| Church of the Holy Cross ...a Catholic Community in Albany, New York |
Pastoral Planning |
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Albany City Deanery Roman Catholic Pastoral Planning |
Last updated June 22, 2006.
| Church of the Holy Cross ...a Catholic Community in Albany, New York |
Pastoral Planning |
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Albany City Deanery Roman Catholic Pastoral Planning |
Five parishes comprise the Middle Cluster of the Albany City Deanery: Blessed Sacrament, Holy Cross, St. Margaret Mary's, St. Mary's, and St. Vincent dePaul. These are all strong parishes with viable parish communities and a stable income base. There are currently seven priests serving these parishes, Blessed Sacrament and St. Mary's each having an associate pastor. Staffing consists of five pastors, two associate pastors, five deacons, and several pastoral associates.
Present areas of focus for these cluster parishes include: elementary schools at Blessed Sacrament and Holy Cross each with an average annual enrollment of 240, prayer and worship programs, social concerns, ministry to seniors, youth ministry, stewardship and evangelization.
Following is a sampling of what each parish feels that it has to offer the cluster and the overall mission of the Church. Also listed are those areas in which improvement or new focus is needed.
Strengths: welcoming community, service to the poor, encouragement of prayer life, commitment to liturgy, sound liturgical music program, good use of physical facilities, support of parish school, strong sense of community, and support by parish organizations.
Ongoing Needs: adult faith formation, liturgical formation, ecumenism, stewardship, overall evangelization, youth ministry, and social justice ministry.
Facilities Improvements: Several major parish improvements have been completed during the past five years. Blessed Sacrament built a school addition and completed exterior and interior Church renovations. Holy Cross also built an addition to its school. St. Margaret Mary's made major renovations to their Church, St. Vincent dePaul built a new family and education center, and St. Mary's did exterior renovations.
Following is a brief status of major parish activities.
Communication - This document is an update of the original cluster brochure published in 1995. Its purpose is to keep parishioners informed on progress that has been made throughout our cluster and provide them with a report of current cluster activities. Also, meetings of clergy and lay representatives of each parish are held twice a year to plan and to review activities.
Youth Ministry - Teen groups sponsor recreational activities, such as lock-ins and dances; participate in retreats and parish liturgies; and support community service projects. Parishes have consistently sent teens to Christian Leadership Institute (CLI) workshops. Those who have attended CLI are now benefiting their parishes by their active involvement in parish activities.
Seniors - Seniors participate in many social activities such as bus trips and luncheons. They also sponsor educational programs that provide assistance to their members on health, legal, and assisted living services. Seniors are also active in community service and assist the parish with Bereavement and liturgical ministries, and outreach to parishioners who are hospitalized, homebound, or in community residences.
Social Concerns - Cluster parishes function as direct service providers and foster awareness of and education on social justice issues. Services presently in place include a thrift shop and food pantry at Blessed Sacrament, a food pantry at St. Vincent dePaul and St. Mary's, Right to Life organizations in some parishes, and St. Vincent dePaul societies in each parish. Other cluster parishes provide food and assistance to support the two food pantries.
Faith Formation - Information is shared among the cluster parishes regarding both adult faith formation programs and youth religious education programs.
Adult Faith Formation - All cluster parishes participated in the RENEW Program sponsored by the Albany Diocese between the years 1997-2000. Some shared activities took place, such as the joint RENEW Mission between Blessed Sacrament and Holy Cross. RENEW took precedence over other cluster adult faith formation activities during this time. Small faith sharing groups were established in each parish, and some continue to meet regularly. Parishes also have RCIA programs to support those considering becoming Catholic.
Youth Religious Education - St. Mary's continues a long-standing working relationship with Blessed Sacrament, with the latter providing religious education for youth of both parishes. Holy Cross, St. Vincent's and St. Margaret Mary's each have a religious education program and have a joint Confirmation celebration.
At this time, liturgies in all parishes are well attended. Several members from each parish have participated in Diocesan-sponsored training for "Priestless Sundays" and are ready to lead Communion services and Liturgies of the Word in the parishes as needed. The cluster parishes have agreed on a revised Mass schedule which would go into effect if the cluster is reduced to one priest per parish with no part-time help available, and if one of those five pastors becomes incapacitated or unavailable. The following table shows the present Sunday Mass schedule and the revised schedule. The schedule would go into effect if or when the five-parish cluster is reduced to four priests or one of the current pastors becomes incapacitated.
Sunday Mass Schedule
| Parish | Present Schedule | Revised Schedule |
| Blessed Sacrament | 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 12:00 Noon |
9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. |
| Holy Cross | 8:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. (8:00 & 10:30 July & Aug.) |
8:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. |
| St. Margaret Mary | 8:15 a.m. 11:15 a.m. |
8:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m. |
| St. Mary's | 7:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 12:00 Noon |
7:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. |
| St. Vincent De Paul | 8:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 6:30 p.m.* |
8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 6:30 p.m.* |
Saturday Vigil Schedule
At present, four parishes offer a 4pm Mass, St. Vincent's offers a 5pm Mass, and Blessed Sacrament also offers a 7pm Mass. In the event that a priest becomes unavailable, all parishes would continue to offer their Saturday scheduled Mass(es) except the parish where the priest is unavailable. Parishioners of that parish would be informed of the Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass schedules of the other parishes and invited to attend one of those. In the event of an emergency or "short notice" unavailability of a priest for any Vigil Mass in any of the five parishes, one of the following plans would be implemented:
a. Contact Priest Personnel Office to see if another priest is available.
b. Offer a Liturgy of the Word for the assembled congregation.
c. Inform parishioners of the Mass schedules in the other parishes.
Weekday Mass Schedule
Following are the current weekday Masses in the cluster parishes. Because of the proximity of the parishes and because the established Masses are serving non-parishioners as well as parishioners, the Mass(es) at the parish where the priest becomes unavailable would be cancelled and people would be invited to choose other available weekday Masses.
| Parish | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Blessed Sacrament | 7:00 a.m. & 12:00 Noon | 7:00 a.m. & 12:00 Noon | 7:00 a.m. & 12:00 Noon | 7:00 a.m. & 12:00 Noon | 7:00 a.m. & 12:00 Noon |
| Holy Cross | 12:10 p.m. | NO MASS | 12:10 p.m. | 12:10 p.m. | 12:10 p.m. |
| St. Margaret Mary's | 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | Prayer 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. |
| St. Mary's (Church) | 7:00 a.m. & 12:05 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. & 12:05 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. & 12:05 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. & 12:05 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. & 12:05 p.m. |
| St. Mary's (Chapel) | 12:05 p.m. | 12:05 p.m. | 12:05 p.m. | 12:05 p.m. | 12:05 p.m. |
| St. Vincent DePaul (Church) | 9:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | NO MASS | NO MASS | 8:00 a.m. |
| St. Vincent dePaul (Grotto - corner of Yates & Ontario) | NO MASS | NO MASS | NO MASS | 9:00 a.m. | NO MASS |
Holy Day Mass Schedule
It is not possible to provide a schedule of Masses for Holy Days as each parish's schedule is liable to change. Please consult your parish bulletin or call the church office for the schedule of Masses for Holy Days.
With fifty priests scheduled to retire by the year 2011, the Diocesan Pastoral Planning Office is now calling all parishes, clusters and deaneries to a renewed collaborative planning effort (2003-06) to decide the future of parishes. The goals include a review of census/demographics; programs and services; staffing and leadership; facilities; and finances in order to "maintain and support vital and viable parishes/communities." Please pray for this important planning process and for an increase in vocations.