St. Thomas the Apostle Church

A Word from Father Berberian

 
Over the past year or so I have been dealing with some age-related health issues. And just when I thought things were getting better, during the Memorial Day weekend I had an accident that requires me to be wearing a cervical collar for a while. My doctors are still evaluating the condition of my neck.
 
In January of 2020, I asked Bishop Scharfenberger to allow me to retire July 1, 2020 and he graciously granted my request. With the onslaught of the pandemic and its consequences on parish life, my retirement was postponed until October 31, 2020. That is still the plan.
 
During the past months there have been ongoing discussions with diocesan officials and the neighboring parishes that we are clustered with (St. Matthew in Voorheesville, St. Lucy/St. Bernadette in Altamont and Christ the King in Guilderland) about the future leadership of the parishes in our cluster. As it is throughout the diocese, we are trying to deal with the current situation: too many parishes, not enough personnel. Hopefully, this will change in the future but for now it is the reality we need to face and act on. Plans are being developed and we will keep you informed.
 
Attending Mass ~ If you plan to attend, please be sure to review the letter which Father Berberian sent to all parishioners.  It is also posted on our website,  www.stthomas-church.org. This letter gives the specifics as to what you will need to do to attend. Please remember to wear a mask (must  cover both nose and mouth), bring your hand sanitizer. and remember to be here 30 minutes prior to the start of Mass. For those of you not yet able to attend, the dispensation from attending Mass continues, so you may always watch Masses "livestreamed" by going to the Diocesan website:  www.rcda.org.  
Volunteers for Mass Needed ~ We still need volunteers for Mass to serve as Greeters, Ushers and Cleaners. To continue to offer two Masses, we need more people to help out, if they are able, to ensure the same people are not asked to serve too frequently.

 We also need additional Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers for each Mass ~ If you think you would now be comfortable serving, please contact Pat Holm in the                parish office. Thank you. 
 
Parish Office ~ The office continues to be open by appointment only. Please contact any of us directly via email (see front page of the bulletin), by phone, 518-439-4951 or general email, office@stthomas-church.org. Requests for Mass cards and sacramental records (i.e. baptism, marriage, etc.) can all be filled out online, or by calling the office.
 
Private Prayer ~ If you are planning on visiting the church, you will notice that we have closed off the church during the week. The chapel continues to be available for private prayer. On weekdays, the chapel is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The chapel is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays.  Please remember to wear a mask and maintain social distancing.  
 

After one month of physical isolation, Father Berberian and verious ministries in St. Thomas have updated the parish on their activities during the coronavirus pandemic in a letter to parishioners in order to keep everyone connected. You can access this letter by going to the documents section on the home page below the Facebook feed and clicking on Letter to Parishioners

I just want to let you know how happy I am that Bishop Scharfenberger appointed me to be the pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle parish. The times I have been there for Masses since the appointment has brought back many good memories and some useful insights. I am very grateful to Father Leskovar for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty during this transition time. I also appreciate the help and support of the Trustees and parish staff in pointing me in the right direction.