Inner-city parishes serve all

Parishes in Troy and Schenectady are taking proactive measures to improve the lives not only of their members but also of their neighborhoods in general.

Sister Florence Joseph, DC, a parish visitor at St. Peter's parish in Troy, believes that the obligation of a city parish is to "go out there and fight for our neighborhood -- to be spokespeople for those who can't speak up for themselves."

She works within Beman Park, a section of Troy known for its religious and ethnic diversity as well as for its vandalism and absentee landlords.

Neighborhood effort

The parish, which sits within Beman Park boundaries, "is a great example of a neighborhood church taking the neighborhood under its wing," according to Michelle DeLare, a parishioner who is a leader in the Beman Park Neighborhood Association.

According to Rev. James McNerney, pastor of St. Peter's, the association had been just a memory for "a number of years" until it was revitalized at his urging and with the support of parishioners.

The group has sponsored programs on recognizing gang violence and drug trafficking, and worked on stopping vandalism. It also negotiated with the Troy police to get an officer assigned to cover the Beman Park community.

Concerns

Ms. DeLare said that a current neighborhood concern for homeowners and renters is absentee landlords who refuse to oversee deteriorating properties.

"We're in the process of working with the City of Troy to increase code enforcement," she said. "We will win out over negligent landlords and maintain quality of life within our neighborhood."

The Beman Park neighborhood "is an extremely diverse religious and ethnic neighborhood," she continued. "What is a miracle about this place is the enormous amount of people who love this neighborhood and participate in it. St. Peter's is instrumental in the survival of the neighborhood."

In Schenectady

Police coverage is also a prime concern in Schenectady's Hamilton Hill, the embattled city neighborhood where parishioners of Sacred Heart/St. Columba parish live.

According to Rev. Michael Hogan, pastor, members of the parish were "instrumental" in establishing a police review board to investigate the internal workings of the Police Department, in introducing further diversity training for officers, and in fostering minority-hiring initiatives in the precinct.

"We believe that the entire neighborhood is our responsibility -- not just the Catholics," said Father Hogan. That philosophy inspires Sacred Heart/St. Columba to get involved with social programs "without regard to religious affiliation," he added.

The parish aims to be an active force in confronting and combating the unemployment, poor health, housing and high-crime issues facing Hamilton Hill residents.

Efforts for youth

Father Hogan, who serves on an ecumenical social justice committee made up of Hamilton Hill ministers from many different denominations, is proud of the efforts his parish makes in supporting disadvantaged kids and teenage mothers.

For example, the parish's arts program, called QUEST, invites teens to participate in dance lessons, play music and write poetry in an effort to bring them into an environment that fosters creative self-expression, while taking them out of an environment that cultivates drugs and violence. An arm of that program supports teenage mothers by giving them childcare instruction.

Through QUEST, the priest continued, teens can also participate in basketball and boxing programs, which are "designed to teach children self-discipline and thoughtful, sportsmanlike attitudes, stressing teamwork and politeness. And we usually win."

Extension of liturgy

Father Hogan believes that community involvement is an extension of what Catholics do when they come together to celebrate the liturgy.

"For Catholics especially, the Eucharist is a transcendent kind of experience," he explained. "It ought to mirror how the world ought to be. If parishioners are really touched by that, then they would find that their concern for the community around them grows exponentially.

"I celebrate the Eucharist almost as a respite from the anger and the drugs and the shootings. But it is not a respite that makes me not want to get involved; it gives me the energy, courage and determination to be involved."

(5/1/03) [[In-content Ad]]