It takes years to write history for parish's 100th

Rev. John Bradley, pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish in Albany, found out when he was joined by some parishioners for two years of researching and writing "Blessed Sacrament Church: One Hundred Years of Faith and Tradition."

The parish is celebrating its centennial this year.

Digging at roots

"We wanted the publication date to coincide with the parish's anniversary. That gave us about two years to do the research, organize all the information, find and archive photos, and get it published."

Richard Keegan, a parishioner who joined the committee, brought along his skills in research, which provided a measure of expertise so the committee could accomplish what seemed to them to be a monumental mission of gathering information.

"Several years before we began, I had the opportunity to become involved in researching my own family's genealogy," Mr. Keegan told The Evangelist. "I learned where to go to find information, such as public records and local newspaper offices. That gave us a start."

Stories

"In a series of 'round table' gatherings, we asked them to tell us what they could remember," Mr. Keegan explained. "Those meetings turned out to provide a gold mine of information."

As people began to talk about "the good old days" at Blessed Sacrament, memories emerged, and one person's story would trigger someone else's.

"It was very interesting to see how that process worked, Mr. Keegan said. "Getting together and sharing their stories really helped people recall certain events, celebrations and priests that were in the parish at given times."

Looking it up

In addition, "the Albany Public Library provided old city [of Albany] directories that were filled with individual names and addresses as well as the names and addresses of businesses that were in the area, some of which were owned and operated by parishioners."

Once the research was complete, Father Bradley compiled and wrote the early history; Mr. Keegan did the middle years, 1944-1972; and Michaela Joyce, a life-long parishioner, was charged with the most recent history.

"So many of us can recall life here for the past 30 years," she said. "My father could recall attending the laying of the church cornerstone. I went to school here. This experience has given me a wonderful opportunity to reminisce about my childhood years. I've also learned a lot from the people who told their stories. It's been wonderful!"

(Editor's note: The history book, printed by Capital Printing in Schenectady, sells for $5 and may be purchased by calling 482-3375. A prayer book, based on scenes from the church's stained-glass windows, is also available at $2.)

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