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By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer
STONE MOUNTAIN—Maggie Rousseau spoke of the profound
friendship the priest gave her 9-year-old son before he died of a genetic
disorder and how he always offered him the sign of peace at Mass.
Ellen Bell recalled his simple gestures of care, making a pot of
gumbo for her when her father died, and saying a Mass for her mother during her
illness. Pat Bulger described his hospitality, hosting a lake party every
summer for staff of St. Oliver Plunkett Church, Snellville.
They and about 450 other friends and family members, and about 30
LaSalette and archdiocesan priests, gathered to honor and celebrate LaSalette
Father Tom Carroll’s 47 years of priestly service at a retirement party
Aug. 3 at the Evergreen Conference Resort in Stone Mountain Park.
Father Carroll, 74, a native of Connecticut, retired as pastor of
St. Oliver Plunkett where he has served since 1991. Although retiring for
health reasons, he will continue as parochial vicar at St. Oliver Plunkett.
Parishioners came from the many places he has served in North
Georgia, including St. Francis of Assisi Church, Cartersville, where he was
pastor from 1974 to 1978, from churches in Canton and Calhoun, and from St. Ann
Parish, Marietta, where he was founding pastor from 1978 to 1991.
A member of St. Ann, Bell was a neighbor and parishioner of Father
Carroll’s when he served that parish. He remains “a very good
friend.”
“He just did extraordinary things, very simple things, but
very meaningful things, just like a neighbor would do, only this is a priest, a
true priest . . . He came over and would always bring ice cream bars, something
for the refrigerator. You think of priests being very, very formal. He was just
a family member, a next-door neighbor,” said Bell, tearing up as she spoke
about him.
“It’s the simple things you do in a neighborly way that
are manifestations of your faith, daily simple things. He’s a very simple
person. He’s not superior intellectually. He’s just very humble. .
.Simple, everyday life is his holiness . . . He does a real good job in keeping
in touch.”
Randy Travis, investigative reporter for FOX 5/WAGA-TV, and a
Snellville parishioner, was master of ceremonies. Father Cliff Hasler, MS, now
pastor at St. Oliver Plunkett, welcomed the people.
“It’s a wonderful night to express our appreciation and
gratitude to a wonderful priest. He’s a man of extreme kindness,
thoughtfulness, an ability to reach out and bring people together,” he
said, as people gave Father Carroll a standing ovation.
Archbishop John F. Donoghue spoke of his “dear old friend and
colleague,” standing in front of a sign reading “Thanks for 47
Wonderful Years. We Love You.”
No one can claim “a better slate of service” in the
archdiocese than Father Carroll, the archbishop said.
“His life here has been devoted to pastoral
ministry—that’s pastoral ministry, in the parishes, and for the
people—nor have any bishops of this archdiocese, beginning with Archbishop
(Thomas) Donnellan, failed to benefit from his wise advice,” he said.
“And another thing, often overlooked, is the constant
sustaining friendship that Father Carroll over the years has shown his fellow
priests, diocesan and Religious, both nearby and across great distances.”
His ministry particularly extends to “those whom Father
Carroll has helped in private, personal ways—in matters of faith, of
family, of career—those he has so often helped, to rise up out of the dark
places of depression and discouragement, to reclaim their dignity, their
self-confidence, and their sense of worth and potential,” he said.
“All these things amount to grace-all these actions constitute the love of
God—and Father Carroll has always been a generous and faithful dispenser
of this most precious commodity.”
He spoke of Father Carroll’s keen awareness of the
church’s role as a family, especially to newcomers to Georgia.
“You have made it family for countless numbers of our
people—by being their father, by being their brother, by being their
friend,” he concluded. “I can think of no greater compliment to pay
you, than to say that we need you here, and to express my hope, and the hope of
all who know you, that, in your retirement, you will keep us as your family,
and that you will stay with us, and make our home, your home.”
Mark Layng, a Snellville parishioner, spoke of Father
Carroll’s love for building projects, which earned him a reputation as a
“builder priest” and of his “hard-hat homilies” to raise
building funds.
“When that hat came out, we all knew what was coming next,
another church, a gym, a new education building, or maybe just a parking lot.
Whatever the project, he managed to humbly work his way into our hearts and the
money out of our pockets,” Layng said, “each project a testimony to
his keen business sense and his firm, yet loving ‘no excuses’
attitude.”
He spoke of his love of children and his understanding of and
reverence for the priesthood.
“Given that pure and uncompromising sensibility, the Spirit
moves this priest to be an exceptional homilist, a comforter, a confidant, a
compassionate counselor, a confessor, a supportive mentor, and a friend to many
and, above all, a great shepherd of his flock, always leading the way with
wisdom, charity and love,” Layng said.
“Years of careful nurturing produced a generous soul with a
zest for life and a desire to share his hobbies and talents with family,
friends and parishioners. (He is) an avid and prolific photographer, gourmet
chef extraordinaire, passionate reader, world traveler.”
“Father Tom, each of us has our own special memory of you
that we will carry in our hearts. We salute you and wish you joy, peace and
good health as you enter into your retirement. May we, by your example, always
continue to love and nurture one another,” he said.
The tribute included the parish “Olivettes,” dancing
Rockette-style, as music minister Mary Jane Insull sang her original song about
Father Carroll to the tune of “New York, New York.”
Snellville Mayor Brett Harrell and Mayor Pro Tempore Jerry
Oberholtzer, both parishioners, presented a proclamation declaring it
“Father Thomas J. Carroll Day.”
