Katty’s Christmas call of duty

KATTY'S CHRISTMAS CALL OF DUTY Ninety-three year-old Katty Delaney makes sure everything is in its place in the crib at Mayo Abbey church last weekend, ahead of the Christmas ceremonies. Katty has been sacristan at the church for 74 years. She is pictured with Fr Austin Fergus, PP.  Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Katty taking care of Christmas for 74 years


Sacristan in Mayo Abbey church since 1940

Michael Commins

KATTY Delaney from Mayo Abbey may well be the longest serving sacristan in the world. For 74 years, this amazing lady has faithfully taken care of all the duties at the church in her home village. This Christmas, she will be as busy as ever, ensuring all is in place for the special festivities during the best loved celebration of the Christian year.
Now 93, Katty took charge of the sacristan duties back in 1940. Her memory is crystal clear and she delights in rattling off dates and events.
“Fr Biggins from up the Ballinrobe area was the priest in Mayo Abbey at the time. I never went to secondary school but I learned how to serve Mass in Latin from an uncle of mine, Fr Tom Newell, who was an SMA priest. I picked it up very well. To this day, I can recite the Latin answers the same as I did back in those times,” says Katty breaking into a few minutes of Latin.
After Fr Biggins was transferred, Fr Martin Geraghty was appointed for around two years and Fr Martin Joe Heaney came to the parish in 1950. Not everyone was happy that Katty was serving Mass. It was unheard of for a female to serve Mass back in those times. Here again, Katty was a trail-blazer and perhaps the first in the country.
“Someone reported to the Archbishop in Tuam that a girl was serving Mass in Mayo Abbey. Archbishop Joe Walsh summoned Fr Heaney to Tuam. When Fr Heaney returned to Mayo Abbey he told me a complaint was made that you were serving Mass for me. Fr Geraghty was sitting there in the room. I said to the Bishop: ‘She was serving Mass for your secretary (Fr Geraghty) before I came to Mayo Abbey at all. And that was the end of it.’ There were never any further complaints and I am still doing the same today, over 60 years on from that day in Tuam.”

The Big Snow
She clearly recalls 1947, the year of the big snow. “The whole countryside was snowed in for a few weeks. Only Fr Biggins and myself were at Mass most days. I served the Mass every day as usual.”
Her grandfather, Walter Hughes, taught in a hedge-school and was also a land surveyor. He died back in 1939. The young Katty learned a lot from him sitting on the hob in the old house. “He taught me passages of Shakespeare which I memorised and have retained all through the years. He taught me on the chief towns in India at the time and much more.”
To confirm the beauty of the learning technique taught by her grandfather, Katty recites an extensive passage from Hamlet, never once faltering along the way.
Many people seeking ancestral information and details in relation to the local cemetery have called to Katty over the decades. “I have provided many of them with the information they were looking for about their relations. I have now served almost equally between the old Famine Church and the new church which was opened back in 1978. I was very happy to see a good local committee undertake restoration on the old church some years ago. A few Masses were celebrated in the church since and they brought back many memories for me.”
Katty is an early riser and looks forward to her daily trip to the church each morning. “Willie Fitzgerald gives me a lift down. My work has all been voluntary over the years. I am very attached to what I do. I love doing it and it helps to pass the time.”
Tomorrow (Tuesday), Katty will decorate the red candles with ivy and prepare other decorations for the church. “The Crib looks lovely. Teresa Boyle and Pat Griffith and some of the FΡs lads helped out with that. I will have everything ready two hours before the Christmas Eve Mass on Wednesday.”

Devoted servant
Fr Austin Fergus, PP, says Katty has been an extraordinary devoted servant of the church down through the years. “Her commitment is unequalled and every day she is in the church at 9am, ensuring all is in place for the 10am morning Mass where she still rings the bell.
“Katty has everything in order, I don’t have to worry about anything. She arranges everything for funerals and so much more. When it comes to supplies, she knows what is needed. She is very scrupulous in her work in the sacristy.
“She was housekeeper for two priests over the years, Fr Martin Joe Heaney and Fr Paddy McDermott. Katty, together with Annie Joyce, who served as sacristan in Facefield for many years too, were presented with the Bene Merenti medal for services to the church a few years ago. It was a special day for both of them
“She has great lore and stories and a vast knowledge of the people of the region. She is still performing her duties as good as she was in the beginning. Katty is a blessing to the church and the parish. Long may she continue.”