He has filled the position for twice the length of term of the longest-serving pope.
He has worked with six bishops, eight parish administrators and countless curates.
He has long since lost track of the number of baptisms, weddings and funerals he has assisted with.
And Killarney parish sacristan Tadghie Fleming has no intention of handing back his vestments just yet as, quite astonishingly, 2024 will be his 63rd year in the role in the busy Killarney parish.
Tadghie, from Lewis Road in Killarney, first served the parish as an altar boy for a number of years from 1951 and he became sacristan and parish clerk on December 8th 1961, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and what was then the busiest shopping day of the year.
Fr James Sheehan was the parish administrator at the time – the first of eight Tadghie has worked alongside – and he was also an ever present during the reigns of the Bishop Denis Moynihan, Bishop Eamon Casey, Bishop Kevin McNamara, Bishop Diarmáid Ó Súilleabháin, Bishop Bill Murphy and the current incumbent Bishop Ray Browne.
To put his length of service in perspective, the longest-serving pontiff, Pope Pius IX, served for 31 years and Tadghie has already more than doubled that.
Current parish administrator Fr Kieran O’Brien has lauded his dedication and passion for the role.
Giving an indication of the sacristan’s commitment, he said the parish has well over 200 baptisms every year, over 100 weddings and more than 100 funerals.
In addition to that, he helps brides and grooms to be to prepare for their wedding ceremony as well as the many other services, events and parish clerk duties he has to tend to in St Mary’s Cathedral every year.
“Tadghie has dedicated so much of his life to the cathedral and to the parish and he loves them both,” he said.
“He has put his heart and soul into the role over the years and we are so grateful to him for all he has done,” added Fr O’Brien, who thanked the long-serving sacristan at the close of a number of Masses in the parish in recent days.
He previously described Tadghie as “the real boss of the parish” who has probably heard the same wedding ceremony and homilies so many times that he could recite them backwards.
When Tadghie celebrated 50 years of service he received the Benemerenti Medal which is the highest honour the pope and the Vatican can present.
Tadghie and his wife Maureen have three adult children, James, Damien and Fiona and the Lewis Road man is a real stalwart with the Dr Crokes GAA Club which has been close to his heart all through his life.
But whatever about the club grounds on Lewis Road, it’s St Mary’s Cathedral that has been Tadghie’s real home from home.
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