April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PARISHES AND TOURISM
Summertime, and the living is...different
A volunteer at the parish's food pantry escorted them to Price Chopper and gave them a crash course in navigating American supermarkets.
"It was so foreign that they didn't know what to look for, and they were scared," said Rev. Thomas Berardi, pastor.
Sacred Heart often attracts summer exchange students looking for advice, a place to relax or a place to share pictures from home.
"They get homesick like anybody else," Father Berardi said.
The 12-week tourist season generates an influx of visitors to the church and a boost in collection money, but also a rise in demand for assistance - financial or otherwise - from seasonal workers.
Other churches across the Albany Diocese experience similar phenomena: for instance, St. Clement's and St. Peter's parishes in Saratoga Springs operate outreach ministries in part to support backstretch workers at the Saratoga Race Track.
Some pastors say attendance doubles or triples at their parish between July 4 and Columbus Day, depending on the weather. Some rely on the additional revenue to carry them through the year; others say it helps only a little.
At St. Paul the Apostle Church in Hancock, the 35 nearby summer camps and many summer homes only bump up Mass attendance by 10 or 15 people.
"I wish we had more," said Rev. Christopher Welch, pastor. "Memorial Day, we had a full house, and we had the lowest collection yet."
The parish experiences another small boost in the spring fishing season and the fall hunting season, but Father Welch says it's still not enough to make a difference: "When people go on vacation, Mass is not on their priority list."
By contrast, Sacred Heart/ Immaculate Conception parish in Haines Falls/Palenville welcomes hundreds of additional Mass-goers every summer and mails them requests for donations throughout the year.
"Without them, I don't know if we would survive," admitted Rev. Anthony Motta, pastor.
St. Isaac Jogues parish in Chestertown uses its summer income to pay for heating and maintenance throughout the year. Half of the parish's baptisms take place in the summer; an additional Mass accommodates the rise in visitors.
Ironically, many full-time Saratoga Springs residents leave town for the season, causing a drop in Mass attendance at St. Clement's Church until the track season begins. The parish relies on track fans to make up the difference.
Parishioners also contribute to the outreach program, which supplies backstretch workers and others with blankets and bedding, harvests from a community garden and food pantry items. Program volunteers also serve meals twice a month at a soup kitchen.
More and more backstretch workers have become agricultural workers or horse industry workers after the track season ends. A Spanish Mass has been celebrated at the parish since 2006.
"The track has changed our year-round ministry more than just in the summer," said Lisa Kent, pastoral associate for outreach at St. Clement's.
Back in Lake George, summer workers also need help during the off seasons.
"They kind of fall between the cracks because many of them have a car or even a home" but don't qualify for public assistance, Father Berardi said. "The churches pick up that gap up here."
Sacred Heart Church sponsors a year-round food pantry and a weekly community dinner that draws up to 140 people. Donations come from special collections and the local high school's food drive. The parish also sets aside five percent of its collection for outreach.
Summer workers often live in mountain camps and turn to the parish for emergency shelter, medication and other needs. The summer collection - which more than doubles compared to the winter one - and a monthly extra collection during summer helps the parish meet these needs.
"We make them aware of a lot of the social needs and we ask them to partner with us," Father Berardi said of visitors, who also contributed to the recently-completed church expansion. "They feel a part of it, too."
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