Have you heard?

The former convent next to the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany will be taken down next summer and the property will be restored to green space. In its history, the building has housed active, retired and infirm sisters, served as a center for religious formation and academic programs and housed AHN’s lower school. A committee of sisters and consultants spent 18 months exploring options for the 85,000-square-foot building before reaching the decision. The building’s chapel will be reverently dismantled; elements may be incorporated into a future worship space at AHN, which has launched a capital campaign to reconstruct its north classroom wing and make safety improvements to its entryway and facade....

The diocesan Catholic Schools Office announced that its Counseling Services and Family Connections website is now live. Created in partnership with Catapult Learning, the website has resources for parents, teachers and administrators. See https://catapultlearning.com/diocese-of-albany and http://higherpoweredlearning.org (under “resources”)....

Catholic Charities will be providing long-term disaster case management for survivors of Sept. 30 fires on Quail Street and Sheridan Avenue in Albany. A coalition of non-profit groups, government agencies and community partners is teaming up to help: CROAD (Capital Region Organizations Active in Disaster). Families impacted by the fires should call 211 for assistance. To contribute, send checks made out to the United Way with the note “Albany Fires” in the memo line to United Way of the Greater Capital Region, Albany City Fires Fund, PO Box 13865, Albany, NY 12212. Donate online at www.unitedwaygcr.org/emergency or at any CAP COM Federal Credit Union branch in the Capital Region.
Catholic Charities of Dela­ware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties is selling winter hats for $10 each; the proceeds will help fund the Caring Connections program that assists more than 2,000 individuals each year in meeting utility, heat, housing, food and essential transportation needs. The hats are for sale at the Catholic Charities Oneonta office, 176 Main Street, through Dec. 31 or until they are sold out.
Catholic Charities Housing of the Albany Diocese has two new executive directors: SONDRA YOUNG is executive director for CC Housing and DAVID COVEY is executive director for he agency in Fulton and Montgomery Counties....

The ecumenical Schenectady Community Ministries (Schen­ectady Inner-City Ministries) is holding its annual fundraising dinner to benefit its emergency food pantry Oct. 28, 2-5 p.m., at First Reformed Church of Scotia, 224 North Ballston Ave. The event will feature dinner, prizes and a competition to build sculptures of canned goods. Tickets are $35. Call JO-ANNE RAFALIK at the SICM Office, (518) 374-2683, ext. 108....

The churches in the greater Cherry Valley area are working together to urge all members of the community to attend church Nov. 4. The churches are asking the community to pick a church, attend services and see whether if it is what they are looking for in their spiritual life. Participating churches include St. Thomas the Apostle parish (8:30 and 11 a.m. Masses) as well as Ames Methodist Church, Cherry Valley Assembly of God, Cherry Valley United Methodist Church, the combined Methodist/Baptist Church of Middlefield, First Christian Church of South Valley, First Presbyterian Church, Grace Episcopal Church, Roseboom United Methodist Chuch, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and Springfield First Presbyterian Church. The churches already work together throughout the year on Bible study groups, a “Seven last words of Christ”  Lenten service, a prayer service in January for Christian unity and more....

On Sept. 26, the Dominican Retreat and Conference Center in Niskayuna hosted a “MoonBee,” sponsored by the non-profit MoonCatcher Project. Participants made reusable, washable menstrual pads for girls in poor communities around the globe. According to the MoonCatcher website, the girls may drop out of school when they begin puberty or miss class during their menstrual cycle because of a lack of hygiene products. See www.mooncatcher.org or contact [email protected]....

On Oct. 7, St. Mary’s Institute in Amsterdam held an autumn dessert reception to welcome new principal NICOLE LUFT....

St. Catherine’s Center is partnering with Better Health for Northeast New York (BHNNY), an affiliate of Albany Medical Center, to provide services for Medicaid recipients and uninsured individuals in a three-county area. St. Catherine’s is focusing on ensuring consumers have sufficient health insurance (i.e. Medicaid); ensuring they have a primary care physician and ensuring they have access to prescribed medications. Executive director FRANK PINDIAK said St. Catherine’s will look at “social determinants of health — factors such as social support systems, transportation and employment opportunities — which impact health far more than direct healthcare alone.”
Children at St. Catherine’s Hubbard House got a surprise in September when volunteers from Bimbo Bakeries arrived and installed a new playground....

The Past Regents chapter of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas had its fall business meeting in September at the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine in Fonda. Members came from in Hudson, Ilion, Schuylerville, Canajoharie and Colonie. This year’s memorial Mass will be held Oct. 27, 10:30 a.m., at Christ Our Light Church in Loudonville, with BISHOP EMERITUS HOWARD J. HUBBARD as principal celebrant. New officers were elected: DELYNN WICKHAM, PATRICIA NOBES, MARY MORSE and MARLENE NALLI.