Big-hearted homeless chaplain Major Mary set to retire

Major Mary Johnson is retiring after a lifetime working for The Salvation Army church and charity.

For the past four years Mary has worked supporting people experiencing homelessness at Sunderland’s Swan Lodge Lifehouse.

This will be the second time in her ministry that Mary has retired.

Mary is a firm favourite among the staff and residents, providing a listening ear, a warm welcome and a cuppa to anyone looking to offload what’s on their mind.

Service Manager Christine Ritchie said: “Mary has been an absolute godsend to the residents and staff of Swan Lodge. When Mary walks in she brings an air of peace and calm, she will tell it like it is and has the most wicked sense of humour. We will certainly all miss her.”

Previously, with her husband Robert, Mary has served as a church leader across the United Kingdom from supporting bereaved families after the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster to helping people impacted by the Carlisle floods in 2012.

The couple retired from active ministry in July 2014 after 39 years, but Mary wasn’t quite finished with The Salvation Army.

She said: “I had always had a heart for people. If someone came through the door, I’d be the one to make a cup of coffee and spend time talking to people.

“When I retired four years ago, I was asked to support Swan Lodge as a chaplain – it’s a role I’d dreamed about for 39 years.”

Chaplaincy was an ideal fit for Mary, her gift for seeing each person as an individual, not prejudging them on how they’d been labelled or by what they’d done in their pasts, firmly aligning with The Salvation Army’s homelessness motto of ‘seeing people, not labels’.

Mary said: “When I’m working with a resident, I don’t want to know about their past – what they’ve done or what has gone wrong for them in their lives. I want to see them as they are now without making any assumptions about them. As a chaplain, I want my first response to be to love them as God’s children.

“So many of our residents have experienced chaotic and challenging backgrounds and they inspire me by the way they have managed to still keep standing despite these challenges.

“To be part of the team that is able to offer tailored support to people as they work through these challenges and break free from what’s still holding them back, is incredible.

“Seeing people transform their lives is brilliant – whether someone has completely turned around their life and moved on, or even just experienced a better day after a run of bad ones, it’s worth celebrating.”

Mary retires at the end of his month and has already been presented her flowers and gifts, along with a certificate of exceptional service.