FOLLOWING CHRIST IN COMMUNITY

Augustinians may have left Diocese, but lay group to carry on their legacy

Father Liam O’Doherty, OSA, presides over Mass at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Waterford before the Augustinians withdrew from the Diocese of Albany on June 2. (Cindy Schultz photos for The Evangelist) (Courtesy photo of Cindy Schultz)

On Sept. 22, 2023, the Office of the Prior Provincial for the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova sent a letter to the parishioners of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Waterford and St. Augustine’s Parish in Troy.

It was news that, on the one hand, was expected but, on the other hand, sad and heartbreaking. The Augustinians, who have been a part of the Diocese of Albany since the mid-1800s, would be leaving. 

“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you, after careful discernment, consultation with my Provincial Council and conversation with our friars in Waterford and Troy, that we will be withdrawing from the Diocese of Albany, particularly from the parishes of St. Mary in Waterford and St. Augustine in Troy on June 1, 2024,” said Father Robert P. Hagan, OSA, Prior Provincial. “The aging population of our friars, infirmity and the serious decline of new members to religious life make it impossible for us to maintain all of our ministerial commitments. …

“From Rev. George Meagher, OSA, the first Augustinian pastor at St. Mary’s and Bishop Thomas Galberry, OSA, who was pastor at St. Augustine’s, many of our Augustinian brothers have called these communities: ‘home.’ I know I share your deep gratitude and appreciation for the servant leadership, compassion and pastoral care offered by our pastor Father David Kelley to countless members of our parish community for so many years.”

Father David J. Kelley, who celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood this year and who died on June 28 after a battle with cancer, was pastor at St. Mary’s and St. Augustine’s while Father Liam T. O’Doherty, OSA, was parochial vicar. Father O’Doherty will be heading to St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in the Bronx, while Father Jorge Reyes, OSA, who was part of the Spanish Apostolate and said Mass at St. Edward the Confessor in Clifton Park, has already moved to Saints Mary and Joseph Parish in Salem, N.H. 

“It has truly been my pleasure to work with all of you in these two parish communities,” Father Kelley said at the time of the announcement. “My first assignment at St. Augustine’s ran for 12 years, from 1976-1988, and of course I returned to the area with my assignment as pastor of St. Mary’s in 2002. For the past 22 years, I’ve grown to know and to love all of you, and I will miss each of you upon departure.”

The finality of the Augustinians leaving the Diocese — their last Mass was celebrated by Father O’Doherty on June 2 — comes on the heels of the Paulist Fathers, a missionary society of Catholic priests, announcing March 13 that they would be leaving the campus chaplaincy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, located at Christ Sun of Justice Parish, at the end of the 2023-24 academic year. The reason given, just like the Augustinians, was the declining numbers of new priests coupled with the ages of the older priests.

“Our number of Paulists in active ministry (ordained but not yet retired) has gone from 98 in 2004 ... to 85 in 2014 ... to 50 active Paulists in 2024,” Paulist Father René Constanza, the order’s president, wrote in a press release. “The last time we had 50 active men in our community was in 1910. Of those 50 active right now, almost two thirds are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. In ten years, we project that we’ll be down to about 31 active Paulists.”

While “people live longer these days, and many of our beloved senior priests have generously and selflessly continued working well into their 70s and beyond ... it is obvious that the current situation is not sustainable,” Father Constanza added.

Matt Cinadr, a member of the St. Rita’s Chapter of Lay Augustinians, speaks with parishioners Chris and Grace Weiss about the Augustinians after the Mass. Cinadr and the group will carry on the legacy of the Augustinians while looking to expand their numbers (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist)

Matt Cinadr, who is part of the St. Rita’s Chapter of Lay Augustinians (aka Seculars), knew the day that the Augustinians would be leaving was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier.

“When this news came of the Augustinians leaving, that news hit everyone hard,” Cinadr said. “It was understood that it was going to be happening, you could see that there were no new priests coming … but this is an end of an era for a lot of us.”

Another, unnamed, long-time member of the Lay Augustinians wrote of the departure: “We are deeply saddened by their departure and wish them many blessings on their continued service to the people of God. Our gratitude, love and (thanks) pales in comparison to all they have done for us. Our prayers go with them.”

This story will look at the history of the Augustinians, particularly their long association in the Diocese of Albany, as well as how the parishioners, particularly the Lay Augustinians, will continue to uphold the principles of St. Augustine. 

THE HISTORY

According to augustinian.org, “The Order of St. Augustine was founded in 1244 in Italy when several communities of hermits living in the region of Tuscany came together to ask Pope Innocent IV that they be united under one common Rule of life and one Superior General like other Orders that had recently been founded. The Pope gave them the Rule of St. Augustine.”

The Rule of St. Augustine was written around 400 and basically provides a way to live religious life in community and was developed by St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430). According to Villanova’s Mission and Ministry, “The essence of the Rule is to value community life over seeking for oneself. For this reason, all members are to share what they have, and are to receive only according to their need. All work is to be accomplished for the common good of all. All members are to exercise mutual care and vigilance over one another.” 

The Augustinians, and other religious communities, were invited to the Diocese of Albany in the mid-1800s by Bishop John McCloskey, who served as the first Bishop of Albany from 1847-64. At one point, the Augustinians had served eight parishes in Rensselaer and Washington counties. Father Meagher, OSA, said the first Mass at the burgeoning community in Waterford in 1857. He was then followed by Father Michael Collins, OSA, who continued growing the parish. St. Mary’s was completed in 1913 under the guidance of Father Alfred H. Valiquette, OSA, and, in 1953, St. Mary’s School opened under Father Francis A. Diehl, OSA. Under Father Kelley, the interior of the church was completely renovated and a new roof was put on just in time for the church’s centennial in 2013.

Meanwhile, St. Augustine’s Church held its first Mass at midnight on Dec. 25, 1864, and under the direction of Father John T. Emmett, OSA, a new school, St. Augustine’s Academy was needed for the expanding community. The academy opened in 1901 and was in operation until 2006. The Perpetual Adoration Chapel has been a source of beauty and devotion since 2009.

The Rule of St. Augustine was written around 400 and basically provides a way to live religious life in community and was developed by St. Augustine of Hippo, a theologian, philosopher, Doctor of the Church and the patron of the Augustinians. (OSV file photo)

MOVING TOWARD THE FUTURE

Cinadr, who has had an over 50-year affiliation with the Augustinians, recalls first meeting the group in Schaghticoke. “There was a local OSA network of four parishes connecting the people in nearby Mechanicville, Valley Falls and Johnsonville,” he said.

Lay Augustinians were always a part of the OSA family, as founded in 1400. They are guided by four pillars: prayer, study, mission and community. For more than 20 years, St. Augustine’s in Troy and St. Mary’s in Waterford has been the heart of the local OSA community with a vibrant Lay Augustinian community that meets monthly for prayer, fellowship and to study St. Augustine spirituality, which is centered on charity, love of God and neighbor. They promise to fulfill the Gospel of Jesus Christ with great love for Him and the Catholic Church.

And this is what the group will carry on into the future. They will continue to meet and be assisted by Father O’Doherty, who has agreed to continue as the group’s chaplain and moderator and will be “Zooming” into their monthly meetings. While the ordained Augustinians have left our Diocese, Cinadr said, the Lay Augustinians will continue promoting Christian charity and hospitality while living out the Gospel the best way they can.