Priest considers where Church was and might be

When you stand in one place long enough, people tend to forget you've ever been anywhere else.

But as Rev. Lawrence McTavey prepared to retire after more than 34 years as pastor of St. Bernard's parish in Cohoes, he dubbed himself a "spiritual schizophrenic."

"I went from teenagers to the elderly!" he chuckled, pointing out that he came to senior-citizen-dominated St. Bernard's in 1972, after spending the first 17 years of his priesthood as a high-school teacher and principal.

Educator

That abrupt change in ministry was not unwelcome, however. Having taught at Catholic Central High School in Troy and helmed Cardinal McCloskey High in Albany, the priest met so many young people that, decades later, he still bumps into former students and teachers -- some of them now local celebrities and dignitaries.

"I loved the years I was in school," Father McTavey declared, but "never regretted" becoming a pastor.

Gains

When he arrived at St. Bernard's, Cohoes had eight Latin-rite Catholic parishes and one Eastern-rite Catholic parish, with a half-dozen Catholic elementary and secondary schools that had consolidated to bolster education.

St. Bernard's was home to 400 families when he came. In his time as pastor, that number doubled, even as Cohoes' population declined. Today, a quarter of the parishioners come from outside the city.

"People go where they feel they want to go," he explained, giving credit to St. Bernard's dedicated women religious and volunteers, who lead the parish's ministries. "I have people working in the parish who do tremendous volunteer work -- running programs, [organizing] religious ed. And that's maybe where the Church is tomorrow: the role of the laity being a part of the process."

Losses

Unfortunately, Father McTavey continued, the "changing nature of our whole society" has brought unwanted changes. For example, all of Cohoes' Catholic schools are now gone, including Keveny Academy, a high school once located across the street from St. Bernard's.

Father McTavey expressed concern for the future of other Catholic high schools in the Albany Diocese, since many of their "feeder schools" have closed.

His retirement coincided with that of Rev. John Facci, SAC, pastor of St. Rita/Sacred Heart parish in Cohoes, bringing the closure of Sacred Heart Church except for weddings and funerals.

The city's two remaining resident pastors (from St. Michael's and Holy Trinity), assisted by sacramental ministers and fill-in priests, will now cover Masses in the city's remaining churches.

Changing times

Father McTavey told The Evangelist that he was torn between realizing, at 76, that it was time to retire and knowing that he'd be leaving at a tumultuous time for the community.

He said it's not just the Church that's changing, but American culture, with marriage and family life being hard-hit.

A more secular-focused and affluent culture has brought more lifestyle options for young people, the priest said, making it tempting to choose alternatives that don't include settling down -- or religious life.

Priesthood

Father McTavey believes it's unfortunate that priests "aren't talking about the job, talking about vocations. My job is to be a minister of the sacraments -- first, last and always. Everything else falls into place because you're involved in the sacramental lives of the people.

"Last week, I did the Baptism of a child of a kid that I baptized. You become so much a part of so many families; you're part of a life."

He sees that aspect as still attracting candidates for religious life. He pointed out that the three new priests ordained last month in the Diocese are all around 40: "They embraced another life and then realized they wanted something more."

Role of laity

Father McTavey noted that Catholics today question their leaders and want to be a part of decision-making.

"People are taking more responsibility," he said. At St. Bernard's, for example, everyone from trustees and parish council leaders to Eucharistic ministers "are competent people, very good Catholic people. They can guide the parish along."

Priests can learn a thing or two from their parishioners, he added.

Perspective

In 52 years of ministry, Father McTavey said, "you gain maturity in your priesthood, the same as in other areas of your life. You deal with things differently than you would 30 years ago. Somebody once said, 'Judge in slow motion.' You do that. You don't jump on every issue and react."

When he learned that he would not be replaced with another resident pastor, he tried to look at it from that perspective. He has always believed in "using the pulpit" if an issue in the parish needed to be addressed, and this was no exception.

"I told them about it. They heard it from me," he recalled of the painful news. "I always feel, if you're up-front with people, they're going to respond. The people are great."

What's next?

The new retiree is trying to bring that calm attitude to his changed status. "Hey, maybe this is the way God wants it," he remarked. "I'm 76 years old; you can't go on forever."

On the other hand, like most retired priests of the Diocese, he'll be keeping his hand in. He joked about running into a fellow retired priest recently and asking how his friend was doing.

"Well," said the other priest, "I just said two Masses in Albany; I'm going to Saratoga to get ready for a wedding and then to Stillwater to do a Baptism."

"I'm not going to sit around twiddling my thumbs!" Father McTavey assured himself, laughing.

(Although he has left his mark on St. Bernard's and the city of Cohoes, Father McTavey doesn't call it "his" parish. "It was here 125 years before I got here," he explained, glancing around at the spacious rectory and fenced lawn outside. "It was mine to take care of, but it's theirs.")

(7/19/07)