Music ministers retire after a long, successful career

Friday, Mar. 06, 2015

DRAPER — Vickie and Mark Maronick have stepped down as Saint John the Baptist Parish music ministers after 17 years.

“As music ministers, Vickie and Mark shared the faith, served the community, and expressed the love of God and neighbor through music,” said Ruth Dillon, the parish music director. “They were wonderful ministers and they will be missed.”

The Maronicks’ music ministry in Utah began when they moved here in 1997. At the time, St. John the Baptist was a mission and Masses were celebrated in the remodeled Latter-day Saints ward building on 12900 South and 1300 East. They ended their ministry in December.

The couple was “dedicated,” said Monsignor Terence Moore, pastor emeritus, who met them in 1999, when he became the pastor. Masses were then being celebrated in the Juan Diego Catholic High School auditorium.

The church was built in 2003. 

“Mark has a melodious voice and together they are very talented,” Msgr. Moore said. “They really promote very strong Catholic values in their lifestyle in terms of their generosity, their service and commitment to the church and ministry. They have a love for the arts which translates into their tremendous love for music and service for the church. They have a very active lifestyle; Mark is also a very good skier and golfer, and Vickie teaches religion in the middle school, and the students relate to her very well; she is a caring, competent teacher.” 

Vickie is the sixth-grade religion teacher at Saint John the Baptist Middle School. However, she began teaching religion and providing accompaniment for the Masses at Kearns-Saint Ann School in 1997 and continued until 2013.

The Maronicks are from Billings, Mont., where they were high school sweethearts. Mark started playing the guitar when he was 15 at Billings Central Catholic High School, he said. “I would go to Mass at 8 a.m. and there was no music. I picked up a guitar one day and a friend of mine showed me a few chords. I started singing and sang for all the Searches [teen weekend retreats] through college.” 

Vickie began playing the piano at age 7; she holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Wyoming. 

The couple married in 1976 and moved to California in 1980, where they continued their folk-style music ministry in Catholic parishes for 13 years until moving to Chicago, where they were in a traditional Catholic parish for four years. During that time Vickie played the piano professionally for weddings and funerals.

When they moved to Utah they attended the 9 a.m. Mass at St. John the Baptist mission church “and there wasn’t any music,” said Mark, so the couple asked if they could help out.

For 14 years of the couple’s music ministry, Amy McKenzie, a St. John the Baptist parishioner, sang with them. “It was a lot of fun; they are exceptional people,” she said. “They take their role seriously. We were there to enhance the Mass and the congregation’s spiritual journey, and that is how we approached selecting the music. Vickie and I would look at the readings and pick music the congregation was familiar with so they would participate and sing; it’s a different way to pray. I couldn’t ask for two better souls.” 

Over the years, the Maronick’s two children also joined their parents singing and accompanying during some Christmas Masses; their daughter on the flute and their son on the guitar.  

Vickie’s brother, who is an opera singer, also joined them on occasion.

“We did the 5 o’clock Mass every Saturday for forever,” said Mark. “Actually we provided music at a lot of different places for a lot of different Masses. It’s been a nice way to stay close to our faith.”