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The shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Altamont has hosted retreats and weekly Masses for decades -- but, at the end of December, the shrine will close its doors.

Rev. Jeffrey L'Arche, MS, has been director of the shrine since the late 1990s. The La Salette priest will be staying in the area; he told The Evangelist that he expects to be assigned to St. Mary's parish in Amsterdam. Father L'Arche grew up in the Altamont area and came back around 1996 after working in inner-city ministries, noting that "my parents were still here in Guilderland. There's a lot of attachment to the area."

The priest had actually attended the seminary that was once housed on the site. La Salette Seminary at Altamont had opened in 1953 as a junior college and became a four-year college in 1967. In 1980, it became a "Christian life center," aimed at fostering the spiritual growth of laypeople through retreats, workshops and the like.

In the decades since, the shrine has hosted everything from Rosary rallies to retreats for home-schooled children. But the shrine is small and the La Salette Province of Mary, Mother of the Americas, to which Father L'Arche belongs, is dealing with the same shortage of priests faced by and religious orders across the country.

For a province covering the United States and Canada, "we probably have about 140 members, of which maybe half are still able to do ministry," Father L'Arche told The Evangelist.

The director said patrons of the shrine are sad about the upcoming closure, but, "for the most part, people are realistic."

There is a potential buyer for the property at 1109 Berne Altamont Road -- something Father L'Arche called a "silver lining" in the unfortunate situation. The interested party is a long-time patron of the shrine who plans to have the property continue as a space dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The shrine recently had a farewell Christmas party, hosting around 100 people. "There was a lot of support," said Father L'Arche. "There was a lot of joy and laughter."

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