Busy priest makes a little room for some leisure

"I really believe in the 'seasons' of a person's life," declared Rev. Paul Smith, strolling through the picturesque campus of the Albany College of Pharmacy. "In May, I arrived at my 45th anniversary as a priest. I felt it was time for a change in my status."

The "season" Father Smith decided to enter a few months ago was retirement. Although he still keeps to an impressive schedule of duties, he told The Evangelist he's had the chance to try new things with his extra leisure time.

The retiree fits in his hobbies around his duties as sacramental minister to St. Lucy's parish in Altamont and its mission, St. Bernadette's in Berne, while still serving as chaplain to Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Law School and Sage College of Albany.

On the road

"I have no office, no secretary and no phone," Father Smith remarked as he traversed ACP's campus on a recent afternoon. "I spend my time in cafeterias, libraries and lounges. It seems to fit my personality; I'm not a terribly organized person!"

Four or five days a week, the chaplain visits the three Albany campuses he serves, sitting in various locations with a sign in front of him that says, "Interrupt me."

Students occasionally do, he said, mostly to talk about a problem or about wanting to marry in the Church. But he spends much of his time alone, simply being a Catholic presence on campus.

"I try to go to events that mean something to [the students]," he noted, citing forums and meetings of the Black Student Law Association as examples. "I hang out and listen; if I can make a contribution of any kind, I offer to do that."

Father Smith also writes articles on the Catholic perspective for ACP's quarterly student publication, including one piece on life issues.

Circuit-rider

His Sundays are spent bouncing from celebrating 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Lucy's to the 10:15 a.m. liturgy at St. Bernadette's, and then driving to Albany for a newly instituted Mass at ACP's chapel.

"There's space between them, so I don't find it too bad," said the well-traveled priest. "As long as I'm breathing, I expect to be working on weekends."

The priest is also present for baptisms, weddings, penance and funerals at the two churches.

Food co-op

In addition to his official duties, Father Smith has taken on some unofficial ones: namely, joining the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany to get organic food. He works a shift at the store to get a 26-percent discount on his purchases.

"I've always been interested in that kind of thing," he said of organic foods. "I see a whole lot of cancer, and I wonder how connected it is with pesticides."

He also collects food for the needy with a parish group and, in his spare time, takes courses -- like a recent one through the Red Cross to improve his swimming stroke.

Relaxing

The retiree believes it's important for priests to have relaxation time. Father Smith gave the example of a priest friend who retired at 75 and admitted, "I have no hobbies."

Priests who were praised for docility and devotion to work, he said, often have difficulty giving themselves "permission to relax."

Such is not the case for Father Smith. In fact, he said that he plans to use his retirement to "propel" him into trying new things.

"I want to get handier. I want to learn about carpentry," he explained. And "I have the freedom to connect with the very large, extended family I have."

(One student Father Smith met in his travels was an inspiration to him. A third-year student at Albany Medical College, the young man used a running track at the same time as the priest and shared his story: He wanted to become a surgeon and use that gift to help people back in his old neighborhood in the Bronx. "The dedication this young man had was incredible," Father Smith stated.)

(9/23/04)