Augustinians leaving five parishes in Albany Diocese

Several parishes in the Albany Diocese will put their cluster plans into action sooner than they expected, after the Augustinian friars announced recently that they would leave five parishes in the Diocese within the next year.

As part of a process of restructuring within their order, the Augustinians will no longer serve at St. Patrick's parish in Cambridge; St. Joseph's, Greenwich; Immaculate Conception, Hoosick Falls; St. George's, Pittstown; and St. John the Baptist, Schaghticoke. The friars expect to leave by July 1997.

The order will continue to serve in three parishes in the Diocese: Assumption/St. Paul, Mechanicville; St. Augustine's, Troy; and St. Mary's, Waterford.

Changing plans

Rev. Geoffrey Burke, chancellor for personnel and public information for the Diocese, told The Evangelist that cluster plans submitted during the Pastoral Planning process by the parishes involved will be altered and implemented to ease the transition. Both he and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard assured parishes that their pastoral needs will still be met.

In a pulpit letter to the affected parishes, Bishop Hubbard stated: "I regret the loss of the Augustinian community in these parishes, but I certainly understand their decision given the constraints the community must face and the demands placed on their priest and religious personnel."

The restructuring process for the Augustinians began at a chapter meeting two years ago when the order realized that with their numbers declining, they needed to "face the ministry problems," according to Rev. Marshall Halphen, OSA, pastor of St. Mary's in Waterford and regional representative for the province of St. Thomas of Villanova, which includes the Albany Diocese.

"Fewer and fewer young men were entering our community," he explained. "The chapter commissioned the new provincial and his council to address this problem, and come up with a plan and enact it within four years."

Restructuring

The conclusion the Augustinian leaders reached was that the 280 friars in the province needed to concentrate their ministries in the areas most in need: teaching, campus ministry and parishes in more desperate need of priests than those in the Albany Diocese. (The Augustinians run several secondary and preparatory schools, in addition to teaching and providing campus ministry to various colleges on the East Coast.)

"There are dioceses far worse off than Albany," Father Halphen said, describing one priest in a Southern diocese who serves three parishes of 1,500 families each by himself. New ministries such as AIDS ministry are also in need of more priests, he said.

Every (arch)diocese where the Augustinians serve will be affected by the change, including Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Ogdensburg, Washington, and several sees in Florida.

Other causes

Several other reasons also lay behind the change, including the directive that Augustinian friars live in community. In the parishes the friars will leave, that was not possible.

Today, religious orders also evaluate friars more on their aptitudes and preferences in ministry than in the past, Father Halphen said, noting: "There's more emphasis on qualifications. Not all priests are qualified to be pastors, to teach, to be hospital chaplains."

Father Halphen emphasized that the parishes chosen for withdrawal are still "viable, healthy Catholic faith communities," and that the rule of St. Augustine on community life -- not "grading" parishes -- helped his order to choose which parishes to leave.

Plans discussed

The Augustinians' provincial, Rev. John Deegan, OSA, and Father Halphen met with Bishop Howard J. Hubbard; Father Burke; and Sister Kathleen Turley, RSM, chancellor for pastoral planning, several times in August to discuss their plans.

The Bishop was "very understanding" about the Augustinians' dilemma, Father Halphen commented, adding that the Bishop faces the same problem with the declining number of diocesan priests.

Bishop Hubbard asked that the parishes be told of the change as soon as possible, he said.

The news was announced at all Masses the weekend of August 17-18. While parishioners at the five parishes affected by the change have "a lot of sadness and concern," Father Halphen called them "understanding and supportive" of the change.

The friars who will be leaving the parishes are upset as well, he said, having developed close bonds with parishioners. A booklet with details on the new ministries plan will be distributed to the pastors to aid in the transition.

Long history

Father Halphen assured diocesan Catholics that the Augustinians have no plans to leave the Albany Diocese altogether.

"We have a long history here, longer than this was a Diocese itself," he stated. "We love the people here. The Diocese has given us many vocations; three provincials have come out of Hoosick Falls. Many spiritual ties have been created over the years with these people, and our physical absence or withdrawal from their parishes will not break those bonds."

Father Halphen offered an open invitation to all Catholics of the Diocese to visit the remaining Augustinian-served parishes here and to join the Albany Diocese's chapter of the secular Augustinians.

What next?

Parishes whose pastors will withdraw will participate in meetings with Sister Kathleen to plan for the change. Father Burke expects that pastors will leave the five parishes all at once in 1997.

The three parishes where the Augustinians still serve may see changes as well: retired friars may come to live in their rectories to provide "senior ministry," celebrating Masses and taking on light duties while living in community with their fellow friars.

St. Augustine's parish in Troy is expected to be assigned another priest, Father Halphen said.

(09-05-96)

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