Five priests plus one rectory equals faith-filled 'family'

In a time of priest shortages, who would have thought, asked Rev. Richard Dybas, that five priests would be living together in one rectory?

But they do reside -- and pray -- together at St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady.

The five are Revs. Anthony DeFranco, 94; Francis Ciani, 93; Richard Dybas, 73; Leopold Kamundu, 55; and Richard Carlino, the pastor -- and youngest at 54.

Family of priests

Communal rectory life used to be the norm when there were more than enough priests to staff each parish.

However, with decreasing numbers of clergy, rectories often have echoes instead of voices or have been converted into office space.

For Father Carlino, living together gives him a window into "real life," he said. "Most people have a family to live with, and we do, too. It really enriches my ministry. It's all the companionship you want and all the privacy you want. You can have your cake and eat it, too."

Companions

After spending 39 years alone as pastor of St. Michael's Church in Cohoes, Father Dybas was ready for some company when he retired.

Father Ciani said he likes "being with priests. That's why I came here -- to listen to these people talk about their experiences. We say a lot of prayers, and we all help each other out. When I was scouting around for a place to live, I wanted to be where priests were."

The residents open the doors to other priests on Saturday night, when local pastors come for a dinner cooked by Father DeFranco, who still offers Mass on weekends at his longtime parish, St. Anthony's in Schenectady.

"We are happy for the camaraderie, and they feel comfortable going here," he said.

Long-time friends

For two of the priests, their togetherness continues a friendship begun nearly a century ago: Fathers DeFranco and Ciani grew up in St. Anthony's parish in Albany, attended school and seminary together, and even spent their first assignments in the same parish.

They split when Father Ciani entered the military chaplaincy, while Father DeFranco spent most of his tenure as pastor of St. Anthony's. They were reunited when Father Ciani moved into the rectory a few years ago.

Father DeFranco is the longest-running resident of the rectory, having lived there since 1984. Father Dybas retired in July 2005. Father Kamundu, who serves as associate pastor at Sacred Heart/St. Columba parish in Schenectady, was formerly assistant pastor at St. John's and continued living in the rectory.

Morning topics

There's definitely a "family spirit" at the rectory, which brings joys and annoyances, the priests said.

Much of the time, the disputes are about the older priests' health or which team is better: the Mets or the Yankees. In Father Kamundu's case, the topic is soccer since he is a native of the Congo.

"The first thing we talk about in the mornings are, 'How did the Yankees do?' and then the unimportant things, like, 'How's your health?'" joked Father Ciani.

Like any family, they have their disagreements, idiosyncrasies and misunderstandings that can put up roadblocks to living. But, Father Carlino asked, "What family doesn't have disagreements?"

Living faith

That dynamic relationship attracts Father Kamundu, who sees it as a plus and a comfort.

"The sum of our ministry is to preach love, and that is what we try to do," he said. "We have a support here, and we go out with new energies. When you live alone, there are virtues you cannot practice -- forgiveness, humility. The most important thing is to be attentive to others."

"I would encourage more diocesan priests to live in a situation like this," said Father Carlino. "If we had to do all of this ourselves, it would be a tremendous burden."

(Fathers DeFranco remembers, as a young assistant pastor, abiding by stringent rules, including asking permission of pastors to leave the church premises. One time, when he returned late to the rectory, he was locked out. "Some of the pastors were quite strict," he recalled.)

(12/7/06) [[In-content Ad]]