Archdiocesan staff and clergy gathered on June 28 to thank Paddy Buckley for her work as coordinator of the Year of Grace.
Ms Buckley took on the voluntary role at the request of the then-Archbishop Barry Hickey in 2011 and said she had enjoyed it immensely.
“It’s been a privilege to do this job… I’ve been invigorated by the real faith and the real witness that’s going on in the Church,” she said.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, who was installed as Archbishop of Perth shortly before the Year of Grace officially commenced, said he was sincerely grateful for Ms Buckley’s work.
“Everywhere around the Archdiocese there is a recognition that the Year of Grace has made a big impact in our Archdiocese,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful experience for many of our people, and that’s very largely due to Paddy’s hard work.”
The Archbishop said he was eager to retain Ms Buckley’s assistance.
“I have to confess that on a couple of occasions, Paddy did her very best to resign from the role, and I did what people always do in these situations, I said, “Let me think about it”, and never got back to her,” he said.
“When I get back from World Youth Day in July, I just might be on the phone with another proposal.”
Perth has submitted one of the largest amounts of feedback responses about the initiative since the Year of Grace finished on May 19.