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This is a place that Carol loved- for 73 years

she labored and loved this parish. Her
contributions could be understood in terms of
appreciation and recognition but her legacy is
a testament to her faith and devotion to the
gospel message of love of God and neighbor
made flesh in her contribution to the life of
this parish and this community. This parish
was enriched economically, socially and
spiritually by her endeavors.

I have known Carol since 1960 she was my

inspiration, my Aram Cara for 56 years. Carol
was Gods gift to me at St. Brigids Parish
community, to our Church.
In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful
understanding of love and friendship. One of
the fascinating ideas here is the idea of soul-
love, the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara.
Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is
the word for friend. So anam cara in the
Gaelic world was the soul friend.
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In everyones life, there is a great need for an

aram cara, a soul friend. In this love, you are
understood as you are, without mask or
pretention. The superficial and functional
lies and half truths of social acquaintance fall
away, you can be as you really are. Love
allows understanding to dawn, and
understanding is precious. Where you are
understood, you are at home.
John Cassian says this bond between friends
is indissoluble. This, I say, is what is broken
by no chances, what no interval of time or
space can sever or destroy, and what even
death itself cannot part.
Anam Cara One of the tasks of true
friendship is to listen compassionately and
creatively to the hidden silences. Often
secrets are not revealed in words, they lie
concealed in the silence between the words or
in the depth of what is unsayable between
two people.
She loved without ceasing, never honored for
her contributions to society - a Catholic with
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a capital C. She did not fear to live and

loved life. Yes, she did not want to die, but
that was not her decision, and she accepted
Gods will with impatience and practical
pragmitism . She admonished me to be
realistic and made me cry when she said that
I had been good to her. Maybe I was not
good enough but she understood my
weakness and my frailty.
I will miss her but I promised her we would
strive to be faithful to her commitment to
truth and compassion by keeping the vision
alive in her memory. A vision of justice, peace
and service to the least of Gods children.

In her memory, we continue to proclaim the

good news in all endeavors to which she
dedicated her life- District Three, New Life, St.
Brigids Parish School. We have a precious
memory bank which will continue to inspire
us despite the loss of her presence although
a lifetime of knowing her and loving her does
not prepare us for her leaving us. The space
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we stand around has been emptied into us .

I feel no anger at your death. Flailing and
floundering though I am. In loss; More, An
upsurge of gratitude. For the way you blessed
us; We have known the beauty of Autumn And
settle into Winter With harvest of rich apples.

Our challenge as Christians is not to be

successful but to be faithful. Carol was
faithful but also successful in implementing
Christian principles in a social context- love,
compassion and competence.
She was a church woman in the Catholic
sense. Criticism and confrontation were
overcome by her commitment to truth and
humility in the service of others. She would
not allow me to challenge the detractors
because she believed that TRUTH always
overcomes injustice. Her honesty was
overwhelming and humble. Her legacy is a
witness to the faith and mercy of our catholic
tradition. In the words of Pope Francis How
many hearts have been comforted by
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volunteers? How many hands has love held?

How many tears have been wiped away ?
How much love has been poured out in hidden
humble and selfless service? That was
Carols feminine genius