Cardinal Timothy Dolan headed to the far-north end of the archdiocese on Sunday, August 17, to celebrate a late morning Mass at St. Mary of the Snow Church in the Ulster County village of Saugerties.

“It’s a real honor and a joy for me to be with you, celebrating the Eucharist here in Saugerties at this magnificent, historic parish, St. Mary of the Snow,” Cardinal Dolan said early in his homily, reiterating sentiments from his welcoming remarks at the start of Mass. He noted the parish of St. Mary of the Snow, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist’s proximity to the southern edge of the Diocese of Albany.

The cardinal told the faithful, “This gives me a chance to see you, to greet you, and to let you know how much I love you, and how very grateful I am for your loyalty to Jesus and his church, and I’m proud to be your archbishop. You have a great parish … It’s not my first visit. I know it won’t be my last.”

He commended the leadership of the pastor, Father Christopher Berean, who served as a concelebrant, in front of the hundreds of parishioners in attendance.

Cardinal reflects on communion of saints

Later in the homily, the cardinal spoke of the significance of the day’s second reading, from Hebrews 12: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.”

“That was sort of an early way of speaking about something you and I call ‘the communion of saints.’ This is a great benefit of our faith, that we’re not alone,” Cardinal Dolan said. “We’re part of a family that is not limited by time and space … We have our Blessed Mother, we have St. Joseph, we have the saints, we have our parents and grandparents, and the people out in the cemetery who have gone before us in death. A great cloud of witnesses who are always with us.”

He noted the resilience and bravery of persecuted Catholics in parts of the world where Catholic churches have been attacked. “They’re brave, they’re brave; they’re not giving up their faith,” he asserted. And he spoke of the importance of priests administering the last rites, the last moments in a Church family member’s life, knowing that he or she is accompanied “by a cloud of witnesses.”

Pastor and parishioner express gratitude

Father Berean, in closing remarks, expressed his gratitude to Cardinal Dolan for visiting the parish and celebrating the Mass. “A huge thank you to Cardinal Dolan for coming up here. It is a great, great honor to have him here,” the pastor said, a remark greeted with loud applause.

After Mass, Father Berean told The Good Newsroom, “For him to come up here, it’s a great blessing for our parish; we are the absolute end of the archdiocese, a couple of miles up the road you hit the Albany Diocese.”

Joanne Pagano Weber, 70, a parishioner of St. Mary of the Snow, told The Good Newsroom that she, too, appreciated the cardinal’s visit and Mass celebration. She said his homily was “very comforting … It’s true that no matter where you are, and no matter how much you might be suffering, you remember that you have this family. That’s what keeps me together.”

The Church of St. Mary of the Snow is over 175 years old and is one of the oldest in the Archdiocese of New York. It was the first Catholic church built between New York City and Albany. It was once a part of the Underground Railroad, according to the parish website.