A large gathering recalled Maeve Corroon’s 14 years as sacristan of St Paul’s Church at her very enjoyable retirement celebrations in Mullingar Parish Centre on Thursday, 25 July.
Maeve was a vital thread in the fabric of St Paul’s Church. Her diligent service kept priests in their vestments while her warm personality made the church a welcoming place. A daughter of the late Paddy and Caroline Dolan and niece of Joe Dolan, she was an excellent singer who often sang during Mass.
She will be succeeded by Millie Walsh who is retiring as manager of Maxol on the Dublin Bridge.
Bishop Tom Deenihan of Meath Diocese, Bishop Michael Smith (Rtd), present and former clergy and local parishioners attended the happy celebrations. During the evening Maeve thanked Bishop Deenihan and Bishop Smith “for their encouragement and support” over the years. She said “it was an honour to serve the Lord” and paid tribute to the previous sacristans and volunteers.
“The sacristan should create a sense of welcome, respect and solemnity. Well all of these have been shown to me by each and every person that came into St Paul’s, so it was easy to return it back to them,” said Maeve.
She also thanked the groups, collectors, readers, altar servers, eucharistic ministers, singers and cathedral staff who helped her over the years. Serving priests at St Paul’s also got a special mention for driving Maeve “crazy leaving the doors of the presses open” and all the times they made her smile.
“Thank you all for being part of my journey. To my family, my siblings, my five children and my husband Pearse for your love and support,” she said.
“Last but not least to my living Guardian Angel, Bartle Garry: you are an amazing person and true friend. Thank you to each and every person for your kind words over the last few weeks and for your cards and generous gifts.”
‘Many special qualities’
Refreshments were provided on the night as those in attendance paid tribute to Maeve for her service. Fr Philip Gaffney was MC for the event and he paid a touching tribute to the outgoing sacristan.
“I must admit that it is not an easy task putting into words our gratitude and appreciation for the service Maeve has given to St Paul’s Church over 25 years as sacristan and as choir director and singer,” he said.
Fr Gaffney outlined Maeve’s “many special qualities” including her ability to connect with people and enliven the spiritual life of the community. He also commended her for her work in warmly welcoming new parishioners. Fr Gaffney said her retirement would leave a gap in the community.
St Paul’s was Maeve’s focus every day and her phone was always on to answer people’s questions, said Fr Gaffney. He said she took great pride in her work and added that “her attention to detail was second to none”. She had a razor sharp eye for detail and the vestment press was never left open for too long when she was around.
“As a Shamrocks stalwart, she used the card system well. If a priest or reader forgot to sign in, a tick was recorded, a second offence merited a yellow card. If a priest forgot the Mass intention, he was given a caution and a note would appear on the altar while he was distributing Holy Communion,” said Fr Gaffney.
“This evening, we thank you for your dedication and commitment to your role as sacristan. You always had a clear focus on service, cheerfully giving a love of bringing the best out of people. Encouraging, affirming whether you were supporting a new altar server or a new priest. Your work showed your own faith and respect for the house of God, something that was clear and publicly signalled in your own quiet way.”
