Diocese kicks off its 150th jubilee

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany will be the setting Dec. 8 for an opening ritual that will ring in the Sesquicentennial year of the Albany Diocese.

The setting and date, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, are significant: The Diocese is dedicated to Our Lady under her title as the Immaculate Conception.

Representatives from each parish in the Diocese, diocesan agencies and boards, religious communities, and other denominations and faiths will be on hand to mark the beginning of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese in 1847, according to Elizabeth Rowe, chair of the sesquicentennial events committee.

Sense of past

The prayer service is being designed to impart a sense of the past, said Rev. David Mickiewicz, chair of the subcommittee planning the opening ritual. The service, based on the theme of the Sesquicentennial -- "Honoring Tradition...Discovering Tomorrow" -- is patterned after the Easter Vigil.

"It will give a sense of history," he said of the opening service, "where we've come from, our roots. We can't go into the third millennium without looking at the past. We come from feisty people."

To provide participants with a sense of the past, four of the six readings will be from historic documents. These include readings from the Jesuit martyrs, the apostolic letter of Pope Pius IX that created the Diocese, Bishop John McCloskey's inaugural homily as the first bishop of the Diocese, and parts of the homily from the centennial celebration of the Diocese in 1947.

Among the factors that make the history of the Albany Diocese unique is that "we're the only diocese in the country with saints and martyrs," Father Mickiewicz said, referring to the Jesuit martyrs, including St. Isaac Jogues, and to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.

Procession

Besides the readings, the service will include a massive procession of hundreds of people, the lighting of the Sesquicentennial candle, a large combined choir, and greetings from ecumenical leaders.

The procession will include the pastor and a representative from each parish of the Diocese. In total, 400 people will process up the three isles of the Cathedral.

After the Sesquicentennial candle is lit, representatives from parishes will light their candles from it and take the flame of celebration back to their communities. Parishes will bring candles that represent the Sesquicentennial for them. For example, St. Joseph's parish in Rensselaer made its own candle by collecting wax from candles parishioners brought in, Miss Rowe said.

Choir and organ

The nearly 200 singers have been assembled from seven choirs, said J. Robert Sheehan, choirmaster at the Cathedral and the person in charge of music for the celebration. "This is quite an undertaking," he said.

Included in the choir will be the College of Saint Rose Masterworks Chorale, the Cathedral Schola Cantorum, the Schola Gregorian, and church choirs from St. Thomas the Apostle in Delmar, St. Teresa of Avila in Albany, St. James in Albany and St. Mary's in Waterford. The singers will be accompanied by a brass quartet, symbols and tympani.

Mr. Sheehan reports that the Cathedral's gallery organ, which hasn't been used for more than 30 years will also be played during this celebration.

"I'm most excited about the gallery organ," he said. "It will be the crowning glory. It's going to be unbelievable. They'll hear us just outside the gates of heaven."

Like the readings, the music will provide participants with a sense of the history of the Diocese, Mr. Sheehan said, noting that music performed during the history of the Diocese and the Cathedral has been selected.

The service is important because it is the opening for a year-long celebration of diocesan history, Miss Rowe said. "This is the beginning of a jubilee year," she said. "It's an important day. It will mark the beginning and set the tone."

(The 3 p.m. service on Dec. 8 is an invitation-only event. However, some tickets may still be available. Call the Office of Initial and Ongoing Formation at 453-6678 for information.)

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