For Hoosick Falls Catholics with contaminated water, the glass is still ...
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MARCH 17, 2016 Volume XC • Number 11 www.evangelist.org
TELEVISED EASTER MASS
Merciful People
A preliminary list of airtimes for the Mass with Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, to be aired Easter Sunday in the Albany Diocese: Page 8
The conclusion of Father Barratt’s series on the Prodigal Son, plus more Year of Mercy coverage: Pages 4-5, 9, 23, 28
SUBSCRIBE 453-6688
T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E D I O C E S E O F A L B A N Y WATER WOES
ROME, ITALY
For Hoosick Falls Catholics with contaminated water, the glass is still half-full
YEAR OF MERCY BRINGS MORE CONFESSIONS AT ST. PETER’S BASILICA
BY KATHLEEN LAMANNA STA F F W R I T E R
“The glass is half-full for me, not half-empty,” said Pat Hayes, a teacher’s assistant at St. Mary’s Academy in Hoosick Falls and a parishioner of Immaculate Con- STUDENTS AT ST. MARY’S ACADEMY in Hoosick Falls parception parish ticipate in the Odyssey of the Mind competition in February. there. Her glass may be half-full, but gree in forestry from the State that doesn’t mean she should be University of New York’s College drinking it. of Environmental Science and Hoosick Falls and surrounding Forestry in Syracuse, the priest areas are dealing with a water cri- worked under then-Albany Maysis due to the amount of perfluo- or Erastus Corning II on inspectrooctanoic acid, or PFOA, in ing the city’s water supply. He their water. The man-made was employed at the Alcove chemical got into the water sup- Reservoir, which supplies water ply after being used by the area’s to the city of Albany. Saint-Gobain Performance Plas“Albany’s water was very tics factory in manufacturing clean,” Father Zelker recalled. Teflon coatings. Saint-Gobain is now classified Steps taken as a state Superfund site beThe situation in Hoosick Falls cause of the hazardous waste is being addressed. At the begindisposed of there. New York ning of March, the DEC and the State’s Department of Environ- New York State Department of mental Conservation (DEC) said Health announced that they it “presents a significant threat to would be installing 190 water filpublic health and/or the envi- tration systems and would conronment.” tinue to flush out the village’s wa“It seems as though there was ter mains and the pipes of all a lot of dumping of chemicals buildings connected to the vilhere in the past,” remarked Rev. lage’s contaminated water sysThomas Zelker, pastor at Immac- tem. PFOA is regulated in many ulate Conception. “We have other states, but it had not been wells along the river here in addressed in New York until Hoosick Falls. Everyone has now. wells, and they are finding those The DEC and DOH have reare contaminated.” leased fact sheets for the comIronically, Father Zelker’s forHOOSICK FALLS CATHOLICS WITH mer career gives him a unique FOR CONTAMINATED WATER, THE GLASS IS perspective: After receiving a de- STILL HALF-FULL, SEE PAGE 13
Even non-Catholics want to confess BY CINDY WOODEN C AT H O L I C NEWS SERVICE
LIFE IN THEIR HANDS MIGRANTS WADE ACROSS a river near the Greece-Macedonia border, west of the the village of Idomeni, Greece, March 14. Reuters reported that three migrants died as hundreds were crossing a river to enter Macedonia, which has closed its border. Some 12,000 migrants are camped in Idomeni on Greece’s border with Macedonia. (CNS photo/Stoyan Nenov, Reuters)
CRISIS OF FAITH
‘But, Lord, where are you?’ Suffering of innocents can make it difficult to trust God, pope says BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES C AT H O L I C N E WS S E RV I C E
Vatican City — The suffering of the homeless, the plight of refugees and the persecution of Christians, such as the four Missionaries of Charity recently
murdered in Yemen, are events that can make it difficult for Christians to have faith and trust in God, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass March 14. “You see these four slaughtered nuns: They served out of love and ended up slaughtered out of hate! When you see the doors closed to ‘BUT, LORD, WHERE ARE YOU?’ SEE PAGE 23
