Nun keeps social ministry alive in cluster

A visit to Watervliet or Green Island might find Sister Mary Thurlough, DC, handing out voter registration forms at a parish or senior citizens' center, or moderating a support group for children at St. Brigid's Regional School.

Then again, she might be in her office at Catholic Charities of Northern Albany and Rensselaer Counties, handling phone calls from area residents who need emergency assistance with a utility bill or food from the food pantry.

Or she might simply be saying "hello" to one of the 100 or so children who attend Seton Day Care, located in the Catholic Charities building. Her young friends often shout as they pass by, "Hi, nun!"

Variety of roles

Sister Mary is the "social ministry developer" for the entire Watervliet/Green Island parish cluster. Her duties are many and varied; and her work takes her to St. Brigid's, Immaculate Conception, St. Patrick's, Sacred Heart of Mary and Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishes in Watervliet, as well as St. Joseph's in Green Island and the surrounding towns.

Her job is the first of its kind, created as a result of the Pastoral Planning Process, which encourages parishes to work together in ministering to their parishioners. She works closely with Catholic Charities as well as parish staff.

Parish social ministry basically means empowering parishes to provide for the human concerns of those in need. Pastors in the Watervliet/Green Island area saw the need for such services in their parishes and towns, Sister Mary said, and asked Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM, executive director of diocesan Catholic Charities for assistance in finding someone to minister in their cluster.

Large needs

A psychiatric social worker by trade, Sister Mary is a Connecticut native who was working in New York City when she heard about the open position in the Albany Diocese.

There was a great need for parish social ministry, she found: Not only was the cluster area already economically depressed, but downsizing at the Watervliet Arsenal, a major local employer, and other companies meant that many more blue-collar workers had joined unemployment lines.

"There are a lot of people who are out of work, a lot of elderly people, and young people with problems," Sister Mary told The Evangelist. "A lot of people need food because they're out of work, their welfare check's not coming in, and it's the end of the month."

However, she added, many people are afraid to ask for help. For the past year, Sister Mary has been working with parishes to identify their parishioners' needs and to mobilize them to meet those needs. She calls her job "working to help people help others. You name it, I go."

Busy days

Much of her time is spent arranging for emergency assistance: financial aid with utility and medical bills, explanations of the Medicare system for applicants, or food from the food pantry or from the local soup kitchen, "The Open Table."

Sister Mary also travels to parish council meetings for her cluster parishes, letting them know that their parishioners can come to her for help. She meets with children and families at St. Brigid's Regional School in Watervliet, provides referrals to local service organizations, arranges scholarships for local children to attend Camp Scully (a diocesan summer camp), and does some counseling.

"My job is not so concrete you can fit it into a little box. There are times when I do casework; there are times when I refer people to other areas of Catholic Charities," she said.

Having an effect

Some changes in parish services have already resulted from her efforts:

* An eight-week-long support group for children at St. Brigid's Regional School whose parents are divorced or deceased, begun at the request of the children themselves; and

* a doctor's office in Watervliet, operated by Seton Health Systems and staffed by two physicians. "This is kind of an enclosed area. It's not always easy for people to go across town," Sister Mary said. "We're bringing services and help to people in the area."

Community effort

Once a month, Sister Mary meets with the Watervliet Community Council, working with the local police department, DARE program, schools and other agencies to solve other problems in the town.

"There's a wonderful community collaboration," she commented.

Social ministry developers who work for clusters of parishes may be more common in the future, but Sister Mary believes each cluster in the Albany Diocese is unique and may have different needs.

Her wish for her own cluster is "to work myself out of a job -- that people will begin to help themselves. If every parish had a few volunteer social workers and volunteer nurses, it would be wonderful!"

(09-12-96) [[In-content Ad]]