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Usually in this monthly column, I address issues which confront us in the Church: the need for vocations to the priesthood and religious life; the role of the laity; the heartbreak of parish and school closings; the call to evangelization; the challenges of living out the social teachings of the Church relating to the economy, the plight of the poor, war and peace, criminal justice and healthcare reform, abortion, stem-cell research, the death penalty and euthanasia, just to mention a few.

However, as I prepare to retire, the events of this spring serve to remind me of all the meaningful and positive things that are happening in our Diocese which I fail to comment on - either because I take them for granted, or because they are going so well.

For example, I had the privilege this spring of confirming nearly 2,000 of our parishioners, mostly teenagers, who prepared through catechesis, retreats and works of service to embrace fully the life of ministry and holiness to which they were called at baptism.

Inspiring youth
I am grateful to the parents who encourage them in making this commitment; to the pastors, catechists and youth ministers who prepare them to undertake more fully the challenges of living as a Catholic Christian in our highly-secularized society; and to the candidates themselves for the investment they have made on their pilgrim journey of faith. At a time when we hear so much about the loss of the younger generation to the life of the Church, their celebration of this sacrament is a source of joy, hope and promise.

The spring is also a time for graduations, and I was honored to preside at 10: Siena College in Loudonville; The College of Saint Rose and Maria College in Albany; our diocesan high schools - Bishop Maginn in Albany, Catholic Central in Troy, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady and Saratoga Central Catholic - and our private Catholic high schools, the Academy of the Holy Names and Christian Brothers Academy in Albany and my alma mater, LaSalle Institute in Troy.

Nearly 3,000 students received diplomas from these institutions where they were offered a well-rounded academic, cultural, social, athletic and spiritual preparation for their lives. These graduates are well-prepared with the knowledge and skills they need either for further education - 98.1% of the high schools students in our Diocese will be attending college, and our graduates earned $17,501,792 in scholarships - or to commence their life careers.

We can be proud of the sacrifices their parents made to offer these graduates a Catholic education, of the commitment the graduates themselves undertook and of the wonderful faculty and board members who provided them with life-forming opportunities.

I was greatly impressed by the thoughtful reflections offered by the commencement speakers - the valedictorians, salutatorians and class representatives - who testified so movingly to the mission, values and ideals of a Catholic education.

Students, priests and deacons
On another inspiring spring afternoon was a gathering held at St. Ambrose parish in Latham, where our superintendent of schools, Michael Pizzingrillo, distributed $150,000 from the Beacon of Hope/Lally scholarship fund, allocated to provide tuition assistance for the students in the grammar and high schools of our Diocese.

With the rising cost of education, these scholarships allow parents, for whom the tuition is beyond their pocketbook, to secure a Catholic school education for their children.

The spring marks the opportunity as well for ordinations and jubilees. This year, Scott VanDerveer was ordained a priest and six men were ordained deacons: Rick DiCaprio, Joe Romand, Brian Sweeney, Andy Grebe, Jim Davis and Brian Slezak. The latter two are candidates for the priesthood who hopefully will be ordained as presbyters next year. We have also accepted seven candidates for priesthood formation, a positive fruit of our recent "Called by Name" vocations effort.

I had the privilege of concelebrating Mass with the seven retired priests who are residing at Teresian House, hosted by its administrator, Sister Pauline Brecanier, O.Carm., who is celebrating her 60th anniversary as a member of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. She and the lay staff do such a marvelous job in caring for the 300 residents entrusted to their care.

A week after that, I hosted a dinner for the priests of our Diocese observing milestone anniversaries - 25, 40, 50 and 60 years - including myself, since I am about to observe my golden anniversary. We jubilarians together represent 900 years of priestly service.

Earlier this spring, I joined in a liturgy of Thanksgiving at St. Joseph Provincial House wherein we honored all of our senior priests, religious brothers and sisters who have served our Diocese so faithfully in education, health care, social services, faith formation and parish ministry. Although retired, many still remain active in ministry, and all are a powerhouse of prayer in our midst.

Sisters and caregivers
At St. Peter's parish in Saratoga Springs, I had the opportunity to be present on June 15 for the golden jubilees of Sisters Charla Commins and Lauren VanDermark, CSJ. Earlier in their vowed lives, they served in the high schools of our Diocese, and then went into the field of social work as founding members of Catholic Charities in Saratoga County.

Sister Charla is now director of Catholic Charities for Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties and served as interim director of our Diocesan Office of Catholic Charities after the death of Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM. Sister Lauren is overseeing the innovative senior housing project Shaker Pointe at Carondelet, sponsored by her religious community, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

On a gorgeous spring day at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs in Auriesville, a retreat was conducted by our diocesan Pastoral Care Commission for more than 250 pastoral care ministers serving in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices, and in the homes of the infirm and elderly throughout our Diocese. It was truly inspirational to celebrate Mass with these compassionate men and women, mostly laypersons, who bring the sacraments and spiritual care to thousands throughout our Diocese.

