Valatie center provides a place apart

Completely hidden from the view of motorists traveling on Route 9 through southern Rensselaer and northern Columbia counties is St. Joseph's Spiritual Center in Valatie. Anyone searching for a quiet, secluded place where they can get away from the hectic pace of life should turn off the highway.

Established in 1948 as a novitiate and school for the Congregation of Holy Cross's Eastern Province of Priests and Brothers, the sprawling two-story structure is located on 400 acres of rural land and provides a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.

A place of lawns, fields, woods, ponds and forests, the center can accommodate small groups of up to 25 people for day, overnight or weekend retreats.

Come aside

Brother Peter Martin, CSC, the facility's administrator, describes St. Joseph's as a place "people seem to love coming to."

Inside the building, there are several lecture rooms, a conference room and dining area. An in-house staff home cooks the food for the brothers that reside there, as well as for groups that rent the center.

In addition, two chapels offer a choice of worship space to guests: one that can accommodate up to 15 people on the second floor and another, nearly full-sized chapel on the ground floor. The latter comes with a piano and main altar. There are 15 bedrooms available to small community and ecumenical church groups.

Open to all

"We are usually very busy in the autumn and spring months, because that is the time when parish groups have a lot of meetings and retreats," Brother Peter told The Evangelist. "But we are open year-round, and our facility provides meeting space and comfortable accommodations for parish councils or other, similar groups. We also have some religious orders reserve space for their annual regional gatherings."

A small community of brothers still lives at the center. A new wing was added a few years ago to accommodate retired brothers and priests. According to Brother Peter, it is currently near capacity with 25 retired priests and brothers in residence.

One of the brothers who is still active in ministry is Brother Sidney Halligan, who offers a monthly day of recollection open to the general public.

Regulars

The core group for the days of recollection consists of about 20 people, some of whom have been coming for 15 years or more. They meet at the center on the second Wednesday of each month, 10 a.m. until 2:30.

The schedule includes a morning conference where Scripture readings are discussed. That's followed by 45 minutes of free time so participants can go to the chapel and pray, discuss the Scriptures further or just share with each other. Later, the group gathers to pray together, using various forms of prayer. When lunch is served, it is shared with the resident brothers. The day concludes with the group attending Mass.

"I love coming here each month. It is a wonderful time to get together with old friends and new ones, do some praying, and share thoughts and feelings with each other," said Peg Foster of Delmar, one of the regulars. "It is a nice day for all of us. Brother Sidney always gives us a lot to think about."

(For further information on reserving St. Joseph's Center, call Brother Peter Martin at 784-9481. For information on the monthly Day of Recollection, contact Brother Sidney Halligan at the same number.)

(02-21-02)