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FROM DOWN UNDER 

Crossing globe to sub for a Colonie pastor

How did a priest from the other side of the globe - Rev. Daniel Doyle of Christchurch, New Zealand - end up in Colonie for the month of August? 

It all began on the frozen wasteland of Antarctica, where he has served as coordinator of Catholic chaplains for the past 14 years through periodic visits. 

There, during one spell on the bottom of the world, he met a parishioner from Our Lady of Mercy in Colonie/St. Francis de Sales in Loudonville who was serving with the U.S. Air National Guard. The parishioner mentioned that his home priest, Rev. David Noone, was planning a vacation, but was having difficulty finding a priest to fill in for him while he was gone. 

Father Doyle was planning a trip of his own, and offered to spend the final month of his sabbatical substituting for Father Noone. 

The two priests, who did not meet face-to-face until Father Doyle arrived on July 31, have been communicating via email ever since.

N.Z. pipeline 
Father Doyle is not the first priest from his homeland to be welcomed into the newly merged Colonie/Loudonville parish. Several years ago, Father Noone swapped places for six months with another priest from New Zealand whom he had befriended when the two served as rector and assistant rector at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

During their six-month "swap," Father Noone served as a parish priest and Catholic chaplain at a regional hospital in a small port city in New Zealand. He described the switch as "a tremendous experience," and even went on to swap with another priest from there for a second, shorter stay.

New Zealand "is the most beautiful country in the world," said Father Noone of the experiences. "The people were super-friendly. It was a good experience on parish life."

Since arriving in the Albany Diocese, Father Doyle has enjoyed his own new experience. He was put to work immediately, assisting Father Noone with a 10 a.m. funeral after flying into New York at midnight the previous night. During his stay, he will celebrate four Masses each weekend.

Father Doyle said his new parishes are "incredibly welcoming and friendly." He looks forward to a month of "looking after two complete and separate parishes, two wonderful churches." 

The priest enjoys meeting parishioners; he noted that he has already received many dinner invitations.

"I'm eating my way around the parish," he joked.

'Ice people'
Father Doyle is especially looking forward to meeting the families of parishioners he met in Antarctica. The 109th Airlift Wing, a Scotia-based New York Air National Guard unit, is the only unit in the country to operate ski-equipped LC-130Hs, which transport people and supplies to research stations there and in the Arctic. 

Many of Father Doyle's parishioners in Antarctica belong to this unit and have family in the Albany area. He said he is "excited about making contacts with the 'ice people.'"

Back home, in addition to serving as a parish priest, Father Doyle in his role as coordinator of Catholic chaplains in Antarctica visits the frozen continent for one month every two years. 

He also recruits and trains priests to serve as chaplains. Priests are stationed on Antarctica for one-month shifts throughout its entire five-month summer, at the Chapel of the Snows at McMurdo Station. Father Doyle first visited Antarctica as a chaplain 25 years ago.

The Diocese of Christchurch has been assisting the National Science Foundation in the Antarctic Program for 50 years. The foundation is supported by the U.S. National Guard and U.S. Air Force.

World tour
Father Noone will give talks for his new parishioners regarding his work in Antarctica, as well as on his missionary work in Papua New Guinea. 

"It's amazing," he remarked of his American parishioners. "Everybody listens to my sermons so carefully. I think they might be listening to the accent more than the sermon."

Father Doyle's month in New York marks the end of his sabbatical, his first in 27 years as a priest. His trip has taken him to eight countries on four continents: He visited Rome for Easter, spent a month in Jerusalem and followed the footsteps of Saint Paul throughout Southern Italy and Turkey.

Father Doyle praised both Father Noone and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard. 

"I've been to few parishes in the world where there is universal love for the pastor, but I can truly say that I have not heard one bad word from one parishioner [about Father Noone]. They think he is marvelous. The same can be said for your bishop."

Although Father Noone regrets that he is not spending time in New Zealand himself, he is relieved to know his parish is left in good hands: "It's a good experience for both parishes."

(08/13/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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