Troy parish marks its 125th year

After fire destroyed the original church building in 1978, parishioners had no permanent place of worship until 1982 when construction of the present edifice was completed.

In 1988, a parish annex was built to accommodate the religious education program; the facility is dedicated to Rev. James Mackey, who has served as pastor since 1983.

Beginnings

St. Michael's remained a mission of St. Joseph's until 1888, when it was transferred to the care of the Diocese of Albany with Rev. James Flood as its first diocesan pastor. In the early 1900s, St. Michael's had a high school and an elementary school; these closed in 1918 and 1943, respectively.

The list of pastors of St. Michael's includes Father Flood, 1873-99; Rev. James O'Connor, 1899-1904; Rev. Patrick Dempsey, 1904-17; Rev. Matthew Sheridan, 1917-37; Rev. Thomas McBride, 1937-43; Rev. William Connell, 1943-54; Rev. Thomas Scott, 1955-59; Rev. Richard Dinneen, 1959-60; Rev. Francis Janis, 1960-65; Rev. John McNamara, 1965-71; Rev. Sylvester Benson, 1972-75; Rev. William Cahill, 1975-77; and Rev. Joseph Amato, 1977-83.

Time of trial

In 1982, one of the biggest milestones in the history of St. Michael's occurred: the construction of the present church on Williams Road. The land was owned by the Williams family, and a farm house, barn and milk barn remained on the fringe of the property until Mrs. Williams died several years later. Rather than keep the buildings on the property or demolish them, parishioners allowed them to be taken apart piece by piece and reconstructed elsewhere.

Christmas 1982 marked the first Mass celebrated at the new St. Michael's Church, with the formal dedication on Jan. 9, 1983.

Father Mackey arrived in 1983 and has served as pastor ever since.

During his years at St. Michael's, the parish has built an annex connected to the church in order to accommodate the religious education program; classes had been taught in a parish hall that provides seating for crowds during Mass. The annex was dedicated to him on Feb. 14, 1989.

Expansion

In addition to the families who worship at St. Michael's, residents of Van Rensselaer Manor and Hallmark Nursing Home also are made to feel part of the parish family. Rev. Thomas Crimmins, OFM Conv., celebrates 10 a.m. Mass each Sunday at Van Rensselaer Manor, and Father Mackey celebrates 2 p.m. Mass each Monday at Hallmark Nursing Home.

Others who help with liturgy at St. Michael's include Rev. Angelus Netzer, OFM Conv., and Deacons John Skelly and Frank Yankowski. Mr. Yankowski also serves as pastoral associate and director of faith formation.

Celebration

Another way in which they have commemorated their 125th anniversary is by looking ahead to the future and further expansion of the parish facilities. Early next spring, ground will be broken for an addition to the church building that will increase the space for worship and parish staff. The projected completion date is Christmas 1999.

As parishioners reminisce about their 125-year history and plot the course for generations to come, Father Mackey is pleased to be involved with such a thriving parish. St. Michael's has particular significance to him: it's the parish where he celebrated his first Mass in July 1962.

Father Mackey is happy to serve as pastor of a parish with such an active lay ministry, not just during this 125th anniversary year but all the time.

"There's a lot of growth still taking place. It's a very vibrant, active parish with good people," he said.

(St. Michael's parish will wrap up its year-long 125th anniversary celebration on Sept. 27 with 11:15 a.m. Mass featuring Bishop Howard J. Hubbard and Bishop James Manning. The latter grew up in St. Michael's parish and now serves as bishop of the Diocese of Valencia, Brazil. A dinner will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Wolfert's Roost.)

(09-24-98) [[In-content Ad]]