Rumor has it: St. Andrew the Apostle Church could be the next parish shuttered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. (Michael Davis photo)
In any case, the closing of St. Andrew’s, one of Syracuse’s most liberal and activist parishes, grows more and more likely as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse moves forward with a process of “reconfiguration” that has included steps toward the merger of as many as 16 parishes in the past two years.
Honoree Dickhout has been at Unity Acres, which is home to as many as 75 homeless men at a time, since 1991, and has been running the place since the death of the Rev. Ray McVey in 1995. McVey helped found Unity Acres in 1969 on the grounds of a 126-acre sanatorium in Orwell, in Oswego County. With volunteer labor and funds, the Acres, as advocates for the homeless refer to it, has remained a central part of an aging, yet still dynamic, network of Catholic Worker-inspired hospitality efforts in Central New York.
“It’s a great fit,” said Eileen Clinton, a parishioner at St. Andrew’s. “Steve is perfect for this award. He really emulates the life of Dorothy Day.” Day was a leading founder of the Catholic Worker movement, which began in the 1930s. Day, who died in New York City in 1980, advocated radical pacifism and radical hospitality along with a fierce devotion to the Roman Catholic church. The award has been given in her name for the past 15 years, and all proceeds from the dinner go to the Dorothy Day House, a residence in Syracuse for women and children in crisis. Past honorees include peace activists Ed Kinane and Frank Woolever, former Maryknoll missionaries Kip and Terry Hargrave, Sister Monica Nortz and Jim Dessauer of the now-defunct East Side Neighbors in Partnership.
While they expect about 300 people at the dinner, the parish is operating these days in a state of uncertainty. For months they have been waiting to hear whether the diocese intends to close them down, possibly for good. St. Andrew’s has been sharing a priest with St. Lucy’s on Gifford Street for several years, and the diocese has asked both parishes to submit plans for combining the two. St. Andrew’s parishioners reportedly have refused to submit such a plan and some believe the diocese is preparing to send a letter announcing the shutdown. The Rev. Jim Mathews, who shuttles between the two parishes, told the congregation at St. Andrew’s three weeks ago that the announcement could come at any time.
If the church is closed before the dinner date, said Clinton, organizers will have to scramble to find a place to hold the event. “This night might be our last gathering in the building,” she noted. “We might get a letter {from the diocese} any day. Our feeling is that we know this is coming, but that we will continue to be the community of St. Andrew’s. We just might not have a building, but we will continue to remain as a community.”
Parishioners are meeting to discuss options for the future, including merging with St. Lucy’s, forming smaller home-based church communities, or seeking their own building to rent and maintaining a church without diocesan links. A not-for-profit organization, the Alden Street Foundation, has been established to raise money independent of the church and to support their charitable ventures, which includes, among other things, St. Lucy’s.
If the closure of St. Andrew’s is imminent, and many in the parish seem to believe it is, “we’re going to go out with a bang,” according to Clinton. “It’s kind of like death. You know it’s going to happen, but we don’t know when and under what circumstances. We’re not going to have a funeral—we’re going to have a great big celebration, and raise as much money as we can for Dorothy Day House.”
Toward that end, Dickhout, 42, is a logical choice for honoree. He works 45 minutes north of Syracuse, serving as the glue for an operation that is part flophouse, part group home, and is anything but a typical social service agency. Unity Acres lives on the dynamic sort of anarchist Christianity espoused by Day and taken up by a few dozen Syracuse priests and lay people in the 1960s and 1970s. At least a half-dozen of those priests, like Woolever, are now married and remain parishioners at St. Andrew’s or St. Lucy’s.
The Acres offers, in Dickhout’s words, “long-term hospitality for men in need of it.” As part of his job, he fields calls from desperate men, many of them addicts and alcoholics, and tries to help them decide whether the Acres is the right place for them.
The Acres limits residency to men over 35 since, as Dickhout explained, they have learned that the remote setting is harder for younger men to adapt to. “We provide a safe, sober, secure environment for an individual who desires that,” said Dickhout. “It’s a peaceful, serene setting away from the distractions of the street. We have some minimal structure. There are regular meal hours, and eventually we like each resident to find something productive to do with their time.”
But it is not rehab, nor a hospital. “It’s a calmer, greener more peaceful place, and we give people a chance to see what happens here. It’s not for everyone. Some want to be here for a few weeks and move on. One man lasted five minutes and was out on the road hitchhiking. And some stay until the end of their life.”
When reached by phone, Dickhout had been working on funeral arrangements for a 58-year-old named Joe who had passed away and was to be buried at the cemetery on the property. Dozens of former residents, including McVey, are buried there. In addition to the funeral planning, Dickhout was working on a newsletter and, since the snow had finally melted, was preparing to plant the vegetable garden that helps sustain the operation. Maintaining the seven buildings plus outbuildings, and finding the money to hold it all together, is more than a full-time occupation. Anyone willing to help out is welcome to give Dickhout a call at 298-6215.
The dinner in his honor is Thursday, May 1, 6 p.m., at St. Andrew’s, 124 Alden St. Admission is $6.50 for individuals, $10 for couples, and $20 for families. For tickets. call Pat Bergan, 476-9736.
—Ed Griffin-Nolan
