BY ERIKA ANDERSON

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Father Thomas Gilroy, SM, was a priest known for his devotion to Mary and the beautiful rosebushes he cared for in her honor at the Marist School.

Father Gilroy, a native of Ireland and former teacher at Marist, died Sept. 4 in the Ashton Woods nursing facility in Atlanta. He was 82.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue presided at Father Gilroy’s funeral Mass Sept. 10, which was concelebrated by Father William Rowland, SM, Marist provincial, and over 30 other Marist and archdiocesan priests.

Friends and relatives gathered at Our Lady of the Assumption Church to celebrate the life of Father Gilroy and to reflect on the man whose quiet faith and loving sense of humor had influenced many of them in a special way.

In his homily, Father Larry Schmuhl, a retired Marist priest, described priests as “ambassadors for Christ.”

“What a great gift Father Tom had. What a great gift we priests have,” he said.

Father Schmuhl, who knew Father Gilroy as a young priest, recalled Father Gilroy’s extraordinary “Irish charm” that often helped them get onto the better golf courses.

He said that he would most remember Father Gilroy’s love for religious life.

“How good it is to see a priest who truly enjoyed his priesthood like Father Tom did.”

Ordained Sept. 21, 1941, Father Gilroy served his first assignment as a teacher at the Marist high school in Blackburn, England, teaching mathematics and science.

He moved to Atlanta in 1961, beginning the first of his 22 years at the Marist School. Though he primarily taught math, many students will remember Father Gilroy most for his care of the school grounds. He served as the business manager of the school from 1981-84.

In the summer of 1984, Father Gilroy moved to the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta where he served as a parochial vicar. In 1989 he was transferred to St. Peter’s Church in LaGrange where he served as an associate pastor for four years.

In 1993, Father Gilroy returned to live in the community of priests and brothers at the Marist School, first in semi-retirement, then, as his health gradually declined, in full retirement. In 1997, in need of specialized attention, he took up residence in the Ashton Woods facility.

It was while his health was in decline that a special friendship developed between Father Gilroy and Marist graduate Celine Stribling.

Though she was never Father Gilroy’s student, Stribling said that during her years at Marist, her Irish mother would often have him over for dinner.

“He was such a dear,” she said. “He had the best sense of humor. He had a great dry wit and was really just a riot.”

At the funeral Mass, Stribling called Father Gilroy a “Marist institution.”

“He was loved by all and feared by those who dared to tread on his beloved lawn that he so painstakingly cared for,” she joked.

Stribling and her husband, Wade, were married by Father Gilroy in 1985. When his health became poor, Stribling would often visit Father Gilroy and take him to and from doctors’ visits.

“It made me feel good,” she said. “I felt like maybe I was helping a little bit and I truly enjoyed being with him.”

“He was important to me and special in my life and hopefully I was special to him,” she said. “I got more out of it than he did.”

Stribling’s husband said that Father Gilroy was “always positive.”

“I never once heard him say anything negative,” he said. “That was the part I liked about him most--he could see the positive in everything.”

Father Gilroy’s niece, Noreen McCarron, who traveled from Ireland for the funeral, said that on long car journeys her uncle would always pray the rosary.

“He was totally committed to his religious life,” she said. “He had a very strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

Father Rowland also recalled Father Gilroy’s strong devotion to Mary.

“He prayed the Hail Mary with such devotion that I’m sure he was indeed blessed with a happy death and that Our Blessed Mother was there to assist him at the hour of his death,” he said. “He has a big smile on his face right now and has been blessed with a great deal of peace.”

Father Gilroy was buried in the Marist section of Westview Cemetery.

Contributions in his memory can be made to the Marist School Building Fund, 3790 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Atlanta 30319.

IN 1966--On the occasion of his 25th jubilee celebration as a priest, Father Thomas Gilroy, SM, center, is flanked by Father Vincent P. Brennan, SM, left, president of Marist, and Father John Stapleton, right, pastor of the Church of St. Jude the Apostle, Atlanta.