April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PERSPECTIVE
Let's hear it for comfort and inspiration
With the bagpiped strains of "Amazing Grace" played by a young parishioner fading be-hind Mary on Franklin Street, it felt like "A Midsummer Night's (bad) Dream."
Unlike Mrs. Pidgeon, my wife and I were relative newcomers to the small, historic church and its vibrant, warm - and dwindling - parish community. The history, the life and the welcoming feeling drew us in.
We felt not only sad, but mad that the place and community where we really felt the "call to be Church" was now only history.
Yet, while Christ does not demand of us a facile optimism, the joy of rebirth, the hope of resurrection, are fundamental to our faith. What has developed with the closing of our parish offers all of us who have lost our churches not only hope, but a model of sensitive, appropriate re-use of former church properties.
A handful of former St. John's parishioners toured the ongoing renovations of our old church properties with John Samatulski, our liaison from the Schenectady Light Opera Company, who purchased the site.
The enthusiastic comment by Rick Johnson, our former parish council president, sums up the group's reactions: "The Schen-ectady Light Opera's renovations of the former Church of St. John the Baptist into a performance space are breathtaking."
For 180 years, the drama of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, funerals and the Mass were performed in that sacred space - sometimes, before Vatican II, in the tones of Gregorian chant in Latin; and, since the Council, with the "joyful noise" of contemporary liturgical music. A few times in recent years, our celebrations were even enhanced by liturgical dance.
Historically, theater, dance and music all have their cultural origins in religion, liturgy and worship. Even after these arts have moved into the broader public square, we continue to recognize something transcendent in their creation and in our response to them.
On Feb. 25, the Schenectady Light Opera Company will open the doors of its new Regional Performing Arts Center, displaying the results of the first phase of its sensitive renovations of the former St. John the Baptist properties.
Not only the former church - which was the oldest Catholic church in the Mohawk Valley -but also the rectory, convent and school building, all dating from the 19th century, will be preserved and renovated. So will the tranquil, cloister-like green space nestled among the buildings.
The renovations will preserve the majority of the church's stained glass windows. Other architectural elements will preserve or echo former use. Plans include a display of historical artifacts and documents informing their patrons of the historic and religious significance of their new home.
In the future, as Rick Johnson commented, the lives of adults and children will be enhanced through education, after school programs, theater and dance in these spaces.
"The entire complex being created at the site is gratifyingly consistent with the prior life of these buildings," he said. "Although we remain sad at the loss of our church, we are proud and happy about the 'phoenix' arising in its place. The outcome from this particular church closing is both comforting and inspiring."
Let's hear it for comfort and inspiration.
(Walt Chura is a writer, teacher, retreat director and coordinator of the Thomas Merton Society of the Capital Region. He can be reached at [email protected].)[[In-content Ad]]
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