Bill Text: NY J00876 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Lourdes Church of Utica, New York, on May 5, 2019

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-03-29 - ADOPTED [J00876 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-J00876-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 876

BY: Senator GRIFFO

        COMMEMORATING the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of
        Lourdes Church of Utica, New York, on May 5, 2019

  WHEREAS,  Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in  the  development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who  have  contributed  to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and

  WHEREAS,  This  Legislative Body takes pleasure in commemorating the
100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Lourdes Church of Utica, New  York,  to
be  celebrated  at a Dinner Dance on Sunday, May 5, 2019, at Hart's Hill
Inn in Whitesboro, New York; and

  WHEREAS, In addition, the congregation  and  community  members  are
invited to participate in a special Celebratory Mass earlier in the day;
and

  WHEREAS,  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  Parish was established in April of
1919, in response to the growing population in South  Utica;  the  first
Mass  was celebrated on the 13th of that month in a wooden frame home on
the corner of Genesee  Street  and  Barton  Avenue  (then  called  Mason
Place); and

  WHEREAS,  Prior to the establishment of the parish, the building was
used for Sunday school instruction and as a chapel for the neighborhood;
after an addition was added, the church was  enlarged  in  1940,  and  a
stone exterior was added; and

  WHEREAS,  In  1925,  plans for Our Lady of Lourdes School were begun
and the neighboring home to the south of the Church  was  purchased  for
use  as  a  rectory; staffed by the Daughters of Charity, the school was
opened in 1929; an addition to the school and a new  convent  on  Barton
Avenue was built in 1959; and

  WHEREAS, For many years, Masses were held in both the church and the
school auditorium every Sunday until the present church was completed in
1969;  the  grotto  of  Our  Lady  of Lourdes was later added, and a new
rectory adjacent to the Church was built in 1976; and

  WHEREAS, In the 1980s and early 1990s, the artwork behind the  altar
was  enhanced,  and  the  Shrine  of  Saint Elizabeth Seton, a new sound
system, confessional rooms and a new organ were installed; in 1995,  the
parish  school  became  a  regional school, and the Daughters of Charity
ended their service as teachers; and

  WHEREAS, During the next 15 years, numerous improvements  were  made
to   the  parish  campus  and  many  ministries  were  established;  the
newsletter "Blessings" and a  parish  website  were  developed  and  the
convent  was  converted  to the Seton Center, housing parish offices and
meeting rooms; and


  WHEREAS,  Eucharistic  Adoration in the Seton Chapel was implemented
and on the second floor, Evelyn's House opened its door to young  girls;
in  2009,  the  church  interior  was  refurbished to celebrate the 90th
anniversary of the parish; and

  WHEREAS, In 2009,  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  School  became  the  only
Catholic school in the area and was renamed Notre Dame Elementary School
in September of that year; and

  WHEREAS,  Since 2002, Father Joseph A. Salerno has helmed the pulpit
of Our Lady of Lourdes Church; in  2011,  approximately  1,200  families
were officially registered as members of the Church; and

  WHEREAS,  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  Church  stands on the threshold of
tomorrow, prepared to meet the challenges of the  coming  decades  while
retaining that spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such  institutions  to  the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  Church  of
Utica,  New  York, fully confident that this tribute reflects the belief
in those values which enhance the dignity and purpose of life; and be it
further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to  The  Reverend  Joseph  A.  Salerno, Pastor and Regional
Vicar, Our Lady of Lourdes Church.