To this family, parish is a home for generations

All the way back to the last pew, in fact, where Florence Purstell, the oldest living parishioner of the church where she was married in 1930, sits during 5 p.m. Mass each Saturday.

At 96, Mrs. Purstell is something of a matriarch at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the same parish where her children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren have received many sacraments and worshipped over the years. Involved in the predominantly Italian parish for generations, this predominantly Italian family has become synonymous with the 23rd Street church.

In the beginning

Mrs. Purstell was one of 10 children raised by Elizabeth and Daniel Morrone, who ran a grill and grocery store on Third Avenue in Watervliet. Her father was a notary public who brought immigrants to Albany to become United States citizens. Since he was so well known in the community, new priests serving at Mount Carmel would meet him soon after they arrived.

The first priest at the parish was Rev. Vincent Stagliano. Mrs. Purstell remembers how he would go door-to-door collecting food for the poor, even when the weather was nasty. "He'd do that in the winter," she said. "He came over and my father always gave him food."

At the time, Masses were celebrated in the former St. Patrick's School, but Father Stagliano eventually bought a home and transformed it into a church with the name "Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Anthony."

Childhood days

But they all managed to attend Sunday Mass together, although her mother sometimes had to stay behind and watch the store. Her father was president of the Holy Name Society, an usher and a bell ringer for the parish. Mrs. Purstell belonged to the Sodality of Mary, a group for young girls that picked flowers and had processions to honor the Blessed Virgin. She and her siblings also attended religious education classes in the parish.

To this day, she remembers the names of the priests who succeeded Father Stagliano during her childhood: Rev. Metello Galanti, Rev. Ottaviano and Rev. Joseph Di Donna. The latter was "the priest for Cohoes and Watervliet," she recalled, since he served as administrator of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and as pastor of St. Rita's Church in Cohoes.

The Franciscan Fathers assumed responsibility for the Watervliet parish in 1927; two years later, the parish purchased the former St. Patrick's Church and began renovating. Bishop Edmund F. Gibbons dedicated the finished product in December 1929.

Falling in love

They accepted. While the girls swam, Frank smoked cigarettes and watched from a nearby hill. He apparently watched Florence the most; after dating for two years, they married on Sept. 8, 1930 -- only the second wedding to be performed in the new Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

After the nuptials, her mother cooked a delicious Italian dinner -- spaghetti, chicken and macaroni -- for the guests at her home while a band played. Someone accidentally spilled an entire bowl of macaroni on Mrs. Purstell's godmother.

Frank's sisters -- Mary, Rose and Anna -- also have earned a place in Our Lady of Mount Carmel's history: They married three brothers -- Salvatore, Tony and James Di Lollo -- in the church.

Starting a family

In addition to raising three children, Mrs. Purstell worked at a local sandpaper factory for 23 years. Religion remained an important part of her family's life as they attended Sunday Mass together.

After Anne Marie married at the parish in 1957, she and her husband lived in Cohoes briefly before coming back to Watervliet. Although their oldest child, William, was baptized at St. Bernard's in Cohoes, their remaining children -- Kathleen, Lisa, Daniel and Timothy -- all were baptized at Our Lady of Mount Carmel...and received First Eucharist there...and were confirmed there. William, the only St. Bernard native in the bunch, connected with his ancestral parish by serving Mass at Mount Carmel.

Major moments

When her husband died in 1978, his funeral Mass was offered in the same church where she and Frank had married almost 50 years earlier.

A big event in the family came in 1981, when Lisa married Scott Hughes, a Watervliet resident who belonged to St. Patrick's parish. Their wedding, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, featured her sister, Kathleen, as maid of honor; brother Daniel as an usher; Timothy as a junior ring-bearer; and William as a reader. Mrs. Hughes, in fact, wore the same dress that her aunt, Mary Morrone, wore when she was married at Mount Carmel.

Continuing connection

Mrs. Hughes also is involved in the St. Anne Society, a group for parents of children in the religious education program that will help coordinate children's liturgies, the Christmas pageant and other family functions in the parish.

She and her husband work as ushers during 9 a.m. Mass on Sundays, and children play an active role in the celebration.

"That church at 9 o'clock is packed with families, and I think it's wonderful to see everybody there," Mrs. Hughes said.

The matriarch

As she closes in on 100, Mrs. Purstell remains close to her family: She lives upstairs in the house that Lisa and Scott Hughes call home.

Her secrets to longevity are eating plenty of vegetables, hard work and no cigarettes. And a glass of red wine each day doesn't hurt, either.

Ethnic tradition

Mrs. Hughes enjoys being a parishioner of Mount Carmel because she sees so many friends regularly and bumps into others who she hasn't had a chance to speak with as time has progressed.

"You'll go there and see that face you haven't seen in a little while. I'll walk out of there and say, 'I got to smile at 10 people today,'" she said.

One reason why her family has kept coming back to the parish is Father Parillo, who encourages participation in Mass by youths, children and families. He has performed most of the sacraments for Mrs. Hughes' children, and she is delighted that he is so approachable and affectionate.

"When we do the Sign of Peace, you get a kiss from him. Church is relaxed. It's comfortable," she said. "There are families that are foundations there. I just couldn't imagine going to another parish. It is a home."

(08-06-98) [[In-content Ad]]