Fr. McCarthy will be 'dearly missed,' parishioners say

Friday, Aug. 01, 2014

SANDY – On July 20, hundreds gathered in the Saint Thomas More Catholic Parish social hall to show their gratitude to and love for Jesuit Father Paul McCarthy.

After more than 14 years as the parish’s parochial vicar, Fr. McCarthy, who is 90,  is moving to his order’s retirement home in the Bronx, New York.

The farewell was a gathering of people from the parish, the school, the different ministries, the parish office and friends of Fr. McCarthy, who little by little filled up the space so that by the time the guest of honor arrived it was hard even to walk through the hall.

Everyone wanted to express their gratitude in person to Fr. McCarthy; they formed a long line to be able to shake his hand and give him a hug.

 “He is a wonderful inspirational guide; he has a special light and we are going to miss him so much,” said Margarita Martin, who works at the parish office and met Father McCarthy when he started there 14 years ago. “Fr. Paul was always very good to everybody. He is like a bright light that illuminates your way. Oh, and he makes wonderful brownies and chocolate cookies.”

Fr. McCarthy has been a big part of Margaret Peterson’s life, too.

“When my husband died, he was right there. He is a great guy. We are going to really miss him,” said Peterson, who helped organize the farewell gathering.

“He has a wicked sense of humor,” added Letty Coy, smiling as she shared her thoughts. “I am going to miss him dearly, especially in the mornings, because when he arrived we always used to have a good laugh together. Oh, and his dance moves – I will miss seeing them, too.”

For his part, Fr. McCarthy said that he was going to miss everyone, and “I want to thank you for everything. I will always pray for all of you,” he said before blessing the meal at the gathering.

Whistles, claps and loud cheers for him flooded the hall.

“He is a great musician. He plays the piano beautifully. We love Fr. Paul; we are going to miss him dearly,” parishioner Dee Rowland said.