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| St. Joseph Center on Rt. 9 in Valatie, NY |
On a recent chilly morning, members of the Congregation of Holy Cross who live at St. Joseph Center in Valatie gathered in the chapel to honor one of their own: St. Andre Bessette. Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI last October, he became the congregation’s first saint.
St. Andre, a Canadian brother who died in 1937, was renowned for his humility and devotion to St. Joseph, so it was appropriate that the residents of the center named in the latter saint’s honor recently marked St. Andre’s feast day with prayers and reflections. As might be expected, statues and photos of the new saint are dotted throughout the facility.
People who drive south along Route 9, perhaps headed for Kinderhook or the Golden Harvest roadside farm stand, pass alongside the sprawling acres of St. Joseph Center, which is located off Maple Lane. As its website notes, the “property was given to the Congregation of Holy Cross by Mrs. M. Brady Farrell. It consisted of a house and 170 acres [since expanded to 400]. Brothers stayed in the house and farmed the land. The first Mass was celebrated on the property in 1935.”The real purpose of the facility was not to grow crops, but to train men to become members of the order, which is renowned for teaching in Catholic schools throughout the U.S. In 1972, the novitiate was changed into a spiritual life center to meet the needs of Catholics looking for a place of retreat.
Today, the site has undergone another rebirth: as a retirement and nursing home for some of the same men who trained there decades ago. Brother Edward Boyer, a native of Cohoes and long-time teacher, has been in charge of the facility and its 30-some residents for the past five years.
While a few of the brothers still minister in the area (one is a counselor in Catskill; another, a chaplain at Albany Medical Center), most are retired. “The men we serve have to be ambulatory with a walker,” Brother Edward explained. “Beyond that, they go to a nursing home in the area or to the infirmary at the University of Notre Dame.”
Notre Dame, a Holy Cross institution, is so beloved, he said, that the residents crowd to TV sets at St. Joseph whenever the Fighting Irish play football. Another popular program is the nightly news.
“News at 6:30 p.m. is sacred time,” Brother Edward noted. “We also get several newspapers. Some brothers get up at 3:30 a.m. They get coffee and wait for the papers to be delivered.”
The brothers also occupy themselves with putting together jigsaw puzzles, reading, going on field trips, exercising, and, of course, praying and attending Mass.
Neighbors often join them. “People come to Saturday evening and Sunday morning Mass,” Brother Edward noted. “A few come during the week. We also offer space for retreats and conferences, providing the rooms and board, but the people bring their own retreat-master.”
To care for the residents, St. Joseph Center has a staff of 17 lay workers: nurses, nursing aides, housekeepers, grounds crew and an activity director, Linda Hollenbeck.
“I organize activities for the brothers,” she said. “I glean what we’ll do from all sorts of possibilities, like Bingo, going to the movies or a museum, or even having a ‘spa day,’ when they get their hair cut.”
One brother is in charge of the library and has organized about 1,300 books and DVDs, and 400 CDs. They come from donations. If duplicates are received, the librarian sends them to the missions in Africa.
The archivist for the province is a resident, Brother Robert Gilroy, who oversees scores of boxes that contain letters, photos, and confidential files kept under lock and key. He is still puzzling over a block of wood with an early religious leader’s name etched on a brass plaque.
Brother Edward, who attended St. Joseph’s School in Cohoes and Vincentian Institute in Albany, went to Notre Dame for his BA and to VanderCook College in Chicago for a master’s degree in music. He also took some post-graduate courses at The University at Albany.
For years a band and choral director in schools around the country, he also served as principal at a Holy Cross-run school in Rochester. “My favorite place is the classroom,” he said, a location where he has also taught French and religious studies.
Nevertheless, when asked by his superior to take over the administration of St. Joseph Center, he acceded.
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| Bro. Edward Boyer, CSC (left) with Bro. Robert Gilroy, CSC (right) |
Reflecting on his religious vocation, Brother Edward said, “I wanted to be an educator, even in grade school. When I was a sophomore at Vincentian, I got to know the brothers at Christian Brothers Academy, where my brother went.”
Inspired by both the Holy Cross brothers at VI and the Christian brothers at CBA, he chose the former and, he noted, “entered the congregation the Sunday after I graduated from high school,” an event that occurred more than half-a-century ago.
“I feel fortunate to be a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross. It put me in touch with some very impressive men and wonderful faculties – men and women, lay and religious. I also got to know the energy, zest and basic goodness of adolescents.”
His first assignment was to Holy Cross High School in Queens, where he is now in the Hall of Fame for his contributions to the students. There, he said, “I was totally surprised by the kids. They had deep-seated values and concern for each other. It was a joy to walk in the classroom every day of my life.”
Now, he continued, “I’m here with some of my teachers. I see my ministry at St. Joseph as payback to the men whose experiences led me to Holy Cross.”
For more information, go to www.stjosephcentervalatie.org or call 784-9481.
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