Maree was an inaugural member of the Manawatu Adult Catholic Deaf Committee when it was formed in 1978 and was elected President the following year. In July 1980, when the New Zealand Catholic Deaf Association was founded, Maree Carroll was a member of the Executive and took over from Daniel Beech as President in 1984.
From the time the Catholic Adult Deaf Ministry was established, Maree took a leading role in it’s work and activities in Manawatu. When the Manawatu Catholic Deaf group had its first combined Mass with a hearing parish, at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Palmerston North on 4 November 1979, it was Maree who did the Reading during the service. It was not the first time that Maree had stepped forward to take on the challenge of speaking in public at an important event. Nearly 30 years before, as a child at St Dominic’s in Dower Street, it was Maree Ward who had read the address of welcome to Professor and Doctor Ewing from Manchester, during their 1950 VIP visit to the school.
In 1986 Sister Maureen organised the first Renew group for Deaf people in Manawatu as part of her Deaf Chaplaincy programme, and these meetings were held at the Carrolls’ home. Maree attended Catholic Association for Deaf and Hearing Impaired People of Australia (CADHIPA) conferences in various parts of Australia from the late 1980s. During the period that Sister Maureen was chaplain for the Palmerston North and Wellington Diocese Maree worked with her in a support role, with one of her duties being to assist with the production of the Ephpheta newsletter from 1990 – 1993.
Maree continued to be heavily involved with the Ministry, working to develop a book ‘See What I Mean,’ which was a publication about the history of St Dominic’s School for Deaf Children and the Catholic Ministry in New Zealand. She worked alongside David Loving-Molloy, a Deaf priest.
Maree passed away on 4th September 2010, the first day of the Canterbury earthquakes.