How one religious order stepped back, looked ahead and made major changes

Mud. Dust. Blocked hallways. It was all part of the lives of sisters at the Provincial House of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in Latham when unused bedrooms and a dark basement auditorium were turned by construction crews into a welcoming meeting/retreat space called the Carondelet Hospitality Center.

"We all got a little ornery when covered with dust every day," said Sister Kay Ryan, CSJ, a member of the leadership team of the Northeast Province of the order.

Parishes and organizations across the Albany Diocese are facing similar kinds of change through the Called to Be Church planning process: challenges to rethink organizational structures and even the uses of buildings. That's something the Sisters have been doing for a while.

Time to change

Change in the Provincial House, said Sister Lauren VanDermark, master plan coordinator, is motivated by the needs of the sisters and of the community. Provincial leadership saw empty space in the building and wondered how they could use it "to the best of our ability," she said.

When the Provincial House was constructed in 1963, classrooms were built for novices and postulants to take college classes in art, biology and theology. An auditorium housed meetings, plays and concerts.

But, with a decline in vocations, the sisters found themselves needing to rethink the space, which is now a residence for sisters and healthcare center for aging nuns.

Adjusting

There have been numerous changes over the years:

* The classrooms became the Carondelet Education Center, with sisters holding classes for developmentally-disabled children;

* in the '80s and '90s, the biology lab became a sewing room;

* a computer lab and a beauty parlor for aging sisters were installed; and

* other organizations found a home in Provincial House hallways, including the Carondelet Music Center for children and Bright Horizons adult day care.

New look

With the most recent changes, the old auditorium has been completely renovated with new walls and new technology to meet modern communications needs. The two floors that used to house postulants and novices are now rooms for overnight retreatants.

The Hospitality Center also has small kitchenettes and a complete catering kitchen, so lunches and dinners can be served.

To make the area more hospitable to the public, the sisters installed a new driveway, entrance and parking lot so "people don't think they're coming through the sisters' home," said Sister Lauren.

Process

The new Hospitality Center didn't come quickly. According to Sister Lauren, it took ten years of dreaming and intense planning for the changes to come to fruition.

First, listening and idea-gathering sessions were held all over the province, followed by assemblies and regional meetings. Questionnaires were given out, and individual notices and letters were sent.

Consultants were hired to give their opinions on the process. A planning committee and design group of sisters created a master plan, and a position was created to oversee the implementation of the plan.

Big picture

The sisters were told that "everything is sacred, but nothing is untouchable" regarding re-use and renovation, said Sister Kay.

Sisters were asked "to look at the total facility and the grounds, and design a process that looks at what would be the best uses for the entire area," said Sister Lauren.

An underlying principle was that the people who were going to be affected by the change had to be involved with the process in a meaningful way, said Sister Lauren.

Also, everything had to reflect the sisters' threefold mission to serve others, meet the needs of the community, and provide resources for the community to care for aging and elderly sisters.

Decision time

While talking was important, it was just as important that "we had to do something," Sister Kay explained. "Decisions had to be made. You need to allow sufficient time to hear, to really listen, and then you need to make a decision."

During the renovation process itself, said Sister Pat Conron, the Provincial House's hospitality coordinator, the sisters threw parties to celebrate the renovations, even though the process changed normal patterns and provided "a gazillion inconveniences.

"It was messy, but you knew what the mess was about. That's really the key -- a lot of talking."

What's next?

Now that the Hospitality Center is up and running, the sisters are turning their eyes to property across the road that was purchased by the builders of the Provincial House in the 1960s.

The land is undeveloped, and the master plan asks the sisters to explore possible uses, such as a living center for low-income seniors.

"We're in the very early stages," said Sister Kay.

They don't know yet; but that, say the sisters, is what dreaming is for.

(3/22/07) [[In-content Ad]]