Vatican City — The Albany Diocese just concluded one 24hour “marathon” of confessions at St. Kateri Tekak- POPE FRANCIS witha parish HEARS a confesin Schenec- sion in St. Peter’s tady (see www. Basilica in 2014. evangelist.org) (CNS photo/ and is prepar- L’Osservatore Roing for two mano via Reuters) more. Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger will hear confessions for 24 hours at St. Mary’s parish in Glens Falls from 9 a.m. March 18 through 9 a.m. March 19. For a few hours, he’ll also join local priests hearing confessions at Mater Christi parish in Albany from 7 p.m. March 21 through 6 p.m. March 22 (with a communal penance service March 22 at 7 p.m.). St. Mary’s parish in Cooperstown will offer reconciliation all day and night March 25. Meanwhile, the number of people going to confession in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome has also been on the rise. The number increased noticeably in the first months of the YEAR OF MERCY BRINGS MORE CONFESSIONS AT ST. PETER’S BASILICA, SEE PAGE 11
13
T H E E VA N G E L I S T
March 17, 2016
For Hoosick Falls Catholics with contaminated water, the glass is still half-full FOR HOOSICK FALLS CATHOLICS WITH CONTAMINATED WATER, THE GLASS IS STILL HALF-FULL, FROM PAGE 1
munity. They also have rented out a former car dealership as a home base for meetings, said Father Zelker. Immaculate Conception parishioner Maggie Kinney told The Evangelist that she tries to stay as well-informed as possible about the status of the water crisis. “I’d rather be part of the solution than part of the problem,” explained Mrs. Kinney, who owns a beauty parlor in town. She’s been trying to answer her customers’ questions with facts to stop speculation and public unrest. “If I don’t have an answer, I don’t pretend to,” she noted.
Don’t drink it Hoosick Falls residents are allowed to use the contaminated water for almost everything but drinking and cooking. When washing dishes, they must wipe them off immediately, Father Zelker told The Evangelist. “Even [when it comes to] water for Mass, it has to be a bottle of water,” he said. Bottled water is mixed with the wine for the Eucharist, and it was used in the holy water fonts until Lent, when the fonts are drained. When Easter rolls around and baptisms increase, Father Zelker will fill the baptismal font with bottled water. He also noted that, when sprinkling the congregation with holy water on Easter Sunday, he will not be using the village’s contaminated water. Although the water is safe for bathing, Mrs. Kinney said that she did have one customer who was hesitant to get her hair washed in the town’s water. She asked “if I would put bottled water in a spray bottle” and wet her hair with that, said Mrs. Kinney. The stylist does use bottled water for customers’ facials and hot towels, however.
Community concerns Saint-Gobain has provided free bottled water at the local grocery store, with daily rations for families. Larger institutions, such as Immaculate Conception parish and St. Mary’s Academy, get bottled water delivered. “There’s a big element of fear,” said Father Zelker, adding that the local economy is declining because many people do not want to buy homes in an area where they can’t drink the water: “The banks pulled out from many mortgages.” At St. Mary’s Academy, “all of our water fountains that have been hooked to the village water are disconnected and covered,” said interim principal Michael Piatek. “All of the kids and the faculty have adjusted to the situation.” Teacher’s assistant Mrs. Hayes isn’t too concerned about her own health. Her family has been in the area for generations, she said, and she’s been drinking Hoosick Falls water her entire life. Her concern is for future generations. “I want my grandchildren to be safe. They all live in the community,” she explained. “But they’ve been drinking bottled water for a long time,” since they didn’t like the taste of the Hoosick Falls water.
