For 20 years, Schoharie Catholics have had pastor named Joan

The progress made during Sister Joan Curley's 20 years as parish life director at St. Joseph's Church in Schoharie can be summed up in two words: light bulbs.

In 1985, when the Sister of St. Joseph became the Albany Diocese's first non-priest to lead a parish, a parishioner gestured at a light fixture in the church and said, "Sister, this light is out."

"Well, then, go change it," Sister Joan replied -- a gentle reminder that parishioners and parish life director needed to work together for the good of the parish.

Lighting up

Looking back on the incident two decades later, Sister Joan laughed: "I was still new. I probably didn't know where they kept the light bulbs!"

However, she also noted that, when St. Joseph's did renovations last year, she was called away from a meeting about selecting light fixtures to be with a parishioner in crisis.

"Go choose the lights," she told the group. She didn't know what they'd chosen until the new fixtures were installed.

Their choice, she said, was "beautiful."

Everyone's church

"They believe me now [when I say]: 'It is your church. I affirm you in this,'" Sister Joan stated. "I am now free to be the spiritual leader."

It wasn't that easy when she came to St. Joseph's. Her title then was "pastoral administrator," one she still prefers because the word "pastoral" better describes her work than "directing" the 200-family parish.

But no one in the Diocese had held such a position before, so there were no models to emulate.

Early bumps

With a background in teaching, special education and school administration, as well as rural ministry in Georgia, Sister Joan started her work with some trepidation. For one thing, she hadn't felt ready to leave the South yet; additionally, parishioners were unhappy about no longer having a resident priest.

In a 1986 article in The Evangelist, their reactions were termed "adjustment problems." Today, Sister Joan remembers parishioners as simply uncertain about this new model of parish leadership.

"They were confused about how this was going to play out," she explained. "Little remarks would be made: 'We want our priest.'"

She recalled the walks she took each day up a mountain road: Alone, she would raise her arms to heaven and pray, "Please, God, melt their hearts."

Colleagues

Because priests came to the parish as sacramental ministers to celebrate Mass, hear Confessions and so on, parishioners sometimes saw Sister Joan as an associate to the clergy.

She recalled her gratitude that the priests consistently directed parishioners back to her to answer questions and make decisions.

"These priests are my colleagues, not my bosses," she noted. "They were all on board; there was no patronizing."

Her calling

As the "first of her kind," Sister Joan was inundated with media attention in her first few years at St. Joseph's. She recalled one local television newscaster who tried to get her to say she wanted to be a priest and how firmly she had to set the person straight.

"I feel I am not called to ordination," she told The Evangelist. But "I celebrate the gifts I have as a woman: a listening heart, compassion, [showing] feelings."

However, she does believe the Church must change in order to keep its parishes staffed.

"Sacramental ministers are getting to be at a premium," she pointed out, and the Church is "stuck, because it's a parish life director and a sacramental minister that make this model work. We've got to be able to talk about married clergy, women's ordination, reinstating the clergy who've [left the priesthood and] married. I'm never going to see this change in my lifetime, but I hope what I've done is helping a little bit."

All together

In time, parishioners came to trust Sister Joan to lead them -- and she, in turn, encouraged the people of the parish to take on leadership roles in many ministries.

Recently, The Evangelist profiled one such ministry: religious education, which is entirely run by parents of children in the program (find the article at www.evangelist.org by searching for "Schoharie parents can be teachers, too").

The parish life director herself also became more confident in her role. Though she initially wanted to meet often with Bishop Howard J. Hubbard for input on her work, those meetings tapered off when she realized that priest-pastors weren't subject to the same scrutiny.

"Howard J. Hubbard -- I just love him dearly and can't thank him enough," she noted. "He risked in doing this. He was a great support to me."

She recalled one moment in her 20-year history at St. Joseph's that stands out. Bishop Hubbard was conducting parish visits a while after her installation as parish life director, and a parishioner told him firmly: "Don't you dare take her from us!"

"It was so humbling to see the growth in these people who were grieving, but did let go," Sister Joan remarked. "They are so supportive, so genuine. They have been life-giving to me."

(The Albany Diocese has 21 parish life directors and pastoral administrators who serve parishes across its 14-county span. Guidelines for finding and selecting applicants are being developed. Sister Joan hopes the credentialing process doesn't get too strict, because "you don't learn this in a book. It is your heart -- and it's not for everybody. You have to really like people." Sister Joan, 69, has no plans to retire. She thinks "you can't let a number define you," and relies on daily exercise -- both physical and spiritual -- to keep her energy level high. "I just hope I can be a 'celebrating heart,'" she remarked.)

Sister's view of parishioners: 'These are my friends'

Sister Joan divides her days among meetings, visiting ill and homebound parishioners, doing counseling and sacramental preparation, and taking care of practical needs, like paying bills.

"The best things happen informally," she noted -- for instance, a parishioner saying, "Could you have a cup of coffee with me?" because of a need to confide in someone.

Sister Joan lives alone in the parish house she calls "The Well" because she's always on-call for parishioners and others. The house is often full because parishioners find her living room more comfortable for meetings than the church hall.

Three in one

The parish life director noted that it's vital, in a small town like Schoharie, to be a part of three communities: the parish, the ecumenical community and the village community.

As such, Sister Joan rides with local EMTs when she's requested to give spiritual aid to a person in an emergency, even if the sufferer isn't Catholic. She also conducts funeral services for any townspeople who ask.

"I do overextend, but I'd rather that than be too guarded," she explained.

Her family

Besides, having spent more time at St. Joseph's than she did living with her parents, she sees parishioners as her family now. She joked about being traumatized to encounter children she once welcomed at parish events coming to her years later for marriage preparation.

"Now, when I do funerals, it's getting harder and harder," she added. "These are my friends."

Golden year

That fact was proven not long ago, when Sister Joan celebrated her golden jubilee of religious life. Pat Clancy, the parish's faith formation director, told The Evangelist that Sister Joan hadn't wanted a big celebration, but parishioners insisted on marking the anniversary at a special Mass.

First, they presented their parish life director with a plaque. Then they asked her to kneel as representatives of different groups blessed her: a child who thanked Sister Joan for participating in her Baptism; a couple who recalled preparing for marriage with her; and a woman from Hospice who thanked her for her ministry to the sick and dying.

"It was probably the most moving part of the whole year," Mrs. Clancy observed.

Sister Joan cried as she remembered the day. "We had really turned the corner," she said of her parishioners. While she believes the parish accepted her long ago, it was a special moment to "feel, from every single corner, the outpouring" of appreciation. "I'll never be the same way again." (KB)

(11/24/05) [[In-content Ad]]