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Parishioners in the Mont Pleasant area of Schenectady don't feel as safe as they once did.

Firefighters have responded to at least three false alarms pulled at the fire call box near Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. A vandal sprayed graffiti on the church sign a week after the glass was replaced. Thieves broke into at least one car during Mass.

"All around us, the neighborhood is starting to deteriorate a little bit," said John Claughsey, senior group leader at OLMC. The parish stands at the corner of Ninth and Pleasant Streets, only a mile from Hamilton Hill, a neighborhood known for its crime rate but also for its resilient residents.

"In this day and age, it's happening all over, and we have to be extra cautious," said Rev. Robert Hohenstein, pastor. Added Ed Lawless, parish council president: "We just want to do everything we can to make everything a little safer."

When a parish men's group member told the others about a neighborhood group joining the city to push for the installation of more surveillance cameras in the area, parishioners jumped on the bandwagon.

Leaders posted a note in the bulletin, encouraging parishioners to attend a public meeting to advocate for state funding for a camera - which could cost up to $10,000 - to be placed near the church.

Turning to home
Though Catholics often weigh in on national issues such as abortion and immigration reform, home-grown topics such as abandoned houses, schools, garbage collection and waterway cleanup have not always drawn their attention.

But in several local parishes, Catholics have turned their sights to smaller, more immediate issues such as neighborhood cleanups, land and water pollution, and voting machines (see accompanying article).

In Mont Pleasant, Catholics say the surveillance measure, far from being intrusive, has become a common law enforcement technique.

"You can't walk into a 7-11 [convenience store] and not see a camera," Mr. Lawless reasoned.

Mr. Claughsey agreed. "It would behoove use to have it there because of our festa," he said, referring to the festival that draws thousands of people to the parish every summer. City police usually provide security during the event.

About 20 parishioners attended the public meeting, where they had the opportunity to talk with the local police chief and a representative from the district attorney's office.

The parish finance committee and pastoral council have also met about the issue, and Mr. Lawless plans on following up with a letter to the district attorney's office.

At least 10 cameras have been installed in Schenectady since 2003, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service website. A camera was installed outside a market after a boy was murdered there in 2002. Now, calls for police service outside the market have decreased by 71 percent.

The Schenectady program is viewed as a pilot for programs in other cities in the state.

Two miles away, at St. Joseph's Church in Schenectady, Rev. Michael Hogan said other examples of Catholics getting involved in community issues are hard to find.

"Dealing beyond the city and county is much more comfortable," said Father Hogan, pastor of St. Joseph's and its mission church, St. Margaret of Cortona in Rotterdam Junction.

The faithful have worked wonders in helping Haiti and Chile after disasters or sponsoring parishes in Africa, but may forget about parishes in their backyards, he said.

Father Hogan hosts a weekly half-hour show on channel 16 previously profiled in The Evangelist (see www.evangelist.org).

"What about the poor people here on Hamilton Hill?" he asked. "The problem is dealing with the police department or housing in our city."

Joining up
On national issues, Catholics tend to write directly to politicians or advocate as church members. On local issues, they tend to work with other groups or join community coalitions in approaching town hall.

At Christ the King parish in Westmere, Thomas Morrison and fellow parishioners work with ARISE, or "A Regional Initiative Supporting Empowerment," a coalition of local congregations and community groups working to help the needy and revitalize the Capital Region.

Dennis Karius, Christ the King parishioner and ARISE member, said he gets involved in community organizing because Scripture teaches Catholics to help everyone.

"Love your neighbor, not just love people on the other side of the world," Mr. Karius advised. "I think it's a core responsibility that we have. We could go right back to Scripture: Jesus said, 'What you do for the least of my brethren, you're doing for me.'"

(03/25/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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