Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
March 14, 2001
Irish Catholic's legacy brings joy
O'Neill was `devout, intelligent, simple in faith' says pastor
By Alwen Bledsoe
Mary Elizabeth O'Neill of Boulder's Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish left Catholics throughout the United States a legacy of generosity that has continued even beyond her death in Oct. 1997.
In her will, O'Neill remembered several charitable organizations, including her Boulder parish, the church she grew up in, and a Native American school in South Dakota.
She left the remainder of her estate to the Archdiocese of Denver, "to be used for humanitarian purposes only, including, but not limited to, food, clothing, utility, medical, fuel, and other such needs for indigent or low income individuals." The archdiocese donated the money to the Catholic Foundation, which set up a permanent endowment in O'Neill's honor.
The first funds for the endowment were received in September 1999 and have already been used to benefit two needy families in Sacred Heart parish. Steve Bryant, director of development and planned giving for the archdiocese, delivered sizable checks to the two families just before Christmas 2000.
"These two families were lower income — really, really nice families," said Deacon Bob Howard of Sacred Heart Parish. "In both cases the mothers came down to the office. Of course they got all teary-eyed and didn't expect it. It really helped them out a lot."
It was a memorable experience for Bryant as well.
"One lady started crying and said, `You have no idea how much money this is to me,'" Bryant said. "The other repeated that and said, `With this money, my family can now have a Christmas.'"
Gertrude Casey, a parishioner at Sacred Heart since 1946, used to take Communion to O'Neill when she was unable to attend Mass. O'Neill's family originally came from Ireland, Casey said, adding that O'Neill and a sister lived just a block away from Sacred Heart.
"The people in the apartment house she lived in just loved her. She was just a nice person — she was good to everyone," Casey said. "She was very generous and lived a very humble life. She didn't have a car, or she didn't go [places] a lot. She was just a good, kind lady."
Msgr. Edward Madden, who has pastored Sacred Heart for the last 10 years, agreed.
"She lived very simply. Nobody knew she had a dime," he said. "She was a person who loved her faith so much. She was a very devout, good woman, very intelligent, but simple in her faith."
In addition to the money O'Neill bequeathed the archdiocese, she also left $20,000 to fund a scholarship for Sacred Heart of Jesus parish school, Msgr. Madden said. O'Neill's esteem for a friend, Sister Louis Clare Tobin, B.V.M., who taught at the school for several years, inspired O'Neill to establish the scholarship, Msgr. Madden said.
The permanent endowment through the Catholic Foundation ensures that O'Neill's generosity will live on for years to come, said Jan Zapapas, secretary for stewardship and planning for the archdiocese.
"As we select people to receive these monies, we make them aware of what we know of Mrs. O'Neill and her generosity," Zapapas said.
For information about the Catholic Foundation for the Archdiocese of Denver, call 303-715-3226.
