How one volunteer ended up with two jobs and three cemeteries

Want something done in Amsterdam? Ring Shirley Emanuele.

The former telephone operator and secretary has not slowed down in retirement. She is the parish secretary at St. Joseph/St. Michael/Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and doubles as the director of the parish's three cemeteries.

According to the mother of two adult children (one of whom is mayor of Amsterdam) and grandmother of four, her many tasks keep her on her toes in a climate where "every day is exciting and different."

Many hats

Mrs. Emanuele handles all the parish's office business: typing letters, answering the phone, compiling information for the bulletin, handling mail and doing other office tasks. In addition, she records all weddings, Baptisms and Confirmations for archival purposes.

"Everything must be documented when it comes to the dates of sacraments," she explained. "Everything must be recorded accurately and in a timely manner. That's part of normal parish activity."

When cemetery business arises, she takes off her "secretary cap" to tend to the needs of the family and parish.

"When we get a call about a death, I make all the arrangements from the parish's end," she noted. "I contact the undertakers, schedule the funeral Mass, and talk with the family about what music and readings they want at their loved one's service. I also schedule the altar servers, contact the organist and choir, and make sure the pastor's schedule can accommodate celebration of the funeral on a particular day."

Pitching in

Mrs. Emanuele, a convert, first joined the parish staff as a volunteer in the cemeteries office. She was asked to help redesign and update the cemetery record books, which reach back to the late 19th century.

"Up to that point," she explained, the records "had been done manually and weren't on the computer."

But when the cemeteries director retired, the parish found itself without a cemeteries director and a parish secretary. Mrs. Emanuele accepted both posts.

Experience

Mrs. Emanuele said that her 27-year career with the New York Telephone Company as an operator and secretary prepared her for her current work.

"In both of the positions I hold, I must be a 'people person,' someone willing and able to communicate with people where they're coming from," she explained. "Sometimes, that means just listening to what they have to say, to grieve with them and to give them space to mourn their loved ones. As director of cemeteries, I must be able to serve grieving families and loved ones. As parish secretary, I represent the parish and the pastor to the larger community. All my years as an operator really helped me in both positions.

"So far, things have been going well. I really love my job and hope that, God willing, I continue to be healthy and able to work.

"Working for my parish gives me a feeling of serving my community. I feel peaceful and happy. I attend morning Mass each day and then come right into the office. It's a wonderful way to start the day and the work-week. This is a good place to be."

(As director of cemeteries, Shirley Emanuele sells gravesites at each of the three cemeteries and does just about everything else except dig the graves. "We have a wonderful caretaker, Bill Lee, who has been with us most of his life. He takes care of that aspect of it," she noted. "I don't know what we would do without him.")

(7/22/04)