Bottles on hand Mrs. Kinney has had a similar experience when she moved to Hoosick Falls a number of years ago. She described the town’s tap water — back when it was drinkable — as hard and salty. The Kinney family uses a reverse osmosis filter. “It’s great,” Mrs. Kinney told The Evangelist. “Reverse osmosis water tastes exactly like a bottle of Dasani.” (Dasani bottled water, marketed by Coca-Cola, is not spring water, but filtered tap water from local water supplies
THE STUDENT COUNCIL from Holy Spirit School in East Greenbush delivers more than 160 cases of bottled water to students at St. Mary’s Academy in Hoosick Falls. Holy Spirit eighth-grader and student council president Sarah Insull led a drive to collect bottled water for the struggling community. “What better way to sacrifice during this season of Lent than to give back to the community and help those in need,” said Joe Slichko, principal of Holy Spirit. “It was such a blessing that this was an idea born from our students. I am humbled by how selfless they are!” near its factories.) Mrs. Kinney, who is the mother of three sons, makes sure to always keep a gallon container of water in the bathroom for brushing teeth. Her boys, Jake, Luke and Quinn, go to Hoosick Falls Central School, where they all carry water bottles in the backpacks. “They always have,” noted their mother. Holy Spirit School in East Greenbush recently donated 150 cases of water to St, Mary’s Academy. The two school communities went to Mass together and the Holy Spirit students stuck around for an afternoon pizza party, said Mr. Piatek. The principal noted that they were exhibiting great mercy in helping their Hoosick Falls peers, abiding by Pope Francis’ wishes for the Church’s Year of Mercy. Hoosick Falls is in the process of flushing out the pipes of every building in the village. During that, the pipes of the church burst, adding insult to injury for the parish. Mrs. Kinney noted that the pipes have been flushed in both her home and her beauty shop. Now, “there are a lot less minerals in the water,” she said. “I can tell because I can notice [mineral] deposits in my pedicure tub.”
Deal with it The community is working together on the water problem.
Church of Saint Adalbert 550 Lansing St., Crane St. Hill, Schenectady, NY Holy Thursday Mass at 6:00 p.m. Good Friday Easter Vigil
(518) 346-4204 Handicapped Accessible
Noon to 6:00 p.m. Church open for personal prayer 2:30 p.m. Gorzkie Zale Polish Lamentations 6:00 p.m. Good Friday services with veneration of the cross
Mrs. Kinney said that many local teenagers have been stepping up to help deliver water to the homebound. The water crisis is “just something you have to get used to,” said Mrs. Hayes. “We are a very positive community. We have always been there, neighbor for neighbor. Let’s remain a caring and loving community.” Father Zelker appreciates the help of volunteers who deliver water, but said the task is “taking a toll on the people.” He’s relieved that the mild winter made the task slightly easier.
Better days ahead “I am pleased that everything is being taken care of and being fixed,” Mrs. Hayes reported. “I see no reason why we won’t be back to semi-normal in a short
period of time.” Mrs. Kinney hopes that residents will stay educated on how the crisis is being handled, noting that many other villages will probably experience some of the same problems. Petersburgh, about 10 miles away, has learned that it has PFOA contaminants in its water, as well. Hoosick Falls residents are thankful for the work of the county, town and state officials who have been working hard on correcting the problem, Father Zelker told The Evangelist. “We have a social debt to each other,” he said, noting that “human dignity and the dignity of all creation” are on the line. “It’s inconvenient,” admitted Mrs. Hayes, but she believes Hoosick Falls’ water woes aren’t the end of the world: “It’s a matter of adjusting.”
LAW OFFICE OF
MICHAEL J. TOMMANEY Estate Planning • Estate Probate Powers of Attorney • Living Wills Health Care Proxies • Wills & Trusts Michael J. Tommaney, Esq. 11 British American Blvd. Latham, New York 12110
8:00 p.m. Easter Vigil Mass
Easter Sunday 8:30 a.m. Polish procession and Mass with choir and organ 10:30 a.m. Mass
Blessing of Easter foods/baskets at the conclusion of each Mass on Easter weekend.
