OLA, Albany, to close

When Our Lady of Angels Church in Albany closes April 3, it will mark the end of an era -- but not the end of grieving for its 125 parishioners.

"Very painful" is the term parishioners and priests alike used to describe the reduction of what was once a six-parish "Center-City Cluster" to one worship site, St. Patrick's, which will be renamed after Our Lady of Angels and St. Patrick's form one new parish community.

Pastoral administrator Rev. Anthony Kall, OFM Conv., said that deciding to close Our Lady of Angels was a "very, very difficult" process for parishioners, pastoral council members who looked into various options, diocesan officials, and the Conventual Franciscan Friars, who founded OLA as a German parish in 1867 and still staff it (and St. Patrick's).

However, he's hopeful for the future of the yet-unnamed center-city Catholic community.

Long process

The process that led to closing OLA began two decades ago, when six parishes clustered to better bring a Catholic presence into Albany's center-city neighborhoods.

The aging of the churches' populations and the move by many Catholics to the suburbs eventually forced the closure of three parishes. Last August, St. Casimir's parish, which was down to 65 parishioners, closed as well.

Different options were explored for the remaining two churches, said Father Kall, including using one as a worship site and the other as a ministry center. But the expense of converting a building proved "unrealistic," and it became evident that one of the churches had to close.

Decision-making

Jean Marks, a life-long parishioner of OLA, was on the pastoral council that helped to decide which church would close.

"My grandmother was baptized at Our Lady of Angels in 1885," she told The Evangelist. "Many of our people had moved to the suburbs but still chose to come and worship there; we are a beautiful church."

However, she came to realize the many reasons it was "least disruptive" to choose St. Patrick's:

* The Hispanic Apostolate makes its home there, doubling the parish's population to 400 individuals;

* St. Patrick's has more young families;

* St. Patrick's also sponsors many outreach programs and ministries, and has an extra building available as a parish center. (The friary and school at OLA had previously been sold.)

Pain of decision

Father Kall said that some parishioners have told him the closure was "inevitable" and "20 years in the making." Still, having been involved in other mergers before, "I can understand people's pain."

Some OLA parishioners have said they feel betrayed by the Diocese or the friars for closing their church. Father Kall noted that some pastoral council members even resigned during the decision process because of pressure from other parishioners.

But council member Pat Barr, a parishioner of St. Patrick's, told The Evangelist that "we didn't have as much power as they thought we had."

Struggles

In fact, she said, a lot of pain during the process came from struggles to communicate and be inclusive among diocesan officials, friars, parish staff, pastoral council members and people in the pews.

"I didn't care which church stayed open, just [that] we would have a gathering space for the worshipping community," she said. "Learning how much they [at OLA] loved their church all these years, I can really empathize with how awful they felt" when it was chosen to close.

Once the decision was made, some parishioners and others expressed relief that the waiting was over. "I have come to acceptance, but I got ticked off in the process," Mrs. Barr said bluntly.

Ceremonies

After a closing liturgy and dinner at OLA on April 3, a "liturgy of welcome" is planned at St. Patrick's April 10, not only for OLA and St. Casimir's parishioners, but also those who already attend St. Patrick's, since the parish community will be renamed.

"We're not just welcoming other people to our parish; we're welcoming ourselves, too," stated Mrs. Barr.

Not everyone is expected to make the transition. Mrs. Marks, who lives five blocks from one of the churches and six blocks from the other, said she'll worship at the new site, but many of her fellow OLA parishioners who come from the suburbs to go to the church they grew up in won't.

"They have to pass two or three other churches" on the way, she explained, and will probably select one of those as their new parish.

More to do

After deciding on a new name, Father Kall said, the next step will be holding a "visioning workshop" for members of all parish committees. Participants will discuss alternate forms of leadership for the new parish community; creative ways to do evangelization and outreach, prayer and spirituality; and youth ministry.

That workshop will be followed by another in May for all parishioners, and a third in the fall at which members of the larger community will be welcome.

"We really want it to be a grassroots type of approach," he said, calling the process "visioning toward the future."

Sad time

Even as they move forward, Mrs. Marks said that parishioners of OLA like her will still be saddened by their loss.

"We're still grieving, and we will be for a while," she noted. But she urged fellow parishioners to "hang together. Come and try the new worship site; don't just stamp your feet and walk out."

(The closing liturgy at Our Lady of Angels will be held April 3, 2 p.m.; the liturgy of welcome at St. Patrick's will be held April 10, 10 a.m.)

(3/10/05)