Parishes don't let snowfalls keep prayers from rising

To find out, The Evangelist checked with some parishes to see how they handle closings and postponements when storms arrive on weekends:

* At Sacred Heart Church, Berlin, and St. John Francis Regis Church, Grafton, Sister Mary Kenan McGowan, RSM, parish life director, said, "because we have a sacramental minister at both parishes, we could be adversely affected when it comes to weekend Masses. But so far, we haven't had a problem.

"Rev. Kenneth Gregory has to travel up here from East Greenbush to celebrate our weekend Masses. When we have big storms, the town of Grafton plows the roads. But because St. John's Church is at the top of a hill that they do not plow, people cannot get up if there is a lot of snow. When this happens, we usually have Mass just at Sacred Heart."

If Father Gregory cannot make it to Sacred Heart and they have to cancel Mass, she added, parishioners from both parishes are fully prepared to celebrate Eucharistic services.

Additionally, families in both parishes volunteer to shovel and de-ice sidewalks, ramps and handicapped areas. Sign-up sheets are posted at the beginning of winter so that families can volunteer to keep the grounds snow and ice-free for a weekend.

"We have salt and two shovels at each entrance to the churches," Sister Kenan said. "Sometimes, the snow and ice will melt and then re-freeze overnight; and even though people have already shoveled, it can be hazardous. But we never have to ask anyone to help out; people here are quick to just go ahead and see that it's done."

Sister Kenan said that because of the location of the parishes [in Rensselaer County in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains], parishioners are always ready for snow. However, they sometimes still get surprised by "old man winter."

"During one snowfall, the furnace in Sacred Heart went out and the building was ice cold," she recalled. "There was no way we were going to be able to hold services there. We did cancel that day because there was nothing else we could do. However, parishioners from the Seventh Day Baptist Church, just a few doors down the street from Sacred Heart, later contacted us and offered the use of their church building in the future if we should ever need it for services. It was a wonderful, ecumenical gesture."

* At St. Francis de Sales parish in Herkimer, Catholics are used to the weather changing quickly. Located near the Tug Hill plateau section of the Adirondack range, at a point where rain can turn to sleet, snow or ice in a matter of minutes, the school staff and parishioners take on winter like any other time of the year. According to parish school secretary Mary Dobek, its "business as usual" when the winds howl and the snow falls.

"Some parents get nervous out here when snow falls and their kids are in school," she said. "But we try to keep the children in school as long as possible before we close early and bus them home. This is because many parents are at work and have not made preparations to be at home early in the day."

The school has students who come from nine public school districts; most of them are bused by the Herkimer district. So, "when Herkimer closes, we close as well," Mrs. Dobek said.

Ann Marie Hill, the parish secretary, told The Evangelist that in her recollection, Masses have never been canceled due to snow.

But she does remember one winter during the late 1960s when it took the residents of Herkimer several days to dig out, because of a huge snowstorm.

"As I recall though, Mass wasn't even canceled then!" she said. "Out here, we just carry on, no matter what."

* St. John the Baptist, Chestertown; Blessed Sacrament, Hague; and St. James, North Creek are located in the northern reaches of the Albany Diocese, where winter is a mixed blessing. According to Sister Francesca Husselbeck, RSM, pastoral associate for the cluster, the members of at least one parish look forward to large snowfalls and cold weather.

"When St. James in North Creek gets lots of snow, everyone up there is happy," she said, because Gore Mountain is nearby and a draw for skiing enthusiasts from all over the world. The community heavily depends upon the skiers for economic stability.

The roads are always plowed, and lots of people visit the community during the winter months. For St. James parishioners, that means well-attended weekend Masses and a busy schedule for Rev. George Fleming, who has to travel 37 miles between parishes for liturgies.

Parishioners in the cluster made sure Father Fleming had a four-wheel drive vehicle to safely transport him around the area when he first arrived in the cluster.

"In a normal winter, we get lots of snow," Sister Francesca said. "I live in Hague so that if Father George can't make it to Blessed Sacrament when the weather is bad, we can at least have a Eucharistic service for people. Father George resides in Chestertown, but he will stay overnight at St. James if he plans to celebrate 9 a.m. Mass there on Sunday morning and there is a chance that the roads may be bad overnight. That way, he can be available for Mass.

"We rarely cancel Mass," Sister Francesca said. "People here are very prepared for winter. We get so much snow up here that everyone is used to driving in it. The county roads are always cleared and maintained."

(01-17-02) [[In-content Ad]]