Phone: (518) 250-4264 Fax: (518) 689-4849 [email protected] www.mtommaneylaw.com
MARCH 17, 2016 Volume XC • Number 11 www.evangelist.org
TELEVISED EASTER MASS
Merciful People
A preliminary list of airtimes for the Mass with Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, to be aired Easter Sunday in the Albany Diocese: Page 8
The conclusion of Father Barratt’s series on the Prodigal Son, plus more Year of Mercy coverage: Pages 4-5, 9, 23, 28
SUBSCRIBE 453-6688
T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E D I O C E S E O F A L B A N Y WATER WOES
ROME, ITALY
For Hoosick Falls Catholics with contaminated water, the glass is still half-full
YEAR OF MERCY BRINGS MORE CONFESSIONS AT ST. PETER’S BASILICA
BY KATHLEEN LAMANNA STA F F W R I T E R
“The glass is half-full for me, not half-empty,” said Pat Hayes, a teacher’s assistant at St. Mary’s Academy in Hoosick Falls and a parishioner of Immaculate Con- STUDENTS AT ST. MARY’S ACADEMY in Hoosick Falls parception parish ticipate in the Odyssey of the Mind competition in February. there. Her glass may be half-full, but gree in forestry from the State that doesn’t mean she should be University of New York’s College drinking it. of Environmental Science and Hoosick Falls and surrounding Forestry in Syracuse, the priest areas are dealing with a water cri- worked under then-Albany Maysis due to the amount of perfluo- or Erastus Corning II on inspectrooctanoic acid, or PFOA, in ing the city’s water supply. He their water. The man-made was employed at the Alcove chemical got into the water sup- Reservoir, which supplies water ply after being used by the area’s to the city of Albany. Saint-Gobain Performance Plas“Albany’s water was very tics factory in manufacturing clean,” Father Zelker recalled. Teflon coatings. Saint-Gobain is now classified Steps taken as a state Superfund site beThe situation in Hoosick Falls cause of the hazardous waste is being addressed. At the begindisposed of there. New York ning of March, the DEC and the State’s Department of Environ- New York State Department of mental Conservation (DEC) said Health announced that they it “presents a significant threat to would be installing 190 water filpublic health and/or the envi- tration systems and would conronment.” tinue to flush out the village’s wa“It seems as though there was ter mains and the pipes of all a lot of dumping of chemicals buildings connected to the vilhere in the past,” remarked Rev. lage’s contaminated water sysThomas Zelker, pastor at Immac- tem. PFOA is regulated in many ulate Conception. “We have other states, but it had not been wells along the river here in addressed in New York until Hoosick Falls. Everyone has now. wells, and they are finding those The DEC and DOH have reare contaminated.” leased fact sheets for the comIronically, Father Zelker’s forHOOSICK FALLS CATHOLICS WITH mer career gives him a unique FOR CONTAMINATED WATER, THE GLASS IS perspective: After receiving a de- STILL HALF-FULL, SEE PAGE 13
Even non-Catholics want to confess BY CINDY WOODEN C AT H O L I C NEWS SERVICE
LIFE IN THEIR HANDS MIGRANTS WADE ACROSS a river near the Greece-Macedonia border, west of the the village of Idomeni, Greece, March 14. Reuters reported that three migrants died as hundreds were crossing a river to enter Macedonia, which has closed its border. Some 12,000 migrants are camped in Idomeni on Greece’s border with Macedonia. (CNS photo/Stoyan Nenov, Reuters)
CRISIS OF FAITH
‘But, Lord, where are you?’ Suffering of innocents can make it difficult to trust God, pope says BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES C AT H O L I C N E WS S E RV I C E
Vatican City — The suffering of the homeless, the plight of refugees and the persecution of Christians, such as the four Missionaries of Charity recently
murdered in Yemen, are events that can make it difficult for Christians to have faith and trust in God, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass March 14. “You see these four slaughtered nuns: They served out of love and ended up slaughtered out of hate! When you see the doors closed to ‘BUT, LORD, WHERE ARE YOU?’ SEE PAGE 23
