Dear Parishioners and Friends,
We were all deeply saddened to hear the news that our friend and colleague, Pam Johnson, passed away on Friday, July 25th. Her smile and laughter brightened every room, and she used her many gifts in service to the church and the art of music.
I first encountered Pam back in New York, twenty or so years ago when she and Br. Kevin McGoff led the music for one of our Province’s liturgical events, either an Ordination or a Solemn Profession. Little did I know then that our paths would cross so significantly a few decades later.
Even before I arrived in Hartford, Pam was guiding me through the maze of financial, personnel and other matters I needed to know as a first-time pastor. I quickly came to rely on her experience and wisdom as I navigated my way through my initial months in Hartford. Simply put, I depended on her for everything!
Imagine my shock when Pam came to my office one day in early June of 2021 and told me that she would be leaving her position here as business manager, and would be taking a new job at the pastoral center in Bloomfield where she would be the executive assistant to the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Losing Pam at that time was just one more challenge I had to face in my first year as pastor, but it was also a valuable learning experience as well. Pam had taught me a lot about being a pastor and I was grateful for her guidance and patience.
The archdiocese gained a dedicated, informed, and energetic asset in Pam Johnson. When Archbishop Coyne arrived in October 2023 as Coadjutor Archbishop, Pam became his executive assistant as well, and continued in that position right up to the present. It wasn’t unusual to get a call from her to discuss some particular matter on behalf of the archbishop. She was always professional, always courteous, always efficient. In other words, the Archdiocese of Hartford has lost a treasured team member.
Here at St. Patrick-St. Anthony, Pam not only served as our business manager, she was also a talented member of our music ministry. Both as a cantor and as director of the Treble Clef Choir, Pam shared with us the fruits of her musical training. Having studied vocal performance at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, she was a member of CONCORA and the Hartford Chorale, two of Hartford’s prestigious choral ensembles.
Our hearts go out to her husband Matt and sons Glenn and Robert, and the entire Johnson and Fri- go families. We keep all of them in our prayer and wish them comfort in their loss. I am reminded of two verses from Scripture that I associate with Pam Johnson. From St. Paul’s second letter to Timothy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’; and from the gospel of Matthew: “Well done, good and faithful servant … enter into the joy of your master.”
May Pam Johnson be received with joy into the eternal presence of the Lord whom she served so well.
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor