At the recent AGM of the Catholic Biblical Association of Great Britain, tribute was paid to Sister Marie Therese Roberts for all her work for the association. As a retired sister of the Medical Missionaries of Mary (a religious congregation whose motherhouse is in Drogheda), Sister Marie Therese has long contributed her extensive administrative gifts for the benefit of the association.

She first became actively involved with the association in 1992, when she applied for the job of Secretary (advertised in the Tablet). By the time she was interviewed by the outgoing Secretary, Frank O'Reilly, the post had already been accepted by a retired headmaster named Fred Hartley. However, since the Treasurer, Joyce Smith, had also just resigned, Sister Marie Therese agreed instead to take on the post of Treasurer.

Initially a temporary arrangement was made to have some office space at the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, but later Sister Marie Therese worked from home, although the committee meetings were usually held in London (as is still the custom).

After a couple of years Fred Hartley resigned as Secretary of the association, and Sister Marie Therese generously offered to combine the roles of Secretary and Treasurer. In this way she was able to put to good use her great secretarial skills, acquired during her many years of service with the Missionary Sisters. For instance, she had the idea of setting up a Post Office Box for the association, thus enabling correspondence to be dealt with efficiently.

On behalf of the Trustees of the association, Dom Henry Wansbrough O.S.B. paid tribute to her professional capability: "She has been invaluable and utterly rigorous in sending regular reports, bank statements, preparing the agenda, and making arrangements for meetings. One could be absolutely sure that all the arrangements were in place."

Sister Marie Therese has just bowed out of her roles of Secretary and Treasurer. The whole association owes her a great debt of gratitude.