“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”                                                                                                                 Romans 6.5 ABOUT US   Join Us: Who Are We? What Are We Doing? Our Patron Saint: Building Plans: Capital Campaign:   Join Us: Why would anyone designing a web page invite someone to join a community before describing what the community is all about?  Very simply, becoming part of the Body of Christ is so important that it demands to be first on people’s minds.  On our Prayer and Worship page, there is a quote from author Fr. Ronald Rolheiser about the four essentials to authentic Christian Spirituality.  One of the elements is the need to be fully part of a worshiping community.  That includes not only participating in the weekend celebration of the Eucharist, but then, as part of a parish whose mission is to be the sacramental presence of Jesus, to also become the Incarnate Presence of Jesus Christ in our corner of the world centered upon the life of the parish.    Come, worship with us.  If you like what you see, hear and feel, and want to become part of our Community of Love, the next step is to register and join us.   Top   Who Are We? We are a small but growing rural parish that was officially dedicated on August 8, 2005 by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard with a Mass at Saint Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Churchtown , New York .  We came together when parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Philmont and the Church of the Holy Cross in West Taghkanic merged as a single faith community (See History for details).   Like the ancient Hebrews, we are a wandering community with no church building to call our own.  Thank God the Lutherans took us in.  We serve the people of south east Columbia County with parishioners from 22 zip codes, three counties, and five school districts.   Fr. Gary P. Gelfenbien was appointed as Administrator on October 4, 2007 by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard. Father Gary is the pastor of Saint James Parish in Chatham, New York and serves as the dean of Columbia County. He will continue in those assignments. Details about Father Gary’s appointment may be found in the bishop’s Letter to Parishioners. For contact info click on Pastoral Staff   Warren A. Dorsch, who is also known as Ed, is our deacon and is retired from the New York State Troopers and is a former Undersheriff of Columbia County.  He lives with his wife Chris in Claverack, New York.  He was ordained on October 4, 2003.  They were married in 1969 and have two adult children: Michaeline Kay, married to Mark Kay and Warren Jr., married to Nandini Patel-Dorsch.  Pray for grandchildren.   For contact info click on Pastoral Staff. Jackie Jefferson serves the parish  as the Pastoral Associate.  A single mother of six adult children, she lives with her son, Jon Jefferson, in the Town of Taghkanic .  A graduate of Formation for Ministry and Saint Bernard’s Institute for Parish Leadership, she has thirty plus years of experience serving four parishes in two dioceses in various areas of ministry including catechesis, music, pastoral care, liturgy and administration.  For contact info click on Pastoral Staff. The job of part time Bookkeeper and Sacred Heart Cemetery Administrator is performed by Shirley Mullins.  She is married John Mullins and is a 1997 graduate of the Formation for Ministry Program.  She has three adult children and three grandchildren.  She lives in Mellenville , New York .   Our payroll is small because we are small.  Undoubtedly, we are held together as a Community of Love by the numerous parishioners who give their time and talent.  Some of our committees and organizations include:   Trustees - Wayne Bouchard - 851-9076.               - Joseph Ronsani - 672-4871.   Pastoral Council - Shared Leadership.                            Finance Committee - Wayne Bouchard  - 851-9076.   Prayer and Worship - Steven C. Wildermuth - 672-07924.   Evangelization and Catechesis - JoAnn Hayes - 851-9079.   Building Committee - Michael Sullivan - 822-0777.   Building & Grounds Committee - Joe Romaine - 851-3862.   Music Ministry - Shared Leadership.   Choir - Shared Leadership.   Altar Servers.   Eucharistic Ministers.   Lectors.   Greeters.   Fund Raising Committee - Carolyn Marino - 851-7859.   Money Counters. Real Estate Committee - Dennis Marino - 851-7859.   Sunshine Committee - Joan Dianda - 851-2641.   Top    What Are We Doing? Our goal it to revitalize the Body of Christ in our small part of Columbia County . The first step, the most painful step, was to combine two worship communities and close the buildings: The Church of the Holy Cross (West Taghkanic) and Sacred Heart Church (Philmont).  See History.   Saint John Vianney Parish plans to continue the process through a spirit of welcome, especially to those Catholics who feel disenfranchised from their Church and the Love of Jesus.  Solid preaching, excellent liturgy and music with full and active participation, youth ministry, LIFE gatherings, collaborative ministry, lay ministry, outreach ministry, evangelization and ecumenism are the intended hallmarks of our parish.  We are a Church that shares Bishop Howard J. Hubbard’s vision for the Mission of the Contemporary Parish and we strive to live his vision as our own.   Finally, we intend to bring this all together by building a suitable edifice for the glory of God on 32 beautiful acres of land located at the intersection of State Route 9H and County Route 27, in the Town of Claverack , about a mile south of the traffic light in Claverack.   Top   Our Patron Saint: St. John Mary Vianney (Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney), Priest and Patron of all Priests.  His Feast day is August 4. He was born on May 8, 1786 in Dardilly ,  France and studied with difficulty at the seminary at Vierrieres.  He was finally ordained a priest on August 13, 1815.   In 1818 he was made the parish priest of the remote village of Ars , France, not far from Lyons .  Quickly, he obtained the reputation as a confessor and director of souls.    Universally known as the "Cure of Ars," St. John Mary Vianney brought his parish to new life.  Not long after his assignment, people started coming to him from neighboring parishes, then from all over France , and eventually from many other countries.  During the last ten years of his life, he spent from sixteen to eighteen hours a day in the confessional and was sought out by bishops, priests and religious.     St. John Mary lead a life of mortification and simplicity.   He died August 4, 1859, and was canonized May 31, 1925.     For more information about this incredible saint go to the following link at the Catholic Encyclopedia from which this biography was adapted:  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08326c.htm.   Top     Building Plans: We are actively involved in the preliminary stages of selecting a building plan.  We have hired the architectural firm of Mesick & Cohen to design and oversee all aspects of our new house of worship.  They will work with our Building Committee and the Diocese of Albany to come up with a plan.  Top   Capital Campaign: Our Capital Campaign began during the summer of 2007 and we are rapidly approaching our half million dollar goal. The current status is on our Home Page. If you can help with a gift or pledge, we urge you to do so. The work of the Body of Christ needs you help and contributing to our Capital Campaign is one way to do it. Details about the campaign, a guide to giving, memorial list and the kick-off weekend homily may be found on the Capital Campaign page. Top