The Catholic Community of Northern Columbia County

Next weekend, the diocese will be taking up the National Collection for The Catholic University of America. Catholic University is a national research university with over 5,700 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 250 academic programs in the heart of
Washington, D.C. By giving to the collection, you are supporting future Catholic leaders, both religious and lay, who are being formed by an exceptional, faith-rooted education and the University’s various research and training initiatives that support dioceses and parishes in responding to the most pressing needs of their faithful. Thank you!

The Recommended Plan for Retention of The Colbert House that was presented to Father Steve for his consideration in June is available to the parish community in the gathering space, via email, and or by clicking here  In addition, an update on the current status of discussions related to the proposed use of the building is also included. To contact the committee with questions or comments,
please send an email

The Recommended Plan for Retention of The Colbert House that was presented to Father Steve for his consideration in June is available to the parish community in the gathering space, via email, and or by clicking here  In addition, an update on the current status of discussions related to the proposed use of the building is also included. To contact the committee with questions or comments,
please send an email

Gosia Geiger and her daughter, parishioners from St. John the Baptist, are traveling to Poland in late July. While there, they will help at Gdanskie Szkoly Autonomiczne, a school that is aiding Ukrainian refugee families, and one to which they are personally connected. During the school year, supplies were collected and sent, but there is a great need for funds to purchase supplies in the country. We are asking for your help this week at all Masses in our CCNCC community. 

This weekend there will be a bowl at each Church for cash or checks made out to St. John the Baptist. All donations will be converted into funds that will be wired directly to the school. Once in Poland the Geigers will work with the school personnel to help distribute this aid. Many of you may have already contributed to other Ukrainian relief efforts, but this is an opportunity for a direct connection. The family will share photos and stories when they return. We continue to pray for peace.

Fr. Steve opened the gathering with a prayer and then read the following:

Background

I’d like to start with some background so that we’re all on the same page. This meeting is about the Colbert House and not about any other issue or concern. Any of those can be directed to the Pastoral Council representatives or an email to me at steve.matthews@rcda.org.

As you know, before I arrived last July, the diocese instructed the transition team that whoever the new pastor was to be, that priest would be living in the St. Joseph’s Stuyvesant Falls rectory. Therefore, they were told to investigate the possible sale of the St. James rectory since the real estate market was very hot.

Unfortunately, there was poor communication between the transition team and the diocesan Pastoral Planning office with the leaders of St. James parish. As you also know, there was lots of angst with the secretive process of Real Estate agents, appraising the rectory, etc.

As you also are aware, I was named pastor around the same time and felt I had entered a hornet’s nest. Ever since then, there has been a distrust of my leadership along with suspicion about the intentions of the diocese. While I have attempted on a number of occasions to assure St. James parishioners (as well as parishioners from the other parishes) that there was and is no hidden agenda, by me or by the diocese, including the bishop, there was and is still that lack of trust.

In the early fall 2021 I hosted a meeting here at St. James (along with separate meetings at the other 3 churches) to listen to parishioners’ concerns. While I’m not here to re-hash those meetings, I took your concerns seriously which is why I invited Fr. Bob Longobucco, Vicar General of the diocese to come to our One Faith Community of the Catholic Community of Northern Columbia County to discuss issues about how the transition went and the concerns about the possible sale of the St. James Rectory.

Colbert House Committee

From that meeting, it was agreed that a small group of St. James parishioners would meet and have met to discuss the possible uses for the St. James Rectory aka The Colbert House. Representatives of the other parishes were included. While I wasn’t included in the detailed meetings, I gave the committee my support to continue to determine finances and operations as well as potential uses of the St. James Rectory.

Thank you to the members and chairs of the various committees that make up the Colbert House Committee, including its advisors. Lots of time, thought and energy went into the proposal and all of it is very much appreciated.

There is more information in the status of The Colbert House in the bulletin dated June 5, 2022. While the original goal was to come up with a rough plan within 60 to 90 days, the process took a bit longer than anticipated. 

One of the concerns expressed at the Fall meeting with Fr. Longobucco was the poor communications and transparency between the diocese and parish of St. James.

