Altar boy for 91 years dies
THE longest-serving altar boy has died at 103.
Peter Reilly volunteered for the same church for 91 years.
He put his long life down to a ‘healthy diet, saying your prayers and everything in moderation.’
A MAN who held the world record as the longest-serving altar boy has passed away at the age of 103.
Peter Reilly, of Saltcoats, Ayrshire, first served Mass in 1924 aged 12, and continued volunteering at the same church for 91 years.
The Scottish Catholic Observer reports that his record was verified by The Guinness Book of Records at St Mary’s Church, Saltcoats, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.
Mr Reilly – officially an ‘altar server’ – put his advanced age down to “a healthy diet, saying your prayers and all things in moderation”.
A keen amateur filmmaker, he enjoyed documenting the life of his family and the town and his footage of Celtic legend Bobby Lennox’s wedding was shown in a documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of the European Cup win in 1967.
Poignantly, the last photograph of Peter was taken with Bobby and Kathryn Lennox, a couple of weeks before his death, when he attended the lunch club at St Mary’s. The couple attended his funeral.
Educated at St Mary’s Primary School, Saltcoats and later in Fort Augustus Abbey where he was head boy, he joined his father in running the family butter and egg importing business on leaving school and learned to drive the lorry when he was just 11.
A long-serving church representative on the Ayrshire Education Committee, he was also chief invigilator at St Michael’s Academy in Kilwinning for 20 years. Until recently, he lived in the house in which he was born.
Mr Reilly was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2009, and his service to the community was recognised when he was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2015.