SAN DIEGO — No one can accuse Noreen Madden McInnes of being a slacker.
For almost 12 years as director of the diocesan Office for Liturgy and Spirituality, she helped to plan and coordinate some of the most significant liturgical celebrations in this Local Church.
Her tenure, which spanned four bishops, included overseeing:
-The ordinations of 31 priests and 87 permanent deacons
-The installation of two bishops (Bishops Robert W. McElroy and Michael Pham) and consecrations of four bishops (when then Fathers John Dolan, Ramón Bejarano, Felipe Pulido and Pham were made auxiliary bishops)
-Funeral Masses for two bishops (Bishop Cirilo Flores and Bishop Robert H. Brom) and for 52 priests
-Five dedications of churches and altars
-The training of more than 2,000 lay Eucharistic ministers
-A Mass of Thanksgiving for Bishop McElroy’s elevation to cardinal, which was celebrated on Aug. 28, 2022, at St. Patrick’s Church in Rome.
“It was just an amazing blessing, all these wonderful liturgies that I got to do,” said McInnes, 68. “I loved every one of them.”
But after all of that, she said, she no longer has “the bandwidth to keep up with all the work.”
She stepped down on June 30 as director of the Liturgy Office. But she will be assisting her successor, Father Daniel Holgren, as a consultant. She also will stay on as chair of the office’s Art and Architecture Committee, which reviews plans for new and renovated worship spaces at local parishes.
As liturgy director, McInnes’ duties included overseeing the many, large-scale diocesan liturgies that are held each year, including ordination Masses for priests and deacons; the Chrism Mass, where the holy oils used in sacramental celebrations are blessed and distributed; the Pentecost Mass for All Peoples; and the diocesan observances of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Simbang Gabi, a traditional Filipino celebration held during the Advent season.
She also has overseen the celebration of weekday Masses at the diocesan Pastoral Center and Masses at the annual Priests’ Convocation and the Imperial Valley Catholic Conference.
Beyond that, McInnes’ responsibilities also included maintaining the diocese’s liturgical supplies; responding to liturgical questions from bishops, priests, deacons, parishioners and others; and updating the diocese on any liturgical changes instituted by the Vatican or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop Pham praised McInnes as “very dedicated to her ministry.”
“She felt such an honor to serve the Church in the particular area of liturgy,” he said. “She is a wonderful, beautiful and prayerful person to work with over the years. I am grateful for her work with the diocesan celebration of Pentecost, in which I have the privilege to work with her.”
Father Efrain Bautista, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Bonita, serves as master of ceremonies for all major diocesan Masses, priests’ funeral Masses, and other Masses where the bishop requests his services. He has been doing so for about as long as McInnes has directed the Liturgy Office and, as such, they have been close collaborators.
“Noreen is very spiritual and always puts prayer above all,” said Father Bautista. “She is very dedicated and gives of herself completely to what she does. For her, it is not a job, but a ministry and service to the Church.”
He added, “We will miss her smile and giving of herself unconditionally to make our liturgies beautiful.”
