By Sallie Bachar
Catholic Herald correspondent
Superior Catholic Herald's Mary Grieco
Rhinelander -- Mary Grieco's is a familiar face throughout the southeastern part of the Superior diocese. A Marquette graduate with a degree in journalism, she has been a news correspondent for the Catholic Herald for over 10 years. Grieco spent her early years at home raising a family. However, when her youngest was in high school she decided to get back into journalism and "on a lark" sent a human interest story to the Catholic Herald. The article was published and Grieco has remained on the staff ever since, covering a lot of ground through the years.
"I always wanted to write from the time I was a little kid," she said. "I wanted to be a sports writer but got slightly off field with that!" In addition to writing for the Herald, Grieco is also editor of "Our Town," a weekly community paper in Rhinelander, a position which she has held for 10 years.
The paper is a big responsibility in her life, sometimes taking up more than 50 hours a week. Despite the long hours, however, Grieco is very active in her parish. At St. Joseph Church she is a member of the choir, a communion minister to the homebound and contributes her writing talent to the parish newsletter. She has also been a faithful member of a prayer group that has met every Wednesday morning at 6:15 a.m. for the last 15 years. Said Grieco, "It is the stabilizing part of my week. It keeps me focused."
Grieco is also committed to several community organizations. She plays alto sax in the city band, is a member of the Kiwanis Club, on the Board of Directors of Kinship of the North, a big brother/big sister program, and helps organize a Christian music festival for the benefit of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Besides parish and community involvement, she still finds time for her own personal pursuits and hobbies. She loves to cook, plays the keyboard and is an avid reader.
Grieco said she feels very fortunate at this time in her life to have the opportunity to develop her own interests and to participate in community and parish activities. Grieco has two married daughters and is looking forward to being a first time grandmother in a few weeks. In commenting about her work, she said that she is grateful to be able to make a living and do something that she enjoys at the same time. "I love writing," she remarked. "There are no two ways about it." Writing for the Catholic Herald adds a new dimension. I can talk about things and ask questions that I normally can't in a secular paper she said. "I look upon it as my ministry."
© Superior Catholic Herald, 2000