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Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger likes to term the future of the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville a "concelebration."

As when priests celebrate a Mass together and each recites one portion of the prayers, he explained, various entities will be collaborating to ensure the shrine's future.

However, the Bishop cautioned that some of the information circulating in the secular media about future plans for the shrine is premature: The planning process is still underway and is likely to continue for some time.

"The process could take the entire summer," confirmed Car­mine Musumeci, former New York State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus and a leading member of The Friends of Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine, Inc., a foundation of concerned Catholics formed by the Bishop that could end up with title to the shrine.

The new not-for-profit organization currently has seven board members and several other interested parties participating in conference calls and other communications to discuss the shrine's future, Mr. Musumeci told The Evangelist. Not all the participants are local; board members include Rev. Terry Brennan,  a priest who ministers to Native American communities in New Mexico with a devotion to St. Kateri Tekakwitha; and John DeJak, co-editor of a forthcoming book, "With God In America," featuring the writings of Rev. Walter Ciszek, SJ. Father Ciszek wrote extensively while he was on retreat at the Auriesville shrine; his cause for sainthood is being considered.

Future owners
Bishop Scharfenberger said he'd like to see the organization attain 503(c)(3) non-profit status. If the planning process for the shrine continues, ownership could eventually be transferred to The Friends of Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine.

However, the Jesuit order would retain its cemetery for priests and brothers on the shrine grounds, the cemetery's related buildings and the portion of the property known as the "Martyrs' Ravine," where where St. Isaac Jogues buried the remains of his fellow missionary, St. Rene Goupil, after he was martyred in the 17th century.

The ravine, where pilgrims to the shrine often pray, "is a sacred space important to the Jesuit community," noted the Bishop.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs covers 400 acres in Auriesville on the site of the 17th-century Mohawk village of Ossernenon, where "Lily of the Mohawks" St. Kateri Tekakwitha was born. Also called the Shrine of the North American Martyrs, the site includes a massive coliseum used for outdoor liturgies, several chapels, Stations of the Cross, a visitors' center, picnic areas and the Jesuit cemetery.

Until now
The Jesuit order, facing a decreasing number of priests and the significant cost of the shrine's upkeep, decided last year to discontinue staffing the site. The Jesuits have continued to provide for maintenance of the grounds through a company called Parish Property Management, Inc.

Mr. Musumeci said the current annual operating budget for the shrine is about $400,000-$450,000 and that the shrine is "self-sufficient," with cash flow and donations covering expenses.

A fundraising campaign and radiothon last year raised more than $2 million for necessary repairs and renovations to several of the shrine's buildings, including the coliseum -- money the Bishop called "well spent."

After Bishop Scharfenberger expressed interest last year in keeping sacramental ministry alive at the shrine, the Jesuit order offered to transfer ownership to the Albany Diocese. But the Bishop reiterated this week, as he has stated previously, that "I don't think the shrine can just be managed by one ecclesiastical entity."

Keeping the shrine open, he said, is not a matter of "just transferring it" to another owner. In fact, Mr. Musumeci said he'd like to see all eight Roman Catholic dioceses in New York State involved in the shrine; to that, the Bishop added religious orders and others nationwide.

Bigger than us
A statement in an area newspaper that the Diocese would be sending priests to celebrate Masses at the shrine every day is not only premature, Bishop Scharfenberger said, but does not account for the priests from outside the Diocese who have expressed an interest in participating.

"I'm hopeful that will happen," he added.

Bishop Scharfenberger and Mr. Musumeci both referred to the canon law concept of "alienation," meaning taking the property out of Church hands -- something they say cannot happen.

Instead, the Jesuits have taken the initial step of leasing the shrine's visitors' center to The Friends of Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine. The center reopened last weekend for the Albany Diocese's Vocations Summit, a meeting of parish representatives about promoting vocations at the grassroots level.

At the moment, the visitors' center is being managed by local Catholic Julie Baaki and a few part-time employees and volunteers. Mr. Musumeci said the foundation has purchased insurance to cover visitors' center operations and will likely seek more volunteers and possibly a few additional paid employees in the future. So far, the center is only open on weekends.

Coming events
Seven or eight groups have already requested use of the shrine for events this summer, Mr. Musumeci said, and a webpage run by the Jesuits at www.jesuitseast.org through which groups can "book" the shrine will now be overseen by The Friends of Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine.

Among the groups that will be using the shrine this season is the Magnificat Foundation, which has planned a "pilgrimage of Mercy" to the shrine May 14, with prayer, music, witness talks, activities for children and a Mass for the vigil of Pentecost.

Rev. Peter John Cameron, OP, editor-in-chief of Magnificat magazine and one of the pilgrimage's leaders, said that "we are so blessed in this country to have this sacred space. We feel that there can be no greater communion with divine mercy than by being assembled in faith in the place where great heroes of mercy sacrificed their lives in faith." (See www.pilgrimageofmercy.org for information on the pilgrimage.)

Bishop Scharfenberger told The Evangelist there's also a possibility that, in future years, the annual St. Isaac Jogues Youth Conference could be held at the shrine again. The conference draws hundreds of teens from around the Diocese each year for a week of talks on faith, music and activities; it had initially been located at the shrine, but moved to St. Ambrose parish in Latham.

The Bishop said he also hopes to have more diocesan events at the shrine, possibly including a summit in the fall on family prayer and the Year of Mercy.

Months ahead
Mr. Musumeci foresees fund-raising for the shrine's future beginning soon, providing that an agreement is reached with the Jesuits, the foundation and all others involved, including the Jesuit superiors in Rome and the Holy See. He said he has "a reasonably high level of confidence" that the transfer of ownership to The Friends of Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine will proceed.

"I'd like to be part of the 77th annual pilgrimage of the Knights of Columbus to the shrine in September," Mr. Musumeci continued. Since the K of C has existed in the area for a century or more, "the shrine has always been a special place for the knights. I feel like like we have a coexistence."

Bishop Scharfenberger envisions the shrine's future as focused on four things: evangelization; remembering the saints martyred there; honoring St. Kateri Tekakwitha and her connection with the Native American community; and continuing the tutelage and support of the Jesuit community in relation to the site.

"Many, many people have a great interest in the future of the shrine," the Bishop stated. "There is no question the shrine has a prominent place in the hearts of many people."

With enough involvement, he mused, "it may well eventually become a national shrine."

(Contact The Friends of Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine at [email protected].)[[In-content Ad]]

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