April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Where in the world is Corpus Christi?
Where is Corpus Christi really located? The Evangelist decided to investigate; and, although we discovered that there is no Ushers, Corpus Christi Church and its offices are still intact, and the parishioners there are alive and well. They have not disappeared.
But the question remains: Where is the parish actually located?
Where's Ushers?
The year after World War II ended, Corpus Christi parish was established in a farmhouse donated to the Albany Diocese. At that time, Ushers was a sparsely populated farming community near Mechanicville. People attended Mass in the two-story house until the mid-1950s, when the need for a larger facility became evident. A new church was built to accommodate the growing community.But if you get in your car and try to drive there, you end up in Clifton Park, Round Lake, Half Moon or Mechanicville. But not Ushers.
When Rev. Edward C. Pratt, pastor, was asked where his parish is, he responded that he refers to his parish as "Clifton Park's other Catholic Church" (St. Edward's parish is also located in Clifton Park).
In search of Ushers
According to Father Pratt, close to the boundary of the Village of Round Lake in the Town of Clifton Park, there is a sign that points to the right at one of the local intersections. The sign says "Ushers."If one travels down that road, a cluster of four or five buildings appears. Tabor, Cary, Ushers and Staniak Roads surround the cluster. Could this place once have been known as Ushers?
It's anybody's guess. Father Pratt thinks that this is the closest one can come to finding what used to be known as the farming community of Ushers.
Zipping around
Father Pratt admits that the issue of the location of his parish is somewhat confusing. Corpus Christi was built in the north end of the town in an area known for many years as Ushers. In fact, the church building is located on Ushers Road, just off exit 10 of the Northway.The exact location of the parish buildings was not an issue until recently when the U.S. Postal Service sent a notice to Corpus Christi, insisting that it must use the zip code for Round Lake, 12151, on all correspondence.
"What was happening," explained the pastor, "is that people were sending mail to Corpus Christi at the zip code for either Clifton Park or in care of Ushers. There is no zip code for Ushers."
Not there either
Round Lake borders the Town of Clifton Park, and Corpus Christi is situated within the area served by Round Lake's zip code. So, even though the parish is not in Round Lake, that's its mailing address.Father Pratt said that the location causes delivery of church mail to be delayed as many as three days or, in some cases, returned to the sender. Once the Post Office notified the church staff that they were to use the Round Lake zip code, they happily agreed.
"However," Father Pratt added with a chuckle, "the area we're in has always been known as Ushers."
Where's the fire?
To further confuse the issue, the parish is served by two volunteer fire departments, one from Clifton Park and the other from Jonesville (an area within the town limits of Round Lake).Father Pratt said that if there is an emergency at Corpus Christi parish, either of these two fire departments may -- or may not -- respond. Since he is a volunteer fireman, he knows that things can get very interesting when the alarm goes off.
"Basically, which fire department responds depends upon who is notified by the dispatcher when the call comes in," he said. So far, there has been no problem with quick response from either company.
Location, location
As far as Father Pratt knows, none of his parishioners lives in a place called Ushers. "Most of our people live in Ballston Lake, Clifton Park, Mechanicville, Ballston Spa or Malta," he said.Each one, of course, has its own zip code.
Now that it has been confirmed that Corpus Christi parish still exists, how does a person actually get there? According to Helen Marone, faith formation director at the parish, when she gives directions, she always advises people to "take the Northway to exit 10 in Saratoga County. Get off there and take Ushers Road." And when people ask, "Is that in Ushers, Clifton Park or Round Lake?" she never worries that they will get lost. Her directions get them there -- wherever "there" is -- every time.
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