July 17, 2024

By Keith Benman
Contributing Writer

Stained glass windows, church masonry, grave sites and cemeteries within the eastern region of the Diocese of Ogdensburg are being restored thanks to specific donor requests at a secular foundation.

The Northern New York Community Foundation’s recently announced campaign to improve Glenwood Cemetery in conjunction with Blessed Sacrament Parish in Watertown is just one of the foundation’s latest such efforts, according to foundation executive director Rande Richardson. The goal is to raise $1 million for infrastructure projects at the Watertown cemetery.

“Really, it’s a reflection of increased specificity when it comes to donor intent,” Richardson said. “Our main obligation is to honor the wishes and intentions of donors.”

In the past, the foundation generally did not support projects at houses of worship or church-affiliated cemeteries. But specific donor requests in recent years now have the foundation funding numerous such projects at houses of worship and cemeteries affiliated with many different faiths.

Richardson cites a $4 million bequest from long-time St. Lawrence County resident and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Marjorie J. Rock with starting the trend.

Rock died in 2017, and her bequest stipulated that proceeds from the Rock Charitable Fund be used for three main purposes: maintenance and preservation of churches and cemeteries in St. Lawrence County; preservation and maintenance of places of historical significance in the county; and to benefit military veterans residing in the county.

Since 2019, the fund has disbursed nearly $557,000 in support of 34 projects. In addition to church and church-affiliated cemeteries, Rock Charitable Fund grants have benefitted synagogues, secular cemetery associations, veteran organizations and community organizations.

The first grant made to a Catholic church was $35,000 to aid in the first phase of renovations to preserve St. Mary’s Church in Canton in 2020. That was followed by a $25,000 grant in 2021 to help fund the rebuilding of buttresses at Sacred Heart Church in Massena. In 2022, a $15,000 grant went toward the restoration of the sanctuary’s stained-glass window at St. James Church in Gouverneur. That same year, a $6,000 grant went toward repairing foundations on historic markers at St. Andrew’s Calvary Cemetery in Norwood.

For most large-scale projects such as the St. Mary’s renovations and the rebuilding of buttresses at Sacred Heart, the Rock Charitable Fund makes up only part of the financing. The organizations that own the churches usually contribute most of the funding.

Glenwood Cemetery in Watertown is a part of Blessed Sacrament Parish. In addition to the just-announced campaign to improve the cemetery, it is also benefiting from a Glenwood Cemetery Endowment Fund for maintenance established three years ago at the foundation. That fund was started by Blessed Sacrament parishioners who had loved ones interred at the cemetery.

“Glenwood Cemetery is a community asset, home to our deceased loved ones, cherished holy ground. It is our responsibility to maintain and improve the cemetery we love,” said Blessed Sacrament Pastor Father John M. “Mickey” Demo when the improvement campaign was announced.

“Cemeteries are really part of a community’s history and legacy and how we care for those who have passed,” Richardson said.

He said the same goes for church buildings. They are not only houses of worship for their respective faiths. They are often prominent landmarks in the community. In some cases, they are important to quality of life as part of the fabric holding downtowns together.

Donors choose the Northern New York Community Foundation to manage funds benefiting houses of worship and cemeteries for a variety of reasons, Richardson said. First is its reputation in the community, established during almost 100 years of operation. There is trust among donors that the foundation will still be there to direct donations appropriately for years to come.

Also, the foundation helps donors effectively manage tax deductions for charitable contributions. It gives donors a variety of options for giving, which include restricted and unrestricted bequests in wills and donations that will pay the donor an annuity.