Grants awarded to parishes

The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Albany Diocese has awarded nearly $76,000 in grants to seven parish communities.

The awards are the result of donations from Catholics to Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's 1999 Capital Campaign, which raised money for several on-going diocesan projects, including Catholic education and charities.

Jeanne Schrempf, director of the OEC, said the parishes received the money to help them enhance their catechetical and youth ministry programs. The grantees are:

* The Catholic Community of Our Lady of Hope, St. Ann's and St. Philip's in Whitehall, which received $20,000 towards hiring a pastoral associate for faith formation and youth ministry, and related program expenses;

* St. Luke's Church in Schenectady, which got $20,000 to raise the salary of the catechetical leader to diocesan scale and to increase the hours of this position to meet the parish's needs;

* The Northern Points Cluster of parishes -- Blessed Sacrament in Hague, St. John's in Chestertown and St. James in North Creek -- which will use $16,000 towards a pastoral associate for youth ministry and related program expenses;

* St. Joseph's and St. John the Evangelist parishes in Rensselaer, which received $12,000 towards the salary of a part-time youth minister and formation expenses for this new staff position;

* St. Margaret of Cortona Church in Rotterdam, which got $5,500 to raise the salary of the current catechetical leader to diocesan scale and to meet the program needs;

* St. Paul's mission church in Rock City Falls, which will use its $2,000 towards the purchase of a mobile unit to use as an adult faith formation library and for supplies; and

* St. Mary's parish in Oneonta, which received $400 towards the initiation of a Lenten retreat.

In addition to the parish grants, the Capital Campaign Committee disbursed $3,580 in scholarships for catechetical and youth ministry leaders to use for courses, conferences, retreats and in-service presentations.

Mrs. Schrempf said that the majority of the money was requested for scholarships to attend the Certificate for Designated Ministries program, being offered by St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry.

"This is good news for our parishes, ministry leaders and students, and for the people of the Diocese of Albany," she said of the grants, adding that they help urban and rural parishes to continue providing youth ministry and catechetical programs to their students.

(4/10/03) [[In-content Ad]]