Parish cemetery undergoing renewal

Every Memorial Day weekend, when parishioners of St. Joseph's Church in Cohoes remember deceased loved ones, the Mass doesn't take place in church. Instead, it is celebrated on Calvary.

"Calvary," an arrangement of the scene of Christ's crucifixion, has stood in the center of the parish cemetery on Middletown Road since about 1900.

When a committee decided to clean the statues and floor in preparation for this year's weekend Mass, they were faced with a "monumental" task.

Much to do

At first glance, said Lorraine DeCuyper, the parish life director at St. Joseph's, cleaning the blackened marble appeared to be all that would be needed.

Marble steps lead up to a marble platform that holds the crucified Christ on a black cross. Arranged around Him are three life-sized statues: the Blessed Mother, St. John and Mary Magdalene.

When workers removed the statues from the platform for cleaning, they began "crumbling to pieces. There was nothing we could do to save them," Mrs. DeCuyper noted.

Damage

What was left of the original marble statuary is now buried in the ground next to the platform. All that remains is the wooden cross, leaning slightly forward. Its black base is undergoing reinforcement. Although the figure of Jesus is still attached, it is showing extreme signs of wear.

When the original flooring was removed for cleaning, an even bigger problem presented itself: The support structure was rotted.

"We realized we had to entirely rebuild the supports and underpinnings. The whole thing needed to be replaced," said Don Beaulac, a member of the restoration committee.

Starting over

The parish hired MJI Construction of Averill Park to rebuild the base of the platform, and Grethen Cahrenger Memorials of Troy to clean the marble. New statuary was ordered from a New York City firm that specializes in fiberglass statues.

"They are lightweight and very resistant to the elements" said Mr. Beaulac. "Each statue weighs only about 60 pounds and will be bolted down to the platform base, anchoring it permanently.

"Our parishioners have a deep respect and honor for their deceased. It was important for us to preserve this memorial, which has been a tradition in our parish for a long time. Generations of families have come to this monument annually to decorate the graves of their loved ones and remember them."

Costs

The total cost of the renovation is $30,000, well over the amount budgeted for normal upkeep. The funds will come from the parish and donations from throughout the community.

"We're asking for memorial donations in lieu of ground decorations this year to cover the cost of the renovation of Calvary," Mrs. DeCuyper said. "We feel that this memorial donation would give people an opportunity to honor their deceased loved ones in a way that will be remembered for many years to come."

(All of the Catholic parishes in Cohoes bury their dead in St. Joseph's Cemetery, which holds approximately 22,000 graves.)

(5/19/05)