'Maria Hilf' marks 125th anniversary

The church steeple was struck by lightning in 1923 and was replaced with a new tower three years later, easing the fears of neighbors who worried the spire could fall. A parish school staffed by the Sisters of St. Francis closed in 1975 after 100 years of educating students when the nuns were transferred. Even the church organ has become a thing of the past and will give way to a more affordable electronic organ.

Nevertheless, if there's any truth to the saying that it's the people who make up the church, not a building, then OLHC has reason to celebrate its 125th anniversary with pride.

Stability

"It's very gratifying because the parish here, for me, is family," Father Hohenstein told The Evangelist. "There are so many people I have known and served. This celebration is not only about the present but also about the people who made this parish what it is today by their dedication and sacrifice."

The Second Avenue neighborhood that is home to OLHC also was home to a large German population in the 1870s. German Catholics in Albany's South End worshipped at Holy Cross Church a few blocks away, but they requested their own parish on Second Avenue. They got their wish, but Our Lady Help of Christians initially served as a mission of Holy Cross for one year before its 1874 establishment as an independent parish.

'Maria Hilf'

"Maria Hilf," the German words for "Our Lady Help," grew as a parish so much that a new church was needed. The cornerstone of the Gothic building was laid in 1880, and the first Mass was celebrated a year later. German parishioners mortgaged their homes and sacrificed small luxuries to make the down payment on the church.

In 1916, a new marble altar donated by Mr. and Mrs. James Farrell was unveiled and dedicated. The altar was carved from pure white Vermont and imported marbles, and rose in lacy tiers to a height of almost 50 feet.

Rising upward

A new school was built in 1935 during Father Miller's pastorate; he died before it was opened, but it was dedicated to his memory upon completion. The following year, the Sisters of St. Francis had a new convent built for them next to the church.

Among the pastors who have served at OLHC are: Rev. Stephen Pressier, 1874-1883; Rt. Rev. Msgr. H. Cluever, 1883-89; Rev. Bernard Schoppe, 1889-99; Rev. Herman Offergeld, 1899-1913; Rev. Henry Miller, 1913-35; Rev. Joseph Henrich, 1935-1958; Rev. Francis Buechler, 1959-63; Rev. John Keefe, 1963-69; Rev. Robert Roos, 1969-1972; and Rev. George Mailloux, 1973-1975.

Coming home

The closing of the school freed up parish funds to perform much-needed renovation and repairs in the church over the next five years, and the transfer of the Sisters of St. Francis meant the convent could be used as a rectory. The former rectory was sold, and the school building was leased to an audio-visual commercial firm.

That year also marked the canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton by Pope Paul VI, a ceremony attended by Father Hohenstein and other Catholics from the Albany Diocese. The Pope encouraged Catholics to begin devotions to the newly canonized and first American-born saint, and Father Hohenstein took his advice to heart. A parish shrine was built in the former baptismal area in 1976, and OLHC has held a St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Triduum each September since.

Robert Hedderman Sr., proprietor of John F. Hedderman & Son Church Goods on Columbia Street, came to that first Triduum; two months later, he was murdered, and the Triduum since has been dedicated to his memory. Many people from all over the Diocese attend each year because it's such a unique devotion.

Other changes during Father Hohenstein's years as pastor include the replacement of the confessional with a modern reconciliation room; installation of a bell system; and the sale of the former school to St. Peter's Hospital, which runs its Community Residence and Day Rehabilitation Program for Alcoholism Treatment there.

Spirit of parish

"That's typical of the spirit that has kept the parish going for 125 years. That spirit of sacrifice has continued," he said.

(OLHC will celebrate its 125th anniversary with a 10 a.m. Mass on May 16; Bishop Howard J. Hubbard will be the presider. Archbishop Joseph Ryan, OLHC's administrator from 1955-57, is expected to attend. There also will be an anniversary dinner Oct. 3 at the Century House in Latham.)

(05-13-99) [[In-content Ad]]