April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
SEMINARIAN AND PASTOR
Summer assignment meant rooming with menagerie
During a 10-week summer assignment at Ss. Anthony and Joseph parish in Herkimer and Holy Family in Little Falls, Deacon VanDerveer roomed with Rev. Thomas Lawless, pastor of those parishes - along with the pastor's two dogs, three parrots and handful of fish.
It was not love at first sight for Annie, a blue fronted Amazon parrot.
"She let him know that he wasn't welcome," Father Lawless said, by fanning her tail feathers, flapping her wings and contracting her pupils.
"She did that to me every single time I went near her," Deacon VanDerveer lamented. He became afraid he'd instinctively swat her. "The other ones were friendlier, but I lost my courage. I learned to stay out of the bird room."
Tank and Dewey, Father Lawless' cocker spaniels, were an entirely different story.
"The dogs were the delight. They are so lovable," Deacon VanDerveer said. "It felt so nice to have them rejoice every time I walked into the room."
"They were obsessed with him," Father Lawless confirmed. "If they knew he was in the house, they would absolutely go crazy until they could find him."
Was it enough to make the proud owner jealous?
"One sign of his jealousy may be that he's always telling me the dogs don't miss me at all," Deacon VanDerveer mused.
A former teacher at St. Pius X School in Loudonville, Deacon VanDerveer is in his fourth year of studies at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass. He should be ordained as a priest of the Albany Diocese next June.
The 37-year-old grew up with dogs, cats and a chinchilla, but "I had kind of made up my mind that I would never own pets as a priest," he said. "I'm kind of a neat and tidy person, and pets naturally come with a mess."
But living with Father Lawless (which "felt like living with a college buddy") and his menagerie may have changed the future priest's mind.
"I think pets are great stress-relievers," Deacon VanDerveer admitted. "Very healthy for someone who lives alone."
"It's nice having the company," Father Lawless told The Evangelist. "You get home and there's something there waiting for you."
During the assignment, Deacon VanDerveer also learned a lot about his summer roommate's compassion: Father Lawless cooks and freezes food for his birds so they always eat a fresh diet, and even caters selections to each animal's palate. One parrot hates corn; another loves fruit.
"I find that so amazing," Deacon VanDerveer said. "I think one of the best ways to show how loving he is is the kindness he shows to his pets."
Father Lawless spends mornings, evenings and free time with his animals. Deacon VanDerveer concluded that the man-creature connection, coupled with time for prayer and exercise, enables Father Lawless to "stay effective and joyful despite very big demands on his time and energy."
Deacon VanDerveer is still unsure about whether he'll share living quarters with furry friends once he's ordained - partly because Father Lawless' dogs didn't emit the most pleasant odor, and partly because he knows he'll have days "full of people.
"The jury is still out, but I'm closer than where I was before."
Regardless, Father Lawless was satisfied with his summer roommate's attitude toward his flock: "He seems to like animals. If not, he pretended to."[[In-content Ad]]
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