Thank you Sharyn and Bob Hogan
22 March, 2024
It is often the people working quietly behind the scenes that make events go smoothly. That is especially true in our celebration of the sacraments. To have everything ready to hand, clean and in good order, so that our celebration of Eucharist is smooth, our wedding ceremonies joyful and our funerals reverent doesn’t just happen. Behind the scenes, we have our sacristans working away. The better they do their job, the less they are noticed.
Two who have served the Cathedral Parish in this role for nearly thirty years are Sharyn and Bob Hogan. Bishop Michael said of them, ‘They keep us, the clergy, calm.’ I don’t think there is a higher compliment for a sacristan. They have now retired from this role (not from the parish!) and it is good to recognise their service over those years.
Out in the sacristy, they had everything on hand: wine, breads, linens, so that those who would be setting up for the various Masses could do so without fuss. Nothing was ever too much trouble to Bob and Sharyn in their sacristan role over the years, from finding someone a pen and paper to looking after our clergy and making sure everyone and everything was attended to with a smile and assurance: all is ready and organised.
Once a year, before Easter, with the Linen Ladies, they had a major clean of all the altar vessels. The before and after photos tell the story of the hard work. What isn’t captured is the joy and camaraderie that the group had as they worked together in the service of the Church.
Bob also bought his handyman skills to the sacristy, both in the Cathedral and the Bishop’s House (or the White House as they like to call it). Items that looked like they were on their way out were transformed back into things of beauty fit for a church.
Sharyn has been a member of the Cathedral Parish all her life. In fact, her grandparents were married in the Cathedral. She went to St Mary’s School well before it became the Cathedral Centre. Bob was baptised at Mary Immaculate Church, Depot Hill so he didn’t have far to travel to finally come to the Cathedral where he and Sharyn were married. Their children were all raised here.
As you can imagine, sacristan was only one of the many hats they wore and we will continue to see them doing good around the parish. They are moving soon from their Stanley St home into Benevolent Living and we wish them all the best and look forward to seeing them around the Cathedral for years to come.
