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When Rev. Gary Gelfenbien, pastor of St. James parish in Chatham, arrived at the parish in the early 1990s, he often had to clean the oven in the rectory just to heat the circa-1875 house. The church needed a new roof.

If the parish hadn't received a $350,000 bequest from a family of Irish farmers, renovations wouldn't have been possible.

"They don't know how, from their heavenly home, they've affected the parish so much," said Father Gelfenbien of the Colbert family, after whom the rectory is named. "They literally made everything happen."

Once in a while, St. James reminds parishioners to remember the parish in their wills, but they don't push it.

"That's the sort of thing that you don't plan on," Father Gelfenbien said of inheriting such funds. "Any building is going to deteriorate, and you have this money come in, and it's more than a windfall."

Such gifts, he added, make possible both practical repairs and unexpected improvements.

It's hard to keep track of how many parishes receive inheritances throughout the Albany Diocese, said Michael Costello, the diocesan lawyer. Bequests can come in the form of stocks, homes, vacant land, cash and charitable annuities.

Judicial proceedings can take time; lawyers must be confident the will is legitimate and that the transaction honors the requests of the donor and protects the interests of the beneficiary.

St. James still has more than $100,000 of the Colbert money invested, Father Gelfenbien said. A separate bequest of $314,000, made in the late 1990s, became the foundation for the renovation of religious education classrooms, bathrooms, a gathering space and a handicap lift. Parishioners pledged money for that project, too.

In 2004, a parishioner left his house to St. James, which added up to $179,000 from the sale of the house and $4,000 from the sale of his belongings.

The parish tithed the first $10,000 to a women's shelter in Albany and donated more to Catholic Charities of Columbia County, Father Gelfenbien said. They will use much of it for a new $81,000 digital pipe organ.

Throughout the Diocese, parishes have used bequests for different projects:

• Mater Christi parish in Albany is building a religious education facility and a new kitchen, funded partly by $400,000 in inheritance money.

• St. Joseph's parish in Troy enlarged its food pantry, purchased new equipment and paved roads for the cemetery, built a new roof and repaired its organ using such donations.

• Sacred Heart parish in Castleton painted the church and installed new carpeting, flooring and air conditioning. It also maintains a memorial account for items like altar cloths and candles.

• In Rensselaer, St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph parish will add a bathroom, funded by late parishioners.

Sometimes, when money is bequeathed to the Rensselaer parish, no one knows the donor. Rev. R. Adam Forno, pastor, often assumes they were orphans from a nearby home.

"They've all been pure gift," he said. "I think they're an incredible blessing."

(02/11/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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