Two parishes find new life after merger

But as the 1995 merger of Ss. Peter and Paul's Church, and St. Mary of Mount Carmel Church in Frankfort neared, such a request seemed overwhelming to many people.

"They were being asked to give up their life. They didn't know the other people," said Phyllis Luczka, a former parishioner of Ss. Peter and Paul's who is now pastoral associate for faith formation at the merged parish, Our Lady Queen of Apostles. "Even now, you will hear someone say, 'This is our church.' It's sad that there's so many people who relegate their religion to a building and not the brotherhood and sisterhood of Christ."

Four years after the emotional merger, several priests and parishioners spoke with The Evangelist about how two parishes became one and how the decision ultimately was for the best.

Familiar face

"The people knew me for all those years, and there was a friendly relationship between the parishioners of both parishes," he said.

Built in 1887, Ss. Peter and Paul's was 40 years older than St. Mary's, which had 1,200 registered families before the merger, compared to 300 families at Ss. Peter and Paul.

Preparations

For about two years, they met among themselves as well as with Rev. Geoffrey Burke, diocesan chancellor for personnel and public information, and Sister Kathleen Turley, RSM, diocesan chancellor for planning and pastoral services. Such preparation made it easier for the parishes to link.

But Father Lamanna wasn't around to see it happen; Rev. O. Robert De Martinis was named pastor of both parishes in 1994, succeeding Father Lamanna and Rev. Anthony Curran, who had been serving as administrator of Ss. Peter and Paul's.

"I was pleased to see the merger. I would have liked to have seen it ten years earlier [in order] to have had the honor of serving as pastor," Father Lamanna said.

While he was confident that Ss. Peter and Paul's parishioners would be welcomed at St. Mary's, he also understood why they would miss their former church.

Combining

Ss. Peter and Paul's was an old building that needed $12,000 in repairs, so Mrs. Lape wasn't surprised that the two parishes considered a merger. Parishioners had been told that one was likely, but the news still caught some people off guard.

Some parishioners may have gone to the Church of the Annunciation in Ilion or even crossed over into the Diocese of Syracuse to attend Mass in Utica, but most seemed accepting of the merged parish. "With the merger, a lot of people were really happy," she said.

New assignment

"I was very appreciative of the assignment. What I saw was a people that needed a shepherd, that needed to be pastored, loved, and I just did the best I could," he said. "I tried from the very beginning to let them know I was the pastor of both parishes, but I didn't see them as two separate families. I saw them as one parish family."

There had been some rivalry between the two parishes, but Father De Martinis didn't want to dwell upon history as he led the two parishes into the future. "That hostility was still there, so that's why I felt it was important to treat them as one big parish family and not even consider the past at all," he said.

The two parishes did share some things in common; they celebrated joint Thanksgiving and communal reconciliation services, and Father Curran began a devotion to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy that brought parishioners together.

'Bittersweet'

Still, merging wasn't easy. "The people were sad, bittersweet, but they knew it had to be. St. Mary's opened their arms to the people of Ss. Peter and Paul's," he said.

After the merger had been completed, Father De Martinis had an idea for a new name that would honor Mary, Peter and Paul: Our Lady Queen of Apostles. Other names were suggested, and some parishioners wanted the parish to be known as St. Mary of Mount Carmel/Ss. Peter and Paul's. Parishioners chose Our Lady Queen of Apostles by a slim margin.

The new name "shows death and resurrection. Ss. Peter and Paul's and St. Mary's died, but it was a new beginning with a resurrection," he said. "I thought 'Our Lady Queen of Apostles' would be perfect for a name. There are those who still call it 'St. Mary's'."

More changes

"The chaplaincy at Glens Falls Hospital opened up; it was always something I wanted to try," he said. Parishioners "really thought I was going to be there forever. I really felt I did what the Bishop wanted me to do. I brought the parishes together; I completed the mission."

Ms. Luczka spoke highly of Father De Martinis for uniting the two parishes and keeping everybody happy. "He came into a very explosive situation and was very sensitive to the needs of both parishes and conscious of everybody's feelings," she said.

Welcome feeling

"It brought a lot of the people of Frankfort together," she said. "From what I've seen, no one is asked not to do something because they're from a different parish. Once we started going to Mass and realizing they were people we knew, it allowed us to stay open to the change."

"The ecclesiology of some people is that the Church is a building," Father De Martinis said. "They don't see that they are part of that. You spell it 'C-h-u-r-c-h,' and that 'u' means you and me and everybody."

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