Meeting with the Bishop Abruptly Canceled
By Doug La Rocque with Jackolyn Houghton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has announced via its publication, The Evangelist, that it plans to permanently close and tear down or sell the church located on Main Street in the Village of Hoosick Falls. The church was heavily damaged by flooding on July 1, 2017. Bishop Edward Scharfenberger met with parishioners exactly one year later, on July 1, 2018 at St. Mary’s Academy.
Approximately 100 people were in attendance, and for two hours, speaker after speaker implored the Bishop to reconsider his decision to close the church. Since then, there has been a growing effort by a small private independent group to raise the funds necessary to save the building and keep services in the circa 1870 church. Bishop Scharfenberger has indicated services will be moved to St. Mary’s Academy beginning September 1, and called for a discernment process about renovating part of the gymnasium to create a new worship space.
A meeting between the Bishop, some members of the parish council, finance committee and trustees was slated for this past Saturday, August 11 in Hoosick Falls, then moved to Our Lady of Victory church in Troy. The planned focus of the meeting, according to Diocesan Spokeswoman Mary DeTurris Poust, was to discuss securing a permanent space where parishioners can worship safely. Several members of the community announced their plans to gather outside the meeting place to protest the Bishop’s decision and show their desire to preserve the parish and the heritage of Immaculate Conception. As parish officials and the protesters began to gather Saturday morning, a rumor that the Bishop had canceled the meeting was announced as fact.
The Eastwick Press reached out to the Diocese for an explanation, and received a statement, that said in part, “it was to be a meeting where facts could be reviewed at length among the core group of parish leaders, as is necessary for any pastoral planning. Unfortunately, in light of the planned protests outside the meeting location in Troy by a small group, it became clear that a meeting under such conditions would be counterproductive and would not allow for fruitful conversation.
A public meeting on this subject was held July 1, and parishioners had the opportunity to present their thoughts to Bishop Scharfenberger at that time. The August 11 meeting was never intended to be—nor was it advertised as – a public meeting.”
As of press time, The Eastwick Press has not received word when, or even if, the proposed meeting will be rescheduled. However, those trying to save the church have not apparently been deterred by Saturday’s events. Liz Waytkus is one of the spokespersons, and Tuesday afternoon sent the following statement to The Eastwick Press.
“The parish and community of Hoosick Falls very clearly stated to the Bishop on July 1st the strong desire to save the building. Less than 2 weeks later, the Bishop published his unilateral decision to move worship services to Saint Mary’s Academy and build a new parish space. The issue is not if the meeting on Saturday was ever “open to the public” but that the will and wishes of the community are being ignored. With more than 1200 print and electronic signatures to our petition, we are asking the Diocese to meet with us and work earnestly with the local community to find a path to save this significant building. The Hoosick Falls community has faced considerable adversity in the past few years and we believe restoration of the church is an important uniting force not only for our current community but for our ancestors and the future inhabitants of Hoosick Falls.”