St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance honorees
Submitted by John Doolan
The Cranford Knights of Columbus honored Monsignor Tim Shugrue and Mary O’Connor as our Irish Man & Irish Woman of the Year at the 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance held on March 25th, 2023. We also honored Sgt. Tim O’Brien and Firefighter Ron Marotta of the Cranford Police & Fire Departments.
Our Irish Man of the Year, Monsignor Tim has served as Pastor of St. Michael’s Church since 2011 and is also the Worthy Chaplain of our Council. He was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark in 1973 and in 1996, he was named a Chaplain of His Holiness by St. John Paul II with the title of Monsignor. His appointments and accomplishments are too many to list here, but Monsignor Tim has been very active here in Cranford since coming to St. Michael’s. Monsignor Tim will retire later this year and our Council, our Parish and the entire Cranford Community have been blessed to have him serve all of us through his ministry and his community service. Monsignor Tim’s close friend Father Daniel Murphy presented him with his award.
Our Irishwoman of the Year Mary O’Connor needs no introduction to the Cranford Community as she has been active both as a volunteer and through her public service on the Township Committee for nine years. Mary grew up in Cranford, attended St. Michael’s School and has been active in our Parish Community for many years. Mary moved back to Cranford to raise her daughter Nell and to be close to her family and friends and recently retired from the Summit Public School District. She is a regular volunteer at St. Joseph’s Social Service Center and the Community Food Bank and is Co-Chair of the Union County Daughters of Ireland Community Service Committee that supports a number of our local charities and organizations. We are honored to be able to recognize Mary as our Irishwoman of the Year and we have all been blessed to have her as a friend and a dedicated resident of our great town. Jim Byrnes of our Council presented Mary with his award.
Sgt. Tim O’Brien has served Cranford in our Police Department for 24 years and counting and is an active and big supporter of many charities and worthy causes with his wife Loryn through their businesses Tim O’Brien Painting & Power Washing, LLC and as a real estate agent with the Caldwell Banker Real East Agency. Sgt. Joe Stulpin of the Cranford Police Department presented Tim with his award. Ron Marotta has served Cranford in our Fire Department for 45 years and counting in a variety of different positions in town. He has really made a difference both personally and professionally. Chief Dan Czeh presented Ron with his award.
The Cranford Knights of Columbus is a Catholic Fraternal Organization dedicated to our Four Core Principles, Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. The Cranford Council supports many charities and civic causes locally, state-wide, and nationally and is committed to be a viable part of our community. For information about joining the Cranford Council, please contact our Grand Knight Jerry Conheeney at 908-416-3464 or visit the Council web site at cranfordknights.org.
