April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
SEASONAL CHURCH
Lakefront chapel open for season
Lakefront chapel open for season
St. Isaac Jogues Chapel, a mission of All Saints on the Hudson parish in Mechanicville/Stillwater, has been going strong each summer for as long as area Catholics can remember. A framed Latin declaration on its wall lists the year 1952.
A statue of St. Isaac Jogues stands watch outside the simple lakefront chapel, which has light-blue siding and a small, hexagonal stained-glass window. Inside, side aisles lead to an altar with wings on either side, backed by another statue of the chapel's patron saint, the Blessed Mother and others.
An electric organ is played every Sunday; a sheet of paper taped to the wall reads, "Today's Hymns."
Judy and Butch Russell, a husband-and-wife team who take care of the property, have been attending Masses at the chapel every summer since they were children. Back then, the chapel was staffed by Saratoga priests.
Getting together
Now, the couple makes sure everything is in order each week before Mass, turning on the electricity and assembling the altar servers and lectors.
"Some Sundays, we have a gathering outside of church with refreshments," said Mrs. Russell, who also makes sure there's enough food and drink for everyone. The view from the chapel's front lawn during those social hours includes docked boats and the peaceful waters of the lake, just across the street.
St. Isaac Jogues Chapel's oak pews can seat almost 300 people. On a normal Sunday, about 150 Catholics arrive for the 10 a.m. Mass - more, once racing season starts at the track in Saratoga. Several large floor fans keep the air circulating for the Mass-goers, since the building has neither heat nor air-conditioning; in fact, there's no Saturday vigil Mass at the chapel because Sunday mornings are cooler.
Rev. Robert Hohenstein, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Schenectady, is now the priest-presider at Jogues Chapel for the summer. The retired priest is familiar with lakefront living, since he owns a house on Warners Lake in East Berne.
Community feeling
Father Hohenstein fell in love with his own cabin for the knotty pine paneling that covers its walls. The same wood graces the walls of the Jogues Chapel, making it feel like home for the priest.
"There's just something beautiful about it," he told The Evangelist. "It's that sense of the lake."
The chapel's congregation of tourists and residents comes from all over the United States, said Mr. Russell. He's seen license plates from Florida, Nevada and even California.
Neighbors look after the chapel. One mows the lawn; another plants flowers in front of the sign. The water pipeline for the church comes out of a neighbor's well.
What's amazing, said Father Hohenstein, is that most of the neighbors aren't even Catholic. They just like the chapel and want to see it continue.
"Every parish has a uniqueness about it," he said, noting that this is the first time since he was a newly-ordained priest that he has served at a rural church. After being a pastor in Albany for 32 years, he was transferred to Schenectady, where he served for 14 years until his retirement last year. But before all that, he'd served at St. John the Baptist parish in Greenville for the summer of 1968.
Lots of kids
St. Isaac Jogues Chapel on Saratoga Lake reminds him of Greenville: small and connected. Mrs. Russell noted that the congregation is full of children, many of whom are altar servers.
"That's something we don't see in the city parishes," noted Father Hohenstein, who was an altar server himself starting in the first grade.
"We're only here an hour a week, but it's an important hour," he added. "You don't just come in and say Mass and leave."
The Russells said that every year at St. Isaac Jogues Chapel is like a family reunion when the seasonal visitors return.
250 X 250 AD
250 X 250 AD
Events
250 X 250 AD
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