St. Mary’s to Honor Mrs. Catherine Morrissey

The Church of Saint Mary will host their annual Parish Gala on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the beautiful Manhasset Bay Yacht Club in Port Washington. This year’s Gala celebrates the 170th anniversary of the parish and honors Mrs. Catherine Morrissey for her unwavering dedication to the parish and service beyond self.

Cathy Morrissey serves the parish community in several capacities, including the Ministry of Consolation and a role as past president and member of the St. Mary’s Rosary Society. When she is not helping families in times of grief, preparing for funerals, or in the classroom as a catechist, she can be found leading her fellow Rosarians in Recitation of the Most Holy Rosary in the church or guiding young women in their Catholic faith formation as Daughters of Mary, a passionate junior group she reestablished in 2022 at the request of the Rosary Society to provide ongoing religious studies and organize charitable service projects for young women in the parish or community regardless of the school she attends. There is much-growing excitement with this expanding group. “We are very excited to offer our girls an opportunity to realize the beautiful reality of being a ‘daughter’ in the eyes of God and Our Mother, Mary. Through the prayer of the Rosary, service to our schools and parish, genuine friendships, and mentorship by caring adults, each young woman can learn to discern her purpose and mission in the world and find true fulfillment.” 

Cathy has given much of her life to the classroom as a catechist and finds this role most fulfilling. She became a catechist in 1972 at her local parish. Cathy shared that this role turned into a lifelong mission following the untimely death of a dear friend studying for the priesthood who was killed in a tragic car accident when we were both teenagers. “I was still processing this loss several months after his death when our parish, Our Lady of Victory in Floral Park, announced that they were in need of catechists. I felt a real calling to step up and do some work that he might have done. Fifty years later, a few parishes in between and a family of my own, I’m still teaching religion!”

“When we moved to Manhasset in 2003, I immediately signed up to teach 6th-grade religion classes at St. Mary’s. I have served as a catechist here just about every year since. In the “off” years I continued my work outside the classroom by organizing special events for middle-school students in the Religious Education program during Advent and Lent.” Catherine was instrumental in creating a group called Making Music Praying Twice in 2012, in which she facilitated a family-friendly music and movement program for children ages 0-5 and their families. She introduced the Little Flowers group with her daughter Erin, which ran from 2015-2019 based on the spirituality of St. Therese, the Little Flower. This popular club instilled virtue through scripture, crafts, field trips, and earning badges through service projects. Cathy also helped to launch a Summer program for religious ed students in 2018. 

She is a member of the Religious Education Advisory Board for the Schools of St. Mary, and most recently, she helped prepare two second-grade classes for the First Holy Communion. Director of Religious Education Marie Granieri, noted that “Cathy continually nurtures and renews the Catholic tradition of faith and prayer among countless St. Mary Religious Education students. Through her unceasing desire to enrich a deep love for the Eucharist and awareness of God’s grace, students joyfully encounter the person of Jesus. Her spiritual vocation and role as a dedicated Catechist has served our religious education program beyond measure.”

Cathy is a product of Catholic education. She graduated from Our Lady of Victory Elementary School, Sacred Heart Academy, and St. John’s University. She became a certified public accountant and worked for several years before focusing on her growing family.

She is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Cathy has been married to her husband, Brian, for 43 years. Together, they raised four children – Brian, Erin, Meghan, and Kevin. They are proud grandparents of three little boys- Daniel (9), Sean (7), and Brendan (1 ½) - and a granddaughter, Saoirse (14), a graduate of St. Mary’s Elementary School and a rising sophomore at the parish High School. They reside in Manhasset and have been parishioners of the Church of Saint Mary for 20 years.

Fr. Robert A. Romeo, the pastor of the Church of St. Mary, strongly affirms that “Cathy’s devotion to her faith and family exudes her love for Jesus and is personified in all she does to follow Christ’s message of hope and evangelization, not only in the Catholic Church but in her daily actions. Through her good works sharing the message of the Gospel with adults and children alike, we bestow this year’s Magnificat Medal upon Cathy in recognition of her boundless energy, faith-filled and charitable efforts.”

To join the parish of St. Mary’s in honoring the exemplary volunteer work of Cathy Morrissey and the blessing she is to the community, you can attend the Gala or donate in her name. The event tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available by clicking here or call the Office of Development at 516-627-4605 for further assistance.