Watervliet, Green Island begin plans for future

Pastoral planning is moving into its next phase in the Albany Diocese with an in-depth study of the parishes of Watervliet and Green Island.

The process, scheduled to take a year, is part of a larger plan to examine the parishes of each major city in the Diocese -- among them, Albany, Amsterdam, Cohoes, Schenectady, Troy and Watervliet -- to decide the future of the parishes there. Each city being studied currently has at least five parishes.

According to Sister Kathleen Turley, RSM, diocesan chancellor for planning, and John Manning, director of the diocesan Stewardship Office, the other cities on the list will be studied over the next three to four years.

First up

The six-parish Watervliet/Green Island cluster was chosen to be studied first for several reasons, including population moves from cities to suburbs; aging populations; and too many buildings and celebrations of sacraments to handle, given staffing projections.

The Albany Diocese has lost more priests than originally expected when the first phase of pastoral planning was done from 1994-'97. Just this year, said Sister Kathleen, three priests have died who were active pastors in parishes, and six more have retired. In Watervliet specifically, two pastors will retire within the next two years, and a third is in frail health.

The Diocese has also lost six other active pastors in the past year when they were removed from their parishes due to allegations of past sexual abuse.

New leadership

The officials noted that parish life directors -- laypeople, sisters and deacons -- are being trained to lead many parishes when a resident pastor is not available.

However, Sister Kathleen and Mr. Manning said, pastoral planning is about more than personnel. In fact, they said, the focus is on "mission, message and ministry," or how to keep a vibrant Catholic community in all of the Diocese's 14 counties by having parishes collaborate on services and ministries.

For the Watervliet/Green Island cluster, that means planning for how to offer services like religious education and help for the poor on a more collaborative basis. The diocesan officials noted that there are a great number of needy or unemployed people in the two cities, and the parishes must look at how to best serve "the needs we see right on our doorstep."

The study will also examine how the parishes handle prayer and worship, Christian formation (religious education), Christian service, church administration and stewardship of resources. In some areas, the officials said, the cluster has already done excellent work. For example, the parishes have collaborated on providing religious education, and one Catholic school serves the whole cluster.

Sharing sessions

The in-depth study will begin in Watervliet/Green Island in September. A series of monthly meetings for the cluster, plus four "sharing sessions," will be facilitated by Deacon Michael McDonald, who serves at both Sacred Heart parish in Cairo and the diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning.

Sister Kathleen said that, with guidance from the Diocese, the cluster will start by reviewing its original pastoral plan and deciding whether it's still valid or needs to be changed.

Each of the six parishes will appoint a "cluster planning team," consisting of the pastor or parish life director and four parishioners, to attend the meetings. Parishes may also have their own individual meetings.

No pre-conceptions

The officials refused to speculate on the outcome of the planning process, saying they did not want to prejudice the study's results by beginning with an end in mind. Each parish in the cluster, they said, holds "a piece of the answer."

Mr. Manning stressed that the result of the planning has not been decided. "We don't have the plan in our pocket," he stated.

Sister Kathleen said that the process will be "shaped by the people" who participate in it, adding: "There will be change; it will be difficult, but we cannot continue into the future in the status quo."

Spirit-led

Through the study, she expects to see the cluster come up with a "uniform vision, concretely stated" for how they can keep a Catholic presence in Watervliet/Green Island using the resources that will be available in the future.

With the Holy Spirit involved, added Sister Kathleen, "all kinds of things can happen! We need to believe there is a future, and we need to be enthusiastic about that."

Mr. Manning compared the process to the glasses he recently began to wear. Although he didn't want to accept the change at first, he said, he realized that his quality of life would not be as good without glasses to improve his vision. In the same way, parishes that accept necessary changes can work toward a future that is better.

(According to the 2000 census, Watervliet had a population of about 10,200; Green Island, about 2,300. The Watervliet/Green Island cluster includes St. Joseph's in Green Island; and St. Patrick's, Sacred Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Immaculate Conception and St. Brigid's in Watervliet.)

(7/17/03) [[In-content Ad]]