louisville and near family after more than a decade of cross-country moving for career commitments. They share a strong-willed poodle, named Julep, and can often be found cleaning up one of her messes. If you ever have an hour to spare, Joanie always loves to talk about crafting and will jump down a Pinterest rabbit hole with you anytime – especially if it involves children’s ministry!