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St. Anthony of Padua parish in Troy embraced the missionary spirit of the Catholic Church the weekend of Oct. 3-4: Deacon Charles Wojton participated in the parish's first pulpit exchange, preaching across the street at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, as deacons from St. John's Episcopal Church spoke at Masses at St. Anthony's.

The two Episcopal churches switched homilists, as well. The pulpit exchange was an effort to create unity between the churches -- all of which are located within a half-mile of each other, noted Deacon Alicia Todaro of St. Paul's.

Deacon Todaro said there was a time in history when people of one faith felt they had to seek permission from clergy to enter a church of a different faith. "That sort of stuff has built walls between us," she said. But "I think Christians need to pull together," noted Deacon Paul Carney of St. John's. "We all believe in the same God."

"We're looking to create a more positive image of Troy," added Deacon Wojton, referring to the city's high crime rate. "Things can be a little more positive than all the violence and the hate we've experienced." Describing the pulpit exchange sounds like a chess game: As Deacon Wojton went to St. Paul's, Deacon Carney and Deacon Sandra Tatem of St. John's were at St. Anthony's; Deacon Todaro of St. Paul's spoke at St. John's.

All delivered a similar message: "It's the same God. It's the same Jesus," Deacon Todaro told The Evangelist. "We worship in slightly different ways. We need to restore the unity we used to have."

The inspiration for the pulpit exchange had come from the connection between the two cathedrals in Albany. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the Episcopal Cathedral of All Saints have had a close relationship for years; organists from the two cathedrals recently teamed up for a concert at a "Troy Night Out" event.

The three Troy churches began talking about the idea of a pulpit exchange in the spring. Paul Delio, president of the parish council at St. Anthony's, said all three wanted to make themselves more "available to the community."

St. Anthony's parish council began looking at "how we can get more actively involved as not only a parish, but also a witness in the area," said Mr. Delio. St. Paul's and St. John's felt the same, so a small group from the three churches met to pray and brainstorm ideas for how to create unity.

During the pulpit exchange, the similarities of the religious services were more apparent than their differences. Deacon Carney said he gave the same reflection he would have in his own church -- and, in fact, Catholic and Episcopal churches use the same Gospel readings each week.

Mr. Delio heard Deacon Tatem's reflection at St. Anthony's. "She did a marvelous job," he told The Evangelist. "She talked about how the Lord offers forgiveness for many things, even when things happen in the sacrament of matrimony," such as a couple needing to divorce.

Deacon Carney, who has worked for the Troy police department for 40 years, was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, so he felt comfortable with the exchange. However, "the [Roman Catholic] service has changed since I was a child," he remarked. "It is pretty close to the Episcopal liturgy."

He feels the churches' newfound unity will be beneficial to Troy. "We're in tumultuous times right now," he said.

All the faith leaders said the three churches' connection will continue. Deacon Wojton believes the pulpit exchange will emphasize "what we share, rather than what our differences are. It's just a way of opening up with other Christian faiths."[[In-content Ad]]

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