To be 100% clear and transparent, part of the task that the Colbert House committee agreed to is that there is a non-negotiable condition that has been placed on the retention of the Colbert House. It is that St. James Church (or other parishes) funds are not to be used to pay for any associated costs for the Colbert House. (Thus, significant fundraising efforts will be required.) (See status report of June 5 linked here)

Shared Expenses

As you may know, there is information in this week’s bulletin about tri-parish shared expenses. Examples include administration, faith formation, clergy expenses and my living expenses. These expenses are divided among the three parishes. There will be no change to that structure (other than the possible change in the % each parish is to be responsible for, but that is a discussion for the Parish Finance Councils of each of our three parishes).

Request for Meeting with Fr. Longobucco (Vicar General of the Diocese)

The Colbert House committee wanted to meet with Fr. Longobucco to determine if they were on the correct path with the ideas that they were developing. The leaders of the Colbert House committee presented me with an email requesting a meeting with Fr. Longobucco. I made a few suggested edits, and the email was sent to him in the later part of April. I contacted Fr. Longobucco and suggested he and I speak to discuss the email before he was to respond to it. Unfortunately, between his schedule and mine, (including my case of COVID) it took a lot longer for Fr. Longobucco and I to meet.  So please do not blame him for the lack of response. We saw each other a few times in May and early June, but the timing wasn’t right.

We finally had a phone call in the latter part of June and here we are.

Proposal

The Colbert House committee has proposed the financial budget for the Colbert House for this FY, which runs from July 1 – June 30. They also proposed a list of 15 or so uses that could be held at the Colbert House. Some of those uses were activities that I had reservations about, but they were still listed in the proposal (Appendix A of the Proposal).

It is also proposed and agreed that all related operating expense will be fully financed by the independent resources (not any parish funds). If not, we may need to sell the Colbert House.

When Fr. Longobucco and I spoke, I mentioned some of my concerns to him. I did also express to Fr. Longobucco that there may be some uses that the diocese should consider. He was open to discuss them, and I suggested that maybe it could come down to one or two uses. 

He was open to discuss them and mentioned that he had one in mind that we discussed. Perhaps it might even be a win/win for the parish and the diocese. I stated that I think the parish and the committee would be open to his idea and that I also had one in mind, that wasn’t on the list. We discussed it and agreed that these should be explored and implemented if the parish and the committee agree.

Reminder about Financing (from the Proposal)

“…, it needs to be made clear to the community that over the longer term, if inadequate funding is not available to meet the expenses and establish a reserve (for major repairs) the Colbert House may be sold.”

Agreement between Fr. Steve and Diocese

While there were a number of suggestions put forth, Fr. Longobucco and I have come up with an agreement with a simpler plan to avoid the sale of this property.

The usage of the Colbert House is as follows – it will be for a period of two years, with a decision at the end of two years (or sooner, if financing is not sufficient), whether or not the agreement is working.

Three potential uses:

1. Fr. Steve will stay at the St. James Rectory occasionally (probably on average once a week), and
2. The Colbert House aka the St. James rectory will be opened to priests of the RCDA as a day’s respite for those who may not have a place to go on their day off. 
3. It will also be made available as an overnight location for priests who may want to use it as a quiet place of prayer or mini retreat.

Details can be worked out, but no other uses will be permitted for the first two years, unless first approved by the pastor and Fr. Longobucco in advance.

Thank you

While both Fr. Longobucco and I appreciate all the time and effort of the committee to brainstorm and work through a number of other suggestions, the Colbert House will have these limited uses for the next 2 years. At which time a formal review will determine if any changes need to be made for the Colbert House / St. James rectory.

Lastly, to reiterate, that the budget for shared services for each of the 3 parishes (at a TBD - to be determined percentage) will continue to pay for Fr. Steve’s living expenses at the St. Joseph’s Stuyvesant Falls rectory. Any expenses of the Colbert House will not be offset by the other parishes or to offset the shared expenses of the pastor’s living quarters.

