Religious Orders to exit pastoral ministry in Albany, NY, Diocese

Priests from two other religious orders recently received permission to stay in their pastorates after their orders proposed leaving the Albany Diocese.

Rev. Antone Kandrac, OFM Conv., pastor of St. Mary's parish in Nassau, and Rev. Augustine Kapinus, OFM Conv., pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Northville; and Rev. Timothy Mangan, SSS, pastor of St. Joseph's in Broadalbin, were notified by their respective religious orders that they were leaving the Albany Diocese. But all three asked to stay in the parishes they served.

"I've been here 23 years, and I felt I could continue my ministry," said Father Mangan, a member of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. "There's a real need. Reduce the number of priests, and you reduce the number of services."

Contracted services

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard met with the provincials of the Blessed Sacrament and Conventual Franciscan Friars, and made an agreement to "contract" the priests for a year.

"They're going to do it on an annual basis," explained Rev. Geoffrey Burke, chancellor for personnel and public information for the Albany Diocese. "It really depends on the needs of those religious communities. I would imagine if they had a parish they are committed to and needed a pastor, they would call on the pastors to fulfill that need."

As The Evangelist went to press, Fathers Kapinus and Kandrac were unavailable for comment. Father Mangan said that he was pleased he had been allowed to stay: "I expressed my preference, and they honored the preference."

Different plans

The Augustinian community (see separate story), which will leave five parishes in the Albany Diocese by July 1997, did not allow individual pastors to remain in parishes by request. Rev. Marshall Halphen, OSA, regional representative for the province, cited three reasons:

* The greater plan of the Augustinians to restructure their entire ministry could be destroyed if enough pastors were permitted not to participate;

* Augustinians in one-priest parishes would be unable to live in community as their order's rule demands; and

* Individual priests might feel too much pressure, knowing that their order's entire presence in a particular parish depended solely on them.

In a pulpit letter to parishes regrading the Augustinians' upcoming change, Bishop Hubbard stated that they are the fourth religious community this year to inform him that they must withdraw priest personnel from the Diocese.

(09-05-96) [[In-content Ad]]