|
The "New" Our Lady of Loretto to Celebrate 100 Years
Festivities run this Friday though Sunday
by Mike Turton
 | | Father Brian McSweeney and the entire congregation of Our Lady of Loretto Church invite the public to share in their 100th anniversary celebration |
|
Our Lady of Loretto Roman Catholic church will begin to celebrate its 100th anniversary with festivities throughout the upcoming weekend of September 7-9, 2007 and culminate when Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York, visits Cold Spring to celebrate Mass with the people of the parish in October.
The weekend-long celebrations will take place in the church parking lot and hall. Activities promise to be fun, delicious and entertaining - even rewarding. On the fun side, there will be everything from basketball shooting and a dunk tank to face painting and ping pong in a fishbowl. Nachos, sausage peppers and onions, hot dogs and cotton candy will please the taste buds. Entertainment will be eclectic, ranging from local bands and karaoke to bag pipes and Irish step dancers. Those who feel a lucky streak coming on can spin the "wheel of chance" or wait for that perfect 21 at the black jack table. Festivities will run from 6-10pm on Friday; 2-10pm on Saturday and 2-5pm on Sunday. Gaming takes place in the church hall from 7-10pm on both Friday and Saturday.
The history of the current church on Fair Street began when the "little church", now Our Lady of the Restoration located on the Hudson River near the Metro North train station, was deemed too small. Built in 1833, it was expanded in the 1860's, but by the early 1900's it was clear that a larger church was needed. The Cold Spring Recorder (now the PCN&R) of August 4, 1906 announced that "On Sunday afternoon, August 12, the cornerstone of the new Church of Our Lady of Loretto at Cold Spring-on-Hudson will be laid. It will be a Gothic structure of Philadelphia brick with granite trimmings and when completed, will be one of the finest churches on the Hudson River." On Sunday, October 20, 1907, his Grace Archbishop Farley officiated at the blessing of the new church. Cardinal Egan's visit in October will commemorate that event. Our Lady of Loretto was the first parish established outside Manhattan.
Father Patrick Connick was pastor of the parish from 1891 to 1905. His chalice, a gift from the Holy Name Society of St. Stephen's Church in Manhattan in 1865, is still used at Sunday Mass. While pastor he recognized a change in the makeup of the parish. Around the turn of the century the Irish immigration was met with an increase in the immigration of Italians to the Hudson Valley, adding to the growing Catholic population in Philipstown. Baptisms increased from an average of twenty-five a year in 1891 to more than forty by 1901. By 1905 there were seventy-eight baptisms recorded. About fifty baptisms are now performed each year.
During his thirteen years as pastor, Father Connick not only paid off all indebtedness on the old church, but saved $25,673 - the equivalent of $593,540 in 2006 dollars - enabling his successor, the Reverend Patrick H. Drain and the parishioners, to plan the building of a new church.
Father Brian McSweeney is Our Lady of Lorreto's 24th pastor and proudly describes himself as "a link in that chain." In researching the parish history, McSweeney was fascinated to learn that he is connected to that chain in more ways than one. His grandfather's great uncle, Patrick Mahoney, was a priest in the parish in the 1870's.
McSweeney feels that the pastor had a much tougher job 100 years ago. "He was responsible for all the Catholics from Saugerties to Highland Falls - on both sides of the river. His job was harder!" he laughed.
When asked how the role of the parish has changed over the years, McSweeney responded quickly saying, "Care of the elderly has changed. Grandparents use to stay with their families. Now the parish often needs to be that family." Keeping families together is also more of a responsibility than it was in bygone years. "We help support the family. With problems in society such as divorce, the parish helps nurture families, gets them through the hard time," he said. He also pointed out that the nature of the parishioners has shifted over the years, from what was once mainly a working-class, blue-collar congregation to a much more commuter-based population.
One thing that McSweeney says has not changed much over the years are the financial issues that the parish faces. "It's pretty much the same. We're not a rich parish - but we're not a poor parish either. We always raise enough to pay the bills. The people always come through," he said.
McSweeney sees the upcoming celebration as being more than just fun. "When we celebrate like this it helps parishioners connect with all that has gone before them - and everything that will come after them. It helps us realize we're part of history. It puts your life in perspective," he reflected.
John Scherer, Chair of the twenty-member Activities Committee and a driving force behind the upcoming festivities, received high praise from McSweeney. Scherer, along with his committee, is credited with recruiting some 200 volunteers to help out at next weekend's celebrations. "In a parish of 1000 families that's remarkable," McSweeney stated.
Providing local news, information and opinions from
Philipstown and Putnam Valley, NY
Encompassing the Villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville,
and the hamlet of Garrison, Putnam County, NY.
This site is a publication of The Putnam County News and Recorder, the source for news and information of the Philipstown
and Putnam Valley area. The PCN&R is 139
years old, published in hard copy every Wednesday, and circulated throughout Putnam
County, NY.
The PCN&R prints LEGAL NOTICES
for: Putnam County, The Town of Philipstown, The Town of Putnam Valley, Village of Cold Spring, Village of
Nelsonville, the Haldane Union Free School District and the Garrison Union Free School
District.
Deadline for printed press releases, advertisements and classifieds is Monday at noon for
Wednesday publication. This site is updated on an as-needed basis with a minimum update
weekly on Thursdays. For further information or to request a subscription to the paper, please
contact us with your name and mailing address at:
(845) 265-2468 PO Box 185, Cold Spring, NY 10516, or e-mail us at editor@pcnr.com
If you see an advertiser on line, tell them! | Click ads below
for larger version
System and Method for Display
Ads have a Patent Pending.
Click Here for More Information
|
)