Vatican City — The Albany Diocese just concluded one 24hour “marathon” of confessions at St. Kateri Tekak- POPE FRANCIS witha parish HEARS a confesin Schenec- sion in St. Peter’s tady (see www. Basilica in 2014. evangelist.org) (CNS photo/ and is prepar- L’Osservatore Roing for two mano via Reuters) more. Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger will hear confessions for 24 hours at St. Mary’s parish in Glens Falls from 9 a.m. March 18 through 9 a.m. March 19. For a few hours, he’ll also join local priests hearing confessions at Mater Christi parish in Albany from 7 p.m. March 21 through 6 p.m. March 22 (with a communal penance service March 22 at 7 p.m.). St. Mary’s parish in Cooperstown will offer reconciliation all day and night March 25. Meanwhile, the number of people going to confession in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome has also been on the rise. The number increased noticeably in the first months of the YEAR OF MERCY BRINGS MORE CONFESSIONS AT ST. PETER’S BASILICA, SEE PAGE 11
13
T H E E VA N G E L I S T
March 17, 2016
For Hoosick Falls Catholics with contaminated water, the glass is still half-full FOR HOOSICK FALLS CATHOLICS WITH CONTAMINATED WATER, THE GLASS IS STILL HALF-FULL, FROM PAGE 1
munity. They also have rented out a former car dealership as a home base for meetings, said Father Zelker. Immaculate Conception parishioner Maggie Kinney told The Evangelist that she tries to stay as well-informed as possible about the status of the water crisis. “I’d rather be part of the solution than part of the problem,” explained Mrs. Kinney, who owns a beauty parlor in town. She’s been trying to answer her customers’ questions with facts to stop speculation and public unrest. “If I don’t have an answer, I don’t pretend to,” she noted.
Don’t drink it Hoosick Falls residents are allowed to use the contaminated water for almost everything but drinking and cooking. When washing dishes, they must wipe them off immediately, Father Zelker told The Evangelist. “Even [when it comes to] water for Mass, it has to be a bottle of water,” he said. Bottled water is mixed with the wine for the Eucharist, and it was used in the holy water fonts until Lent, when the fonts are drained. When Easter rolls around and baptisms increase, Father Zelker will fill the baptismal font with bottled water. He also noted that, when sprinkling the congregation with holy water on Easter Sunday, he will not be using the village’s contaminated water. Although the water is safe for bathing, Mrs. Kinney said that she did have one customer who was hesitant to get her hair washed in the town’s water. She asked “if I would put bottled water in a spray bottle” and wet her hair with that, said Mrs. Kinney. The stylist does use bottled water for customers’ facials and hot towels, however.
Community concerns Saint-Gobain has provided free bottled water at the local grocery store, with daily rations for families. Larger institutions, such as Immaculate Conception parish and St. Mary’s Academy, get bottled water delivered. “There’s a big element of fear,” said Father Zelker, adding that the local economy is declining because many people do not want to buy homes in an area where they can’t drink the water: “The banks pulled out from many mortgages.” At St. Mary’s Academy, “all of our water fountains that have been hooked to the village water are disconnected and covered,” said interim principal Michael Piatek. “All of the kids and the faculty have adjusted to the situation.” Teacher’s assistant Mrs. Hayes isn’t too concerned about her own health. Her family has been in the area for generations, she said, and she’s been drinking Hoosick Falls water her entire life. Her concern is for future generations. “I want my grandchildren to be safe. They all live in the community,” she explained. “But they’ve been drinking bottled water for a long time,” since they didn’t like the taste of the Hoosick Falls water.
