New ministry center opens in Mechanicville

In late October, the new Rev. Joseph Scerbo Ministry Center in Mechanicville was dedicated by All Saints on the Hudson parish in Mechanicville/Stillwater.

Named for Rev. Joseph Scerbo, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement and native son of the parish who died in 2015, the center will provide needed space for the parish meetings and events. The center is in the former Church of the Assumption, which closed in 2009.

One of the parish's main goals is to make the Scerbo Center a setting for more ministries to the needy in Stillwater and Mechanicville. A committee is working on a plan to provide concrete services not currently met by agencies in the area.

Following an hour-long rededication rite led by episcopal vicar Rev. Robert Longobucco, pastor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish in Schenectady, the church bell was rung to announce the new endeavor. More than 200 people gathered in the parish gym for a fundraising dinner.

Rev. Thomas Morrette, pastor of All Saints on the Hudson, noted that the renovation of the old church has been a collaborative effort to give a "venerable old building a new life.

"Pope Francis has called on Catholics throughout the world to seek out those forgotten on the margins," he noted. "With God's help, this building will become a place where we can do just that."

Father Morrette noted that Father Scerbo was the first parishioner from what was then Assumption parish to be ordained to the priesthood. He maintained close ties with the Mechanicville/Stillwater parish over the years.