Thank you for listening and your concern for the St. James Rectory/Colbert House

Questions

While the in-person meeting had an opportunity to ask questions, if you are reading this and have questions you may direct them to the Colbert House Committee at:

ColbertHouse284@gmail.com

or to me at:

Steve.Matthews@RCDA.org

Below is a link to a letter sent out by the Bishop entitled, "Another Path for Survivors?" Please also see below for the outline of the Plan discussed in the attached letter, but in bullet format.  I encourage you to read the entire letter, however, I understand that some of it may be painful to read.  Please be assured of my continuing prayer for all those affected by the abuse crisis in our church and in our world.  If you think speaking with me could help, please feel free to contact me by email or by calling any of our three parish offices.   - Father Steve

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A continuación hay un enlace a una carta enviada por el obispo titulada "¿Otro camino para los sobrevivientes?" Consulte también a continuación el esquema del Plan discutido en la carta adjunta, pero en formato de viñetas. Los animo a leer la carta completa, sin embargo, entiendo que parte de ella puede ser dolorosa de leer. Tenga la seguridad de mi oración continua por todos los afectados por la crisis de abuso en nuestra iglesia y en nuestro mundo. Si cree que hablar conmigo podría ayudar, no dude en comunicarse conmigo por correo electrónico o llamando a cualquiera de nuestras tres oficinas parroquiales.  - Padre Steve

OUTLINE OF VICTIMS/SURVIVORS PATH FORWARD PLAN

• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has formulated a Victims/Survivors Path Forward Plan in order to provide a framework under the supervision of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, to compensate the Victim/Survivors of abuse who were tragically harmed by persons purporting to do the work of the Roman Catholic Church.  The objective of the Plan is to maximize the monetary recovery for Victim/Survivors on a fair and equitable basis and to accelerate the payments to Victim/Survivors. 
• The Plan provides for a Court-approved mediation process in order to resolve the more than 400 Victim/Survivor cases pending before the Supreme Court.  The diocese seeks to avoid the costly expenses and prolonged delays that would otherwise be associated with continued litigation with plaintiffs and their counsel and insurers and their counsel or a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization case.
• Under the Plan, representatives of the Diocese and its affiliates, insurers, and Victim/Survivors will participate in mediation under the supervision of an agreed neutral mediator for the purpose of: creating a fund based upon negotiated contributions of the Diocese, its affiliates, and insurers; determining and paying Victim/Survivor claims, and establishing protocols and remediation procedures to redress allegations of and prevent abuse.   

ESQUEMA DEL PLAN DE AVANCE DE VÍCTIMAS/SOBREVIVIENTES

• La Diócesis Católica Romana de Albany ha formulado un Plan de Avance de Víctimas / Sobrevivientes con el fin de proporcionar un marco bajo la supervisión de la Corte Suprema del Estado de Nueva York, para compensar a las Víctimas / Sobrevivientes de abuso que fueron trágicamente perjudicados por personas que pretenden hacer el trabajo de la Iglesia Católica Romana.  El objetivo del Plan es maximizar la recuperación monetaria para las víctimas/sobrevivientes sobre una base justa y equitativa y acelerar los pagos a las víctimas/sobrevivientes. 
• El Plan prevé un proceso de mediación aprobado por el Tribunal para resolver los más de 400 casos de víctimas/supervivientes pendientes ante el Tribunal Supremo.  La diócesis busca evitar los costosos gastos y demoras prolongadas que de otro modo estarían asociadas con un litigio continuo con los demandantes y sus abogados y aseguradoras y su abogado o un caso de reorganización de bancarrota del Capítulo 11.
• Bajo el Plan, los representantes de la Diócesis y sus afiliados, aseguradoras y Víctimas / Sobrevivientes participarán en una mediación bajo la supervisión de un mediador neutral acordado con el propósito de: crear un fondo basado en contribuciones negociadas de la Diócesis, sus afiliados y aseguradoras; determinar y pagar reclamos de Víctimas / Sobrevivientes; y establecer protocolos y procedimientos de remediación para reparar las acusaciones y prevenir el abuso.   

