Diocese offers pilgrimage sites

As the Catholic Church continues its jubilee year celebrating the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul, the Albany Diocese is doing its part.

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard has designated 16 parishes within the Albany Diocese as pilgrimage sites where Catholics may gain plenary indulgences during the year of St. Paul, which began last June and will end June 28, 2009.

An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for sins that have been forgiven. A plenary indulgence means the punishment is completely remitted.
A Vatican decree stated that the Pauline-year indulgence "facilitates the way to interior purification" while it "exalts supernatural life in the hearts of the faithful and spurs them on to produce fruits of good works."

How-to
A Catholic who desires the indulgence should receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Communion and visit a designated pilgrimage site to pray for the intentions of the Pope.

Grace Hammon, a parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi in Northville, gained her indulgence with a visit to Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Canajoharie. She said that it is not for herself, but for those in purgatory who have no one to pray for them.

"I gave all my indulgences, past, present and future, to the Virgin Mary," she said. "I feel she has a better idea of who should have them than me."

The Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Troy is also a designated pilgrimage site. Rev. William Gorman, administrator, welcomes parishioners and visitors who would like to gain the indulgence and to grow in faith by learning about St. Paul. 

Parish party
"We have already had a birthday party for St. Paul," he said. Parishioners are given holy cards of the saint, known as the "prince of the Apostles" and "Apostle to the Gentiles."
As part of the jubilee year, former altar servers from St. Paul's parish were invited to join the procession to the manger during Mass on Christmas Eve, and Father Gorman incorporates St. Paul into many of his homilies. 

In spite of the saint's dramatic conversion experience on the road to Damascus, Father Gorman noted that St. Paul's conversion really took years. "It was a process," he said. "He gradually became aware of where he was with Christ."

He said that Catholics can learn patience from St. Paul's spiritual journey. "There was Saul and there was Paul," Father Gorman explained. "I believe in life we all have our Saul moments." 

But he believes there is hope in the "Paul moments." 

"If we are open to the Lord, he will make things come out right for us," he stated. 
"Things take time to come to fruition."

Build the Church
Barbara Oliver is pastoral associate for administration at Assumption/St. Paul parish in Mechanicville, another pilgrimage site in the Diocese. She agreed that St. Paul's life is a source of inspiration. 

"St. Paul was the greatest missionary to the gentile people," she said. "His call was to build up the Church, spread the message of the Good News and his personal experience with Jesus, and to draw others to the Church. It's wonderful to celebrate the missionary spirit."

These lessons lead the faithful toward the Holy Father's goal for the Pauline year: "to learn from St Paul, to learn faith, to learn Christ, and finally to learn the way of upright living."

(1/1/09)