Speakers lead 700 Catholics into the past

A hymn from the 11th century and stories about the Church in the 19th century combined last week to enthrall an audience from the 20th century at a Sesquicentennial lecture titled "Honoring Our Heritage as We Grow into the Future."

Held at the Empire Center in Albany and hosted by St. Bernard's Institute, the Feb. 28 program included liturgical music of the past, a lecture by Jesuit Father Gerald Fogerty and remarks by Assemblyman John McEneny.

The program -- called "an evening of memories and promise" by Rev. Thomas Powers, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Valatie who introduced the speakers -- was the second diocesan-wide event marking the 150th anniversary of the Albany Diocese. The Sesquicentennial observance kicked off last December with a prayer service at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany.

Song and story

The audience of about 700 Catholics were active participants in the two-hour presentation, singing along with one hymn, gasping to learn about one American bishop who locked another out of the cathedral and applauding the two speakers, who regaled them with the history of Catholicism in America in general and in the Albany Diocese in particular.

Father Fogerty, a professor of religious studies and history at the University of Virginia and the author of two books about American Catholic history, presented a survey of Albany diocesan history, from St. Isaac Jogues' martyrdom in the mid-17th century to the 20th-century episcopacy of Bishop Edmund Gibbons, whom the priest described as "the bishop of all bishops" and "the builder."

He particularly focused on the arrival in the region of Irish and German immigrants who built the Erie Canal and railroads, leading to the growth of the Catholic Church in upstate New York.

Old issues

Noting that history tends to repeat itself, Father Fogerty said that contemporary issues -- such as the shortage of clergy, the necessity of dealing with immigrant Catholics, and disputes between clergy and laity regarding how a parish should operate -- have echoes at the time of the founding of the Diocese in 1847, echoes that can help the present-day Church deal with them:

* Most Catholics in the mid-19th century did not have easy access to clergy, who had to ride circuits around the vast Diocese to reach the scattered flock; moreover, 90 percent of priests did not live long enough to celebrate the silver jubilees of their ordinations;

* The arrival of immigrants from Ireland and Germany, and later from Italy, Poland and elsewhere, led to arguments over how to serve them and whether national churches were effective in meeting their needs;

* Lay trustees and pastors disagreed over the operation of parishes, resulting in some cases in priests and laity suing each other in secular courts.

Response

Mr. McEneny, former Albany County historian and author of "Albany: Capital City on the Hudson," offered tidbits about Catholicism in the region, especially emphasizing how ethnicity and religion worked together to build the Church.

He told stories about the founding of St. Mary's Church in Albany, which is marking its bicentennial this year; the creation of St. Joseph's parish in Arbor Hill; and the famine in Ireland that drove tens of thousands of Catholics to upstate New York.

The evening began with the singing of five hymns, including "Salve Regina" and "Panis Angelicus." The liturgical music was performed by five Church musicians representing diocesan offices and parishes.

(The next diocesan-wide Sesquicentennial event is a Youth Rally, to be held April 26 at Siena College in Loudonville and featuring musician Tony Melendez. Young people interested in attending should contact their Catholic school or religious education program.)

(03-06-97) [[In-content Ad]]