Father Carroll then took the floor and recalled one of his
favorite homilies raising support for a parish education building, where he put
on a chef’s hat for his cooking hobby, an Indian hat for his role as
chief, and then a hard hat, which he later auctioned off for $5,000.
He thanked his brothers, two of whom attended and one of whom was
unable to attend because of illness, his mother, who “was a great
lady,” and all his supporters.
Although born a Connecticut Yankee, he said, “I would like to
thank all of you, my hat’s off to all of you. You’re a great people.
I tell my brothers, you’ve got to come South. You’re just tremendous.
We’ve all grown close.”
As people socialized later, Father Hasler expressed in an
interview his admiration for the senior priest, whom he’s known for over
30 years. He said people can talk to Father Carroll, who is in touch with the
darker side of life and real problems.
“I think what always comes through—he’s a very
thoughtful guy and thoughtful of people all the time . . . He’s almost
vigilant in terms of taking care of people’s needs and being sensitive . .
. Being a good cook as he is, he has always been able to invite people over. He
really does that, invites people over, includes them,” he said.
“There are times in our lives we say, ‘Am I going to reach out and
bend over to this person?’ For Father Tom, it doesn’t matter if
somebody is coming in at the last minute for marriage or baptism, (he handles)
what needs to be taken care of. That’s what I think is rather remarkable,
just that charity, bending over backwards. That’s something I want to take
with me.”
He commented on the struggles of Father Carroll, who is
experiencing health problems related to Parkinson’s disease. But he also
noted his persevering spirit and how he just prepared a dinner at the rectory
of pork tenderloin with bourbon sauce for 13 guests.
“He’s not a guy to get knocked down and depressed and
just keeps on going,” he said. “He’s a trooper even now with
Parkinson’s.”
His sister-in-law, Betty Carroll from Connecticut, called that
dinner “out of this world.” She said that he always visits the family
when in the Northeast.
“He has held the family together. He was totally dedicated to
his mother,” who he used to take on vacations, she said. “He
cherishes us. We’re his family and (he has) a lot of nephews and nieces.
He’s interested in everything they do. He’s never advised or
criticized what we do with our lives and our children. He’s just presented
himself as a wonderful example.”
Her husband, Bill, admires his brother’s ability to make
friends.
“We’re kind of sad to see that he’s retiring, but
we’re really impressed with this crowd. It’s really something.
It’s great to see so many people befriending him. Here everybody’s
very warm,” he said. “He’s been such a good friend to them.
He’s been a spiritual influence to the faithful and people are responding
to that.”
Rousseau spoke more about the spiritual support he offered her
family before their son Chris died this year.
“We just feel we’re very close to him. We just lost our
son in March. We feel Chris was a big part of Father Tom’s life . . . He
saw the joy Chris had in life and appreciated Chris for that and still does and
I’m sure he thinks of Chris,” she said. “Chris loved him. He was
the one who told us we had to go to church.”
Father Carroll is “one of the most caring people we’ve
met” since moving to Georgia, added her husband, Scott. “We know
he’s always there for us . . . He tries to get to know all the families
who show up on a regular basis. He’s a great priest, a great leader, a
good builder.”
Bell recalled how he truly created a family environment at St.
Ann.
“When he’d have daily Mass at the rectory, you felt like
you knew him personally. He’d smile at you or wink at you. He just made it
very personal. The fact that he was so warm, you felt like you were a
family.”
Her husband, Hugh, noted his great sense of humor, the kind that
let him feel comfortable giving him hand signals rating his sermons and
threatening to steal copies of his homilies.
Bulger, parish bookkeeper, coordinated the retirement event with
Sonia Victorio. Father Carroll always took time to visit all parish groups and
has a lot of drive, working often from early morning to late evening, she said.
“We wanted to do this because of all he’s done for the
parish. We couldn’t ask for anybody better. He’s treated the staff
wonderfully.”
Ordained in 1954 for the Hartford, Conn., province of the
Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette, Father Carroll has served as novice
master, provincial chancellor and director of the National Shrine of Our Lady
of LaSalette. He was associate pastor for one year of the Church of the
Immaculate Conception, Sulphur, La., before he was sent to Georgia.
After the event, Father Carroll said it was a joy to see all the
“old-timers.”
“It was really terrific,” he said. “It was kind of
heartwarming.”
He recalled how St. Ann’s was like his “baby,” as
he oversaw it from the very beginning, and how he thought when he was
transferred to St. Oliver Plunkett that he was getting a nice, quiet parish.
“It was not to be” as the parish grew from 400 to 1,900 families, he
chuckled.
Although he is no longer able to drive, he looks forward to
pursuing photography, a hobby he’s had since high school, particularly
shooting sunsets and other nature scenes, and giving photos to others as a
“ministry of good will.” He’ll also keep ministering
hospitality, emphasized in his order.
“I’m very fortunate that I can stay here at least until
next year. It can kind of ease the pain” of retirement, he said.
“Staying here makes me feel good. I’m glad I came here. I can still
say Mass and preach.”
Reflecting on his years of ministry, he confided that homilies
never come easily to him, but he enjoys them when he writes them out and is
prepared. He recalled how he once took the place of a very confident man in
fund-raising, a position he couldn’t see himself in, and got sick over it.
After the doctor told him “you have a nervous condition and you’re
agitating it by imitating someone else,” he resolved to be himself.
He has loved shepherding his flocks, where he’s striven not
to judge.
“I just enjoy being with the people,” he said. “The
Lord will take care of the judging part. We take care of people as best we can.
He or she is a person deserving of our respect as much as anyone else,
regardless of whether or not one did something bad.” |