The number of pastoral caregivers has grown tremendously over the past few years due to the training given by Angela Sheehan of the pastoral care team at the Seton holistic healthcare ministry in Troy, and due to the herculean efforts of Harley McDevitt, who has piloted a pastoral care initiative in our Diocese sponsored by the John Marie and Joseph Whalen Foundation, established by one of our diocesan priests, Rev. John Whalen.

CLI participants
Another source of great joy was to preside at the commissioning service for the 26 teenagers who were enrolled in the Christian Leadership Institute held at Pyramid Life Center in Paradox and sponsored by our Office of Evangelization, Catechesis and Family Life.

In this magnificent Adirondack setting, directed by Sister Monica Murphy, CSJ, these young Catholics spent the first week of their summer vacation gaining the knowledge, skills, values and insights to be peer leaders in their schools, parishes and communities. The bonds they formed with one another and the commitment of service they made will have untold ripple effects.

Anniversaries abound
As always, the annual anniversary celebration of the Black Catholic Apostolate was a source of great inspiration. Founded in 1984 by Rev. Kofi Ntsiful-Amissah, the apostolate, now hosted at St. Joan of Arc parish in Menands, seeks to promote, foster and enhance the rich spiritual, cultural, social and musical heritage of the Afro-American community in our Diocese. Their gospel choir is second to none and the upbeat and participative style of their liturgy truly moves and renews one's heart and spirit.

During the year, I enjoyed similar vibrant liturgies with the Hispanic, Vietnamese and Korean communities and with the Charismatic Catholic community at the Pentecost celebration in our Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany.

The celebration of the 100th anniversary of Sacred Heart parish in Troy through a week of festivities commemorated what a vital influence this parish and school have been in the home of Uncle Sam and provided a wonderful opportunity to salute the pastor, Rev. John Yanas, the pastor emeritus, Rev. Jim Vaughn and all the Sisters of St. Joseph and lay faithful who have made Sacred Heart such a dynamic community of faith, love and service.

Charitable contributions
We had a perfect spring evening to conduct the first diocese-wide Catholic Charities signature event at the New York State Museum in Albany. This gala celebration, chaired by Mary Beth O'Brien and Mary Code and staffed by Molly Nicol, raises funds for the mission of Catholic Charities and commemorates the wide array of programs offered by Catholic Charities, one of our area's best-kept secrets.

Catholic Charities serves more than 100,000 men, women and children annually throughout our 14-county Diocese, including services to children, pregnant and parenting mothers; seniors; the homeless; tenants and low-income residents; the poor; the addicted; the incarcerated; persons with mental illness or developmental disabilities; those with HIV/AIDS; victims of domestic violence; refugees and migrants; hospice patients; Meals on Wheels recipients and patrons of our Wheels and Ways to Work program and disaster relief. There is not a social service agency in our area which offers a greater array of human services than Catholic Charities.

The State Museum event provided the opportunity to honor one of the trustees of Catholic Charities, Ken Raymond, with the first annual Sister Maureen Joyce award for his outstanding service in overseeing the restoration of Camp Scully for disadvantaged youth and offering invaluable assistance to our housing and furniture programs.

At the local level, I had a similar experience, commissioning the 110 participants in the Schenectady Deanery's Works of Mercy Initiative, overseen by Kristin Black. Participants help out at food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters, visit the elderly in nursing homes and in their own homes, and do jail ministry and social justice advocacy. This coordinated deanery-wide effort is innovative and can serve as a model for other areas in our Diocese.

In memoriam
There were some sad moments during the spring: the death of Rev. Ed Ryan, who served as a priest for 66 years in our Diocese (14 years as an associate at St. Mary's in Troy and 32 years as pastor of St. Peter's in Delhi and chaplain at the SUNY college there, as well as sacramental minister in Delaware County following his retirement); Mike Bette, a successful contractor and developer who was supportive and generous to Hope House addictions treatment center and Catholic Charities; Jim Clark, an outstanding philanthropist and advocate for the Church through his membership on the boards of The Evangelist, LaSalle School in Albany, St. Peter's Hospital Foundation and Maria College; and Lt. Col. Todd Clark and Joseph Morabito, both of whom made the supreme sacrifice of their lives in the defense of our nation. They sought to train security forces in Afghanistan to safeguard their war-torn country, only to be betrayed and fatally wounded through a "green on blue" attack by one of their trainees.

Last, but certainly not least, our diocesan paper you are reading was the recipient of seven awards from the Catholic Press Association, a well-deserved tribute to editor Kate Blain and The Evangelist's excellent staff and board.

These are just a few of the many liturgies and events in which I was privileged to participate during this spring. I hope this recollection will serve for you, as it has for me, as a reminder of the health and vitality of our Diocese and of the many clergy, religious and laity who fulfill the call of Jesus to bring the Good News to others through our sacraments, liturgies and ministries of education, faith formation, human services and compassionate care.[[In-content Ad]]

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