CLIFTON For 40 years, Pamela Brown has served the Paterson Diocese working at the former Our Lady of Lourdes School in Paterson and then at the parish office there before heading to the finance office at the Diocesan Center here in 2009. Brown will begin the next chapter of her life on June 26 (also her birthday), as she retires after 40 years of service to the Church.
“Pam Brown’s work has been wonderful during 40 years serving people in the city of Paterson and the entire diocese,” said Msgr. James Mahoney, vicar general and moderator of the Curia. “The thing which is so striking about her work is that the quality does not imply what she does, but who she is. I consider her to be one of the finest Christians we are fortunate to have as part of the Paterson Diocese. She and her husband, Tom, embraced the Franciscan charism and lifestyle well before the time of Pope Francis. It has defined who they are and what they do. This diocese is truly better for having both Pam and Tom as employees and friends.”
“It has been an amazing ride working here,” Brown told The Beacon. “The people here are a good group to work with and I have enjoyed our time together. I’ve learned so much and I have appreciated the opportunity,” said Brown, who worked in accounts payable department.
Brown’s “ride” as an employee of the Paterson Diocese started in 1976 at Our Lady of Lourdes School where she started out as a librarian and substitute teacher. Good with numbers, Brown eventually worked with the school’s finance office until the school closed in 2004. Following that, she served in the parish office as secretary.
“I’ve have many great memories at Our Lady of Lourdes. Besides being secretary, I remember doing a lot of different things for the parish as many parish secretaries do. I remember once going up to the roof of the church and up the bell tower as it was being repaired to see the work being done. The priests didn’t want to go up there so I was next in line,” she laughed. “That was an interesting experience and I was happy to see the view from up there.”
Besides being the place where she worked for so many years, Our Lady of Lourdes has a special place in Brown’s heart. All five of her children attended the school and received the Sacraments of Baptism and First Holy Communion there.
Brown and her husband, Thomas, who retired after serving as the diocesan consultant for parish catechetics and as religious education director for more than 40 years, have always been active at her parish — first at Our Lady of Lourdes and now, at St. Bonaventure’s in Paterson, where they are Eucharistic ministers. Married for 48 years, they made a profession in the Secular Franciscan Order in 2004.
In 1989, they were the recipients of the Benemerenti Medal for special service and assistance to the Church from Pope St. John Paul II. In his nomination letter to the pope, Bishop Emeritus Rodimer described them as “greatly concerned for the poor and under-privileged. Together they have opted to live among them in the inner-city of Paterson.”
“Paterson has been our home since we got married,” she told The Beacon. “We came to Paterson when Tom received a teaching job at Blessed Sacrament School. That was around 1967 and we have lived here ever since. Today, with our children all within this area, we have no plans to leave the city.”
The plans she does have, as she prepares for retirement, are to spend more time with her husband, children and three grandchildren who are between the ages 6 and 9. “My grandchildren are learning to ride bikes and I plan on riding my bike with them,” she quipped.
She also hopes to work on projects at home, take some photography classes and improve her cooking skills. “There is always room for culinary improvement,” she said.
With their commitment as Secular Franciscans, she said she and her husband will also continue to strive to live more by the guidelines set forth by St. Francis and St. Clare.
“Someone had asked me, ‘Oh, you’re quitting?’, she said, “And I responded, ‘No, I’m just changing.’ This is the time to do it, and while I do admit I feel a little nervous, it’s time to move onto the next chapter of my life.”