Did you ever rejoice and have regrets at the same time? With great sadness this is how I am feeling right now. I had the great joy of meeting Anne Carroll when our much-loved Deacon Brian first came to St Mark. Instantly I realized what a delightful person Anne was, and I was eager to get to know her. My regret comes from not having the opportunity to spend more time with this beautiful lady, and secondly that all of you might not have seen and experienced who this bright gifted woman was. If anyone could give Deacon Brian a run for his money in the quick wit department – and we know how sharp, he is – it would be Anne! In God’s wisdom- a great pairing!
Anne suffered throughout her life with a myriad of illnesses and yet she brought kindness and light to others. St Thomas Aquinas gives us the three characteristics of beauty:” radiance, harmony and wholeness and tell us interior virtue has an exterior manifestation.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 Beauty should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle quiet spirit, which Is of great worth in God’s sight.” This is the perfect example of Anne. Deacon Brian shared “her faith was definitely of an Irish Catholic.”
As we pray for Deacon Brian and his lovely family, the words of Minna Antrim, an American writer once said “When virtue and modesty enlighten her charms, the luster of a beautiful woman is brighter than the stars in heaven, and the influence of her power is in vain to resist. “
I know the angels in paradise welcomed Anne. May she rest in peace. Mary Jo