Priest's first year: He hit the ground running

A year ago, Rev. James Clark was welcomed into the family of the priesthood for the Albany Diocese in a ceremony at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany.

Recently, he requested that religious education classes, formerly held in the rectory of St. Catherine's parish in Middleburgh be moved: He needed room for his two sons to stay when they visited at the parish he now serves as administrator.

Both the fact that Father Clark is a "second-career priest" -- a widower with grown children -- and that he has already been named to lead a parish are signs of the times, the priest said.

Opportunity

"I didn't expect to have my own parish right away," Father Clark told The Evangelist. "It's a grand opportunity to get out and learn. I'm excited about it."

While newly ordained priests used to spend years as associate pastors before becoming pastors, he explained, today's priests "hit the ground running."

Father Clark also credits his five years' experience as building manager for the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Albany before he entered the seminary as proving he had the experience necessary to take on leading a parish so soon. Bishop Howard J. Hubbard and other diocesan leaders "knew some of my capabilities," he explained.

Apostolate to deaf

Apparently, the priest has proven himself capable of more than just parish leadership: He has also been named as chaplain for Catholic Deaf Ministry in the Diocese.

"I could see that coming," Father Clark admitted. The position had been vacant for several years prior to his appointment, and he had studied sign language and expressed an interest in working with persons with disabilities, particularly since one of his sons is developmentally disabled.

The priest has been busy lately meeting the challenges of serving his 340-family rural parish, which had been without a resident pastor for some time until his arrival.

"People rose to the occasion and took care of the administrative things, but it was like a flock without a shepherd," he explained.

Busy days

Since most priests arrive in parishes as replacements for departing pastors, parish programs are usually already in place. But Father Clark found aspects of parish life that had not been developed recently, including social ministry and religious education.

He instituted team-teaching for religious ed classes and hopes to expand St. Catherine's high-school program to include junior-high students, as well. A new social ministry committee has become quite active, and the parish council has evolved into a "pastoral council" that focuses more on their vision for the parish's future than everyday tasks.

Parishioners have eagerly volunteered for ministries, Father Clark told The Evangelist: "It's just a matter of calling people forth. People are very responsive; you just have to ask them."

Commitments

Many of the "new" volunteers are actually parishioners who were involved in ministries when their children were young. Now that their families are grown, they have more time to dedicate to the parish.

In order to keep volunteers from burning out, the priest only asks for a limited commitment to a specific ministry. "We need to share the load," he explained.

Parishioners are working with Father Clark to make liturgies more hospitable and inclusive to all. Community dinners have been a great success, and the administrator hopes to schedule them once a month in the coming year.

He also boasted of the parish's young people, who raise money for a $500 college scholarship each year for a high-school senior who "witnesses their Christian faith."

Adjustment period

In any new parish assignment, there are always rough spots. Father Clark said that even though parishioners were used to being helpful to visiting clergy who offered Mass on the weekends, he was stumped when it came to switching an oil furnace to an electric hot water system.

Leading a parish has been an on-the-job learning experience, he said.

"The seminary works on your theological formation, and the pastoral dimension has to be innate to you," he said. "I probably wasn't prepared for the effort to organize the parish. I thought that came naturally, but you have to call people forth."

Father Clark's own idea of his role as administrator has changed along the way. "With the people that need someone to lift them up and encourage them, you wish you could go out and do more of that," he stated. "That's the meaningful portion. Then you've got to stop and work with a plumber when you'd rather be out with the sick and the aged!"

Crammed schedule

The priest claims that he "likes to keep busy," and his many responsibilities fill that bill. Along with St. Catherine's, he serves as sacramental minister for St. Joseph's parish in Schoharie, and his position as chaplain for the deaf takes up an increasing amount of his time (see separate article).

It takes skill to balance his present schedule, he said, noting: "I'm still in the process of defining [the role of a priest]. There's more of the administrative side that I would rather have somebody else do. You try to make prayer the foremost part of your life, but there are the mundane things that have to be done -- especially when you're a one-person show."

As a "Father" and a "father," the priest has discovered that family time also takes a back seat to parish needs.

"I thought I would have more time with my family, but I have to schedule that, as well," he said. "We grab a meal; my son will come to Mass. But if you're on the altar, you can't be in a pew with them."

Still, the priest is surprised at how much he has been able to accomplish in such a short time. "I thought it was going to be very slow. But when you look back, there have been a lot of changes. You have to jump into it."

(09-25-97)