OEC distributes catechetical grants

The Albany diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis (OEC) has announced its annual Grants for Rural and Urban Parish Catechetical and Youth Ministry Programs.

The grants are funded by donations that were made to the diocesan Capital Campaign in 2000. A total of $73,000 is being awarded this year to nine parish/cluster communities:

* $16,500 to the Catholic Community of Our Lady of Hope, St. Ann's, and St. Philip's in Whitehall for continued salary support towards a pastoral associate for faith formation and youth ministry, and related program expenses.

* $5,000 to St. Luke's Church in Schenectady to increase the hours, salary and fringe benefits of the catechetical leader hired this year at diocesan scale.

* $3,500 to St. Margaret of Cortona parish in Rotterdam to hire a part-time youth minister.

* $1,000 to St. Paul's in Rock City Falls to initiate an adult/catechist formation print and media library.

* $12,000 to St. John Regis parish, Grafton, and Sacred Heart parish, Berlin, for a part-time professional catechetical leader to serve both communities and for secretarial assistance.

* $10,000 to Holy Cross, Salem, and St. Patrick's, Cambridge, towards the hiring of a professional youth minister/adult faith formation leader.

* $10,000 to St. Thomas, Cherry Valley/St. Joseph, Richfield Springs towards the hiring of a part-time professional catechetical leader to serve both communities.

* $10,000 to St. James, Fort Plain, and St. Patrick's, Johnsville, towards the hiring of a catechetical/youth ministry leader to serve both communities.

* $5,000 to St. James, St. John/St. Ann's, Cathedral and St. Teresa's, all in Albany, towards staffing assistance and funding for the purchase of a computer and/or media equipment in support of their cluster catechetical program for grades 7-12.

In addition to the parish grants, the Capital Campaign Committee disbursed $2,760 as scholarships for all catechetical and youth ministry leaders towards courses, conferences, retreats and in-service programs.

The majority of these applications were for scholarships to attend the certificate for designated ministries program of St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry in Albany. The CDM program is part of the process for certification of catechetical and youth ministry leaders. Other disbursements were for spiritual direction programs in the diocese and elsewhere.

The members of the Capital Campaign Committee are Sister Kathleen Turley, Sister Joan Curley, Rev. Geoffrey Burke, Rev. Don Czelusniak, Rev. Peter Russo, Jane Forget, Ruth Moon, Connie Smith, Mary Harrison and Jeanne Schrempf, director of the OEC.

(5/13/04) [[In-content Ad]]