Cluster project: Parishes 'talk' through shared bulletins

There's also news about other parishes in the Watervliet/Green Island Cluster, such as a Baptism Seminar at Sacred Heart of Mary Church, a Spaghetti Dinner at Immaculate Conception Church and a Women's Society Flea Market at St. Patrick's Church. In addition, you'll learn what's happening at St. Brigid's Regional School, the Watervliet Senior Citizens Center, Inc. and the Watervliet Public Library.

Parishes in the Watervliet/Green Island Cluster include St. Brigid's, Sacred Heart of Mary, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Patrick's, all in Watervliet; and St. Joseph's in Green Island.

Getting together

Helen Shufon, a part-time secretary at St. Brigid's and parishioner of St. Patrick's, contacts each parish to find out if it wants anything to appear in the next month's newsletter. She tries to include something from each parish every week. She also calls other groups, such as Watervliet Little League, Little Sisters of the Poor and Protestant churches, to see if they wish to publicize any upcoming events.

The April edition of the newsletter, for example, included a Holy Week schedule for each parish and information about events later in the month as well as in May and June. One event is a Baby Shower sponsored by the Rosary Society at St. Brigid's on Mother's Day Weekend; and parishioners in the cluster are asked to donate unwrapped gifts for infants that will be given to Birthright and diocesan Community Maternity Services. Another event is the Women's Society Flea Market at St. Patrick's on April 24, with a call for such items as clothes, toys, linens and dishes.

Keeping in touch

"We try to see where we can help out each other and work together, and the cluster newsletter was one of those things we decided to do," he said. "One of the major problems is the lack of communication in parishes. It's so important to do that."

Rev. John Rooney, pastor of Sacred Heart of Mary, added that the newsletter helps to increase attendance at cluster events by parishioners from other churches.

"If something's going on at St. Patrick's, we go down there. If something's going on at St. Brigid's, we go down there. If something's going on up here, they come up here," he said. "Communication is essential in any kind of collaborative ministry, and we need to share our programs that are being run. Sometimes, our own people don't know about them."

The newsletter has made a difference to parishioners since it began, and people still read it each month, Father Rooney said, adding: "It's extremely advantageous, it's caught on and continues to be very well-received."

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