Diocesan benefactor Irene Sweeney laid to rest

Intermountain Catholic

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Lady Madalyn S. Seaman, a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, leaves the funeral Mass of Irene Sweeney, who also belonged to the organization. The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, presided at the Mass, which was concelebrated by a number of diocesan priests, including Monsignor M. Francis Mannion, pastor of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish. IC photo/Marie Mischel

 SALT LAKE CITY — Irene Cecelia Sweeney, a member of the Cathedral of the Madeleine Parish who had a cathedral bell named in her honor, died June 23. She had been a cathedral parishioner for more than 50 years. The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, presided at the June 28 funeral Mass.

At the Mass, Bishop Wester extended to the Sweeney family sympathy and condolences from the Most Rev. George H. Niederauer and the Most Rev. William K. Weigand. Both former bishops of the Diocese of Salt Lake City spoke with "great fondness and affection and gratitude for all that Irene has done for our Church and what she continues to do as a member of the community of saints," Bishop Wester said.

Sweeney gave great amounts of money to the cathedral and the diocese, which is appreciated and not to be discounted, but her gift "was exactly like that of the widow in Mark’s Gospel today: Her gift was of herself," Bishop Wester said in his homily. When Catholics hear the cathedral bells, including the one named in honor of Sweeney, "we will hear the echo of a heart that gave glory and praise to God throughout her life. And whether we know it or not, Irene will continue to be part of the fabric of our lives, as is this beautiful cathedral that Irene Cecelia loved so much," he said.

Sweeney enthusiastically served the cathedral’s ministries and apostolates, said Monsignor Francis Mannion, who was pastor of the cathedral from 1986 to 2000 and now is pastor of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish, during his homily at the June 27 vigil Mass.

"Irene was, first and foremost, a faith-filled woman," Msgr. Mannion said. "Only God can be the final judge and know the heart and soul of anyone, but we who knew and loved Irene saw her as a model disciple of Christ, as a woman who was Catholic to the core and proud of it."

The two of them worked closely on the cathedral restoration, which was completed in the mid-1990s, Msgr. Mannion said. "Without Irene’s contribution in time, talent and treasure, the cathedral renovation project would never have reached the successful proportions that it did," he said.

The Cathedral’s visual beauty is enhanced by the music of the Madeleine Choir School, both of which Sweeney supported, said Howie Lemcke, a member of the choir school board with Sweeney. Children from the school sang at the funeral Mass, and "we got to experience how much Irene loved her God to give us both those, the visual and the musical beauty," Lemcke said.

Although Sweeney didn’t paint or sing, "she could organize. She could get the people together. She could oversee it," he said, so the beauty of the cathedral is due as much to Irene and Msgr. Mannion as it is to the painters, the sculptors, and the musicians.

Sweeney’s generosity extended beyond the Church, said Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, vicar general emeritus of the diocese, whose father worked with Sweeney in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

"Her contributions were not just to the Catholic Church, they were to the community at large," he said, including her involvement with League of Women Voters and Family Health Plan, the first HMO in Utah. "Anything that needed her help she was there to help with. She was selfless in that regard."

Still, her contributions to the Church loom large. "Irene Sweeney is one of the last of the heroines and heroes of the earlier Utah Church, one of the few lifelong Catholics who had substantial wealth and who totally committed themselves to the growth of the Church, using their wealth for that purpose," Msgr. Fitzgerald said, adding that she was instrumental in establishing the Catholic Foundation of Utah and the Diocesan Pastoral Council.

She gave not only tremendous financial support but also was actively involved, Msgr. Fitzgerald said. "That’s one thing about Irene. She not only gave of her resources, but she gave of herself. That’s a rare gift in people."

Scott A. Czaja, treasurer for the Catholic Foundation of Utah Board of Trustees, was a pallbearer at Sweeney’s funeral; he had known her for the last 12 years. He tried to be with her as much as possible, he said, because "if I could be around her, visit with her, the goodness that I saw in her would rub off and become part of me," he said.