Parishes trying to balance access to church, security

How do pastors and parish administrators keep parishes open for prayer while still protecting parishioners and property?

Rev. Joseph O'Brien, pastor of Holy Spirit Church in East Greenbush, dealt with that question after a break-in over the summer.

He has "always wanted to keep the church as open as I can," he said, but "events in recent years show that places like schools and churches can be vulnerable, and we need to protect" people who want to visit.

After the break-in, the parish installed an electronic security system to help "balance the need to keep the church open and to secure it when we need to," he said.

Father O'Brien still attempts to keep the church open from early morning until dusk to accommodate visitors.

Campus life

Things are a little different at Christ Sun of Justice parish in Troy. Its building is the Newman Foundation's Chapel and Cultural Center on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. to cater to cultural programs and visitors to the gallery.

Those hours are also appreciated by the church's walk-in population, which includes students from RPI as well as workers and families from nearby hospitals.

While being careful, said the pastor, Rev. Ed Kacerguis, administrators should not be "creating an environment where we are a 'Fortress Europa,'" sealed off from the world because of security concerns. "That is a mentality that is inappropriate. It is the wish of the Newman Foundation that we try to stay open."

Cameras

Being located on Central Avenue -- one of Albany's busiest streets -- doesn't necessarily change the way Blessed Sacrament Church operates.

In fact, said the pastor, Rev. John Bradley, the steady pedestrian traffic and the presence of teachers bringing children from the parish school help make the church a welcoming and safe place to be.

Still, the church does employ surveillance cameras to protect certain spaces and items in the church, such as the tabernacle.

Changes

Two years ago, Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Rotterdam dealt with an issue that was both a security concern and an affront to hospitality: the church had been constructed without a restroom.

Parishioners had to walk through a back door of the church, wander through the parish offices and use a bathroom in the gym on the other side of the facility, said Rev. Joseph Cebula, pastor.

With a new restroom in the back of the church, things are safer for parishioners, guests and parish staff. The parish also has a computerized security system that locks and unlocks doors automatically.

Father Cebula said the system is a necessity, especially since his own experience dealing with a break-in and robbery at a previous assignment. Unfortunately, he said, "we live in a different era."

Locking up

At Sacred Heart Church in Lake George, Kathy Dorman, the parish administrator, has to continually remind parishioners and volunteers to lock up behind them after they're finished with the parish facilities.

Part of the reason the church remains vigilant is due to Lake George's status as a bustling summertime tourist town.

In hotter months, "our population quadruples," she explained. "Most [visitors] are nice, but some are not, and we need to be wary. We have to protect the church and people that go into church."

(11/30/06) [[In-content Ad]]