Parish marking its 75th in variety of ways

This promises to be a banner year in more ways than one for the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Schenectady, thanks to the creative efforts of its 75th anniversary committee.

Chaired by parish council president Celeste Rossetti, the 20-member committee is working zealously to ensure that 1997 will go down in history as one that literally brought the parish family together under the heading "One God, One People."

Serving as a reminder of this year's milestone will be a gigantic banner suspended from the choirloft displaying the names of parish families. The banner has been designed in such a way that the names of new members can be added to it when the anniversary of the parish's founding rolls around each June.

Fabric of faith

The anniversary committee, which formed last September, has been busy distributing large blocks of fabric to parishioners with a request that they be decorated using the family's name. Of the hundreds of blocks taken home so far, about 100 have been returned -- with what Miss Rossetti terms impressive results.

"Some have used cross-stitch on their blocks; others have used embroidery. We also have some done with fabric glue that are just beautiful," she remarked. In addition to recording their names, many parishioners drew or stitched symbols, such as butterflies, on their fabric.

Miss Rossetti said the idea for the banner was "borrowed" from St. Mary's Church in Oneonta, which completed a similar project a while back.

Quilts

In addition, students attending religious education classes at St. Paul are preparing a pair of quilts featuring the children's hand-prints. Also "lending a hand" to the artistic project are Rev. George Brucker, pastor, and Rev. Joseph McKay, associate pastor.

Joking that there was only room to permit "one hand per child," Miss Rossetti estimated there are about 395 hand-prints in total on the two quilts.

The commemorative quilt, which was done using shades of pink, blue and green against a navy backdrop, will hang at the back of the altar throughout the anniversary year after being dedicated on May 3.

Logo of theme

To keep the congregation ever mindful of their 75th anniversary theme "One God, One People," the committee asked local artist and parishioner Dianne Tracey to design a logo illustrating the slogan. She responded with a graphic symbolizing the church and its people, which the committee plans to circulate in a variety of ways throughout the anniversary.

"The slogan and the beautiful commemorative logo Dianne designed really sum up what the church is all about. We are one people brought together by the love of God and Jesus," said Miss Rossetti.

Among the ways the committee hopes to keep the parish's anniversary theme alive long into the next millennium is by having the logo reproduced on keepsakes ranging from Christmas ornaments to t-shirts.

Festivities

A diverse line-up of festivities has been scheduled to mark the anniversary:

* Things kick-off with a 1 p.m. Mass on June 1, followed by a parish picnic, under the pavilion in Schenectady's Central Park.

* That will be followed by a breakfast put on by the parish men's club after all the Masses on June 8.

* An International Food Night in the gymnasium of the school will be held on June 13. Participants are being asked to bring a dish that reflects their ethnic heritage.

* Next on the anniversary schedule is a dinner dance on June 22 at the Glen Sanders Mansion. Tickets are $28 per person.

* The month-long anniversary party will end on a high spiritual note when Bishop Howard J. Hubbard celebrates Mass at St. Paul's at 2 p.m. on June 29. The parish's three music ministries (consisting of a folk group, a choir with an organist and a charismatic music group) will join together in song at the Bishop's Mass. Each music ministry will also be spotlighted separately at evening prayer services on June 10, 16 and 24.

* Another highlight of the 75th anniversary will be the distribution of a commemorative booklet edited by parishioner Eileen Dunn. The book will include not only a history of the Schenectady parish, but also photos and features about parish ministries that have sprouted up during the last 25 years.

(04-17-97) [[In-content Ad]]