Special Second Collection Request

While I do not like to ask and I hesitate while even writing this note, I feel as if I need to ask for your financial assistance. If you can help, great. If you can’t, I’ll understand. As you know, when I was assigned here, I was told that I was to live in the Rectory in  Stuyvesant Falls (and not in any of the other Tri-parish rectories). I was informed that the diocese would help fund the repairs needed to make the rectory more livable. Unfortunately, it turns out that the diocese does not have any funds to help, and I have overspent what funds St. Joseph’s Parish had. Therefore, I need to ask for your financial help.

During the next two weekends, may I ask you to consider donating to help pay for the repairs that I already requested and made? While a little more work is needed, it is fine on the inside, and I am living there. If you can assist me, I would greatly appreciate it. Please make your check payable to the Church of St. Joseph - Rectory Fund (or you may place cash in an envelope marked the same). Thank you for any assistance you can offer. If you have any questions, please let me know.     Father Steve

Solicitud especial de segunda recogida

Si bien no me gusta preguntar y dudo incluso al escribir esta nota, siento que necesito pedir su ayuda financiera. Si puedes ayudar, genial. Si no puedes, lo entenderé. Como saben, cuando me asignaron aquí, me dijeron que debía vivir en la Rectoría en Stuyvesant Falls (y no en ninguna de las otras rectorías triparroquiales). Me informaron que la diócesis ayudaría a financiar las reparaciones necesarias para hacer que la rectoría sea más habitable. Desafortunadamente, resulta que la diócesis no tiene fondos para ayudar, y
he gastado de más de los fondos que tenía la Parroquia de San José. Por lo tanto, necesito pedirle ayuda financiera.

Durante los próximos dos fines de semana, permítanme pedirles que consideren donar para ayudar a pagar las reparaciones que ya solicité e hice. Si bien se necesita un poco más de trabajo, está bien por dentro, y estoy viviendo allí. Si puede ayudarme, se lo  gradecería mucho. Parrendamiento haga que su cheque sea pagadero a la Iglesia de San José - Fondo de Rectoría (o puede colocar dinero en efectivo en un sobre marcado con el mismo). Gracias por cualquier ayuda que pueda ofrecer. Si tiene alguna pregunta,
por favor hágamelo saber.            Padre Steve

Since the fall of 2021, a small group of parishioners have been working diligently, exploring and reviewing various potential uses of the Colbert House that if the Diocese approves, would allow St. James to retain possession of the building. After a concerted effort, a proposal to use the Colbert House as a tri-parish spiritual and ecumenical center has been recommended and a draft proposal prepared. A non-negotiable condition that has been placed on the retention of the Colbert House is that St. James Church funds not be used to pay for any associated costs for the Colbert House. Failure to raise adequate funding will result in the sale of the Colbert House. Thus, significant fundraising efforts will be required.

A Colbert House committee has been established to review the draft proposal and provide input for the development of a final proposal that will be presented to the appropriate Diocesan officials for their review and decision. This committee will also provide the governance for the Colbert House if the Diocese approves our proposal. This committee will consist of three sub-committees:

• • • A Steering Committee that will provide general oversight and guidance;
    • An Administrative Committee that will be responsible for the actual implementation and administrative governance on the use of the Colbert House; and
    • A Finance/Fundraising Committee that will be responsible for the development of an annual operating budget, fundraising, and ensuring adequate funding is available to meet operating expenses.

The committee members are meeting on a regular basis to provide their input for a final proposal document, development of appropriate operating policies and procedures, and development of a listing of potential fundraising efforts.

A future update on the status of the Colbert House will be provided once significant additional information is available. If there are any questions related to this process or if you would like to volunteer to participate as a member of the Colbert House committee, please contact Barbara Haywood by email.

SPECIAL COLLECTION THE WEEKEND OF 3/26-27 FOR
Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services does incredible work around the world, and is providing extensive relief to Ukranian families fleeing war. 

"Our second collection this week will support Catholic Relief Services. Funds from this collection provide food to the hungry, support displaced refugees, and bring Christ’s love and mercy to vulnerable people here and abroad. Currently, there are special relief efforts underway within CRS that will help families affected from Ukraine. Please give generously to the Collection and reveal Christ’s love to those most in need. Please help by giving to the collection on March 26/27, 2022."

For additional information on Catholic Relief Services, visit www.crs.org