Bottles on hand Mrs. Kinney has had a similar experience when she moved to Hoosick Falls a number of years ago. She described the town’s tap water — back when it was drinkable — as hard and salty. The Kinney family uses a reverse osmosis filter. “It’s great,” Mrs. Kinney told The Evangelist. “Reverse osmosis water tastes exactly like a bottle of Dasani.” (Dasani bottled water, marketed by Coca-Cola, is not spring water, but filtered tap water from local water supplies
THE STUDENT COUNCIL from Holy Spirit School in East Greenbush delivers more than 160 cases of bottled water to students at St. Mary’s Academy in Hoosick Falls. Holy Spirit eighth-grader and student council president Sarah Insull led a drive to collect bottled water for the struggling community. “What better way to sacrifice during this season of Lent than to give back to the community and help those in need,” said Joe Slichko, principal of Holy Spirit. “It was such a blessing that this was an idea born from our students. I am humbled by how selfless they are!” near its factories.) Mrs. Kinney, who is the mother of three sons, makes sure to always keep a gallon container of water in the bathroom for brushing teeth. Her boys, Jake, Luke and Quinn, go to Hoosick Falls Central School, where they all carry water bottles in the backpacks. “They always have,” noted their mother. Holy Spirit School in East Greenbush recently donated 150 cases of water to St, Mary’s Academy. The two school communities went to Mass together and the Holy Spirit students stuck around for an afternoon pizza party, said Mr. Piatek. The principal noted that they were exhibiting great mercy in helping their Hoosick Falls peers, abiding by Pope Francis’ wishes for the Church’s Year of Mercy. Hoosick Falls is in the process of flushing out the pipes of every building in the village. During that, the pipes of the church burst, adding insult to injury for the parish. Mrs. Kinney noted that the pipes have been flushed in both her home and her beauty shop. Now, “there are a lot less minerals in the water,” she said. “I can tell because I can notice [mineral] deposits in my pedicure tub.”
Deal with it The community is working together on the water problem.
Church of Saint Adalbert 550 Lansing St., Crane St. Hill, Schenectady, NY Holy Thursday Mass at 6:00 p.m. Good Friday Easter Vigil
(518) 346-4204 Handicapped Accessible
Noon to 6:00 p.m. Church open for personal prayer 2:30 p.m. Gorzkie Zale Polish Lamentations 6:00 p.m. Good Friday services with veneration of the cross
Mrs. Kinney said that many local teenagers have been stepping up to help deliver water to the homebound. The water crisis is “just something you have to get used to,” said Mrs. Hayes. “We are a very positive community. We have always been there, neighbor for neighbor. Let’s remain a caring and loving community.” Father Zelker appreciates the help of volunteers who deliver water, but said the task is “taking a toll on the people.” He’s relieved that the mild winter made the task slightly easier.
Better days ahead “I am pleased that everything is being taken care of and being fixed,” Mrs. Hayes reported. “I see no reason why we won’t be back to semi-normal in a short
period of time.” Mrs. Kinney hopes that residents will stay educated on how the crisis is being handled, noting that many other villages will probably experience some of the same problems. Petersburgh, about 10 miles away, has learned that it has PFOA contaminants in its water, as well. Hoosick Falls residents are thankful for the work of the county, town and state officials who have been working hard on correcting the problem, Father Zelker told The Evangelist. “We have a social debt to each other,” he said, noting that “human dignity and the dignity of all creation” are on the line. “It’s inconvenient,” admitted Mrs. Hayes, but she believes Hoosick Falls’ water woes aren’t the end of the world: “It’s a matter of adjusting.”
LAW OFFICE OF
MICHAEL J. TOMMANEY Estate Planning • Estate Probate Powers of Attorney • Living Wills Health Care Proxies • Wills & Trusts Michael J. Tommaney, Esq. 11 British American Blvd. Latham, New York 12110
8:00 p.m. Easter Vigil Mass
Easter Sunday 8:30 a.m. Polish procession and Mass with choir and organ 10:30 a.m. Mass
Blessing of Easter foods/baskets at the conclusion of each Mass on Easter weekend.
Phone: (518) 250-4264 Fax: (518) 689-4849 [email protected] www.mtommaneylaw.com
