WAR EFFECTS: Varying degrees of spirituality noted

That question was posed by The Evangelist to priests in the Albany Diocese, who gave differing answers.

Rev. Theodore Gerken, pastor of Resurrection parish in Germantown, said, "The Sunday after the attacks there were a lot more people at our Masses. Since then, attendance seems to have gone back to normal."

On the Saturday evening following the attacks (Sept. 15), the Fox-Yadack Funeral Home in Germantown held an ecumenical prayer service that resulted in the entire community coming together to share their grief.

"Hilltown Communications provided several cameras that were set up inside the funeral home," Father Gerken said. "The prayer service was held in the large, main room, and cameras in two other rooms and outside the funeral home provided a view of the service for those that could not fit into the main room. There were two ministers there from other faiths as well as myself. We prayed, sang hymns and just allowed people to express their feelings about what had happened."

He and his staff have noticed that some teens voiced doubt about the presence of God in the world on the day of the attacks. Although skepticism is normal for that age group, the fact that the students were discussing it in religious education classes alerted the staff to their particular need at this time.

"They are worried about the security and safety of their world," he said.

Increase seen

"Mass attendance has increased dramatically," he told The Evangelist. "We always have a big drop in attendance when the tourists stop coming at the end of the summer. This year, though, it has stayed right up where it has been all summer."

Additionally, when the parish recently celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation, he noticed increased interest on certain issues the students learn about and discuss, such as justice, peace, retribution and evil. He noted that their concern seemed to be triggered by the attacks.

Prayer requests

Father Rosson also spotted an increase in notations in the parish book of prayer.

"The book has been filled with prayer requests, sentiments and some personal stories that are just remarkable," he told The Evangelist. "Our prayer request book has given visitors and parishioners an opportunity to express their deepest feelings."

Shrine traffic

The wayside Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine has always been a stopping point for travelers on Route 20 between Albany and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Activity is normally busy in the summer due to increased tourist traffic; but since Sept. 11, both donations and worship at the chapel have increased.

"People have been stopping by in a steady stream ever since the attacks," he said. "They have come in cars and buses. We even see truck drivers stop, light a candle, say a prayer."

Counseling

He has noted an increase in concern among individuals and groups that he corresponds with on the internet.

"People have e-mailed me for advice as well as expressing thoughts and feelings resulting from their own soul searching," he said. "I recently received a very moving picture that was drawn by a school child in Pennsylvania. The picture depicts the World Trade Center towers before they collapsed. Smoke is coming from both buildings. Above the smoke, Christ is standing with His arms outspread to the thousands of victims that were killed in the tragedy. They are all standing on top of the cloud of smoke."

Campus feelings

According to the chaplain, the stresses that students had before the attacks are now much more significantly affecting their lives. "They have been coming in just to have someone to talk to," he said.

He also noticed that the students are more interested in performing community service projects and volunteering their time, "doing something so that they feel they are making a difference."

Priorities

Even comments the students make indicate that the situation is constantly on their minds now.

"When they tell me they are going home for the weekend, for example, they will also say how much they now appreciate their families and how going home now means so much more to them than it used to," he said. "Young adults this age are naturally skeptical about God and how God works in their lives. These times challenge our theologies. We are all asking questions. Our job as religious leaders is to give people some way to understand how God can be present in our lives."

Perspective

"Several questions arose, [such as] 'how do churches deal with the new levels of patriotism we are seeing?' In one of my parishes, a man strenuously objected to displaying the American flag in the church. To him, it symbolized war and the oppression of people. The ministers spoke of their concern about playing national songs, such as 'God Bless America,' and displaying the American flag in their churches."

Father Hogan said that, in Schenectady, there seems to be a resilience among people, due possibly to its geographic distance from New York and Washington, D.C., where the attacks occurred. It appears to him that people aren't as concerned with being attacked as they seem to be about Christian beliefs and faith matters.

"I do notice a real conflict with a lot of people regarding what patriotism is, or what it should be," he explained. "Many think that to be patriotic means that we should bomb the living daylights out of Afghanistan and get out, while others feel that we shouldn't use force there. There are also feelings of 'hate them vs. forgive them.' People seem to really be struggling with these issues here. Basically, they are looking at these two issues with respect to the Church and what it means to be a Catholic in terms of Christian belief."

(10-25-01) [[In-content Ad]]