Saying 'Amen' to Abba House

The closure of Abba House of Prayer in Albany after 35 years of offering retreats, talks and spiritual direction was explained simply by its director.

"Many people have said, 'Oh, you have such good programs -- I wish I could get to them,'" said Sister Rosemary Sgroi, RSM.

But the lack of time in people's schedules, she believes, was the biggest contributor to Abba House's demise.

'Different time'

Sister Rosemary explained: "We're all just so busy; it's a different time" than when the retreat house was founded in 1971 by Sacred Heart Sisters Elizabeth "Libby" Hoye and Mary Gen Smyth.

Back then, the 15-room house on Western Avenue was advertised as offering "courses in spirituality, including explanations of lay spirituality."

Today, however, lay involvement in the life of the Church is a given, according to Sister Rosemary. "A lot of parishes have programs" on spirituality. "They're providing a lot of spiritual development and instruction," so parishioners don't need to leave their home turf to work on deepening their spiritual lives.

Adjustments

Sister Rosemary noted that Abba House tried to change with the times by holding retreats on a host of topics to interest conservative and liberal Catholics, those who enjoyed traditional prayer and those who wanted to use humor or tai chi to connect with God.

"We tried to appeal to a variety of needs," she said. But even with generous donors supporting its work, attendance still dwindled to the point where the center couldn't keep afloat financially.

"I think our spirituality, in a good way, has been turning outward," Sister Rosemary added. She sees many Catholics choosing to help the needy as a spiritual exercise, rather than taking a contemplative path of attending retreats.

Transition

Abba House isn't the only retreat center or house of prayer to be affected by changing priorities.

Sister Rosemary has spoken to peers at centers in the Albany Diocese and beyond, and many are struggling. A friend who runs a retreat house in Rhode Island, for example, is closing it.

"It's almost a transformation" into new ways of expressing spirituality, Sister Rosemary mused. "Maybe it's a good one; I don't know. I'm very sad at the loss of this ministry."

Looking back

Sister Rosemary applauded Abba House's founders and the many Catholics in the Albany Diocese who kept it going for three-and-a-half decades.

"They're the ones who have made it sacred. It's a sacred space," she stated.

Her experience as director makes her want to "stay in the spiritual-life arena" as she considers her next position, she said. "I feel privileged to have done this for four years. I'm sad it's closing, but it's for the right reasons."

(Abba House was incorporated in 1979 and was owned by its board of directors. It is now being returned to the Sisters of the Sacred Heart for about eight sisters to use as a residence. "I am so delighted!" Sister Rosemary said of that development.)

(11/9/06) [[In-content Ad]]