Just in case, parish celebrates 140th anniversary

It's traditional for parishes in the Albany Diocese to celebrate with parties and special liturgies when they're marking major anniversaries -- most often, their 50th, 100th or more.

St. Joseph's parish in Cohoes, however, is already starting to plan for an unusual celebration: Its 140th on June 8.

Even though that's not a particularly significant number, parishioners are busily planning events to mark it.

Seize the day

"In Cohoes, we have five Catholic churches within four square miles," explained parish life director Lorraine DeCuyper. "The way pastoral planning is going, we're not sure where we're going to end up when the [Called to be Church] process is over."

Parishioners are concerned that their parish might close, she said; "but we have a lot to celebrate right now, so we're going to do it while we can."

Already, a group of 23 parishioners have formed a committee and started planning an anniversary breakfast, a dinner in the fall, the creation of a pewter ornament of the church and the publication of a commemorative booklet on its history.

Memories

"I know they're going to have fun" with planning, said Mrs. DeCuyper. "It's a wonderful parish with a strong history."

A few memorable events likely to be mentioned in the commemorative booklet include:

* the parish's first Masses, held in shops and offered in French for French-Canadian immigrants who settled in Cohoes;

* a 1901 fire that destroyed the parish school, convent and another school for boys, all of which were later rebuilt;

* the closure of St. Joseph's School in the mid-1970s; and

* the many contributions of two long-time organizations, the parish's St. Anne Society and the St. Joseph's Activities Society, both of which offer spiritual, social and material aid.

Working together

Mrs. DeCuyper noted that the St. Anne Society still sponsors a triduum every year on the saint's feast day, and that the St. Joseph's Activities Society just sponsored the church's annual Penny Social, a popular event in the city.

"It made me feel so good to see the parishioners working so closely together," the PLD remarked.

With such a strong sense of community, Mrs. DeCuyper wasn't surprised that her suggestion to mark the parish's 140th anniversary was enthusiastically received.

Whatever happens at the conclusion of Called to be Church, she said, "we're just celebrating who we are, while we can."

(Former parishioners and others interested in helping with the celebration can contact the parish at 237-4241.)

(02/28/08) [[In-content Ad]]