March 26, 2025

By Darcy Fargo
Editor

With the retirement of two Sisters of St. Joseph fast approaching, a new face will aid the diocesan Vocations Office and religious communities.

Bishop Terry R. LaValley has announced that effective July 1, Sister Mary Eamon Lyng will retire from her position as diocesan Vocations Coordinator, and Sister Bernadette Marie Collins will retire from her position as Episcopal Delegate for Religious.  Garry Stevens, currently studying for the diaconate, will assume both roles on that date.

SISTER BERNADETTE MARIE COLLINS, SSJ
Sister Bernadette has been serving as the Episcopal Delegate for Religious for seven years.

“My role is to be a liaison between the bishop and the religious communities serving in our diocese,” she said. “It’s really about helping when needed especially with the sisters from other countries. It’s helping with the immigration process and helping the sisters to understand our culture when they get here.”

Sister Bernadette said she first arrived in Ogdensburg after she had completed a term as major superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Watertown.

“I needed something to do,” she said. “Father Joe (Morgan) and Father Kevin (O’Brien) approached me and asked if I wanted to work here. I always wanted to come to Ogdensburg. I love the river.”

Sister Bernadette worked for approximately a year in parish ministry at St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish before accepting the diocesan role. She said she’s enjoyed the opportunities serving as Episcopal Delegate afforded her.

“I’ve enjoyed working with the sisters,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know them.”

Sister said she also enjoyed working for the diocese.

“I’m going to miss the people a lot,” Sister Bernadette said. “It’s a great place to work. I’ll be glad to have more time, though, and I can’t keep up like I used to.”

She also loved her boss.

“Our bishop is great to work with,” she said. “We have the best bishop!”

In retirement, Sister Bernadette said she looks forward to spending more time in that ministry she dreaded for so long, parish ministry.

“For years, I said I never wanted to be in parish ministry,” she said, laughing. “I lived with Sister Maureen (Sweeney) when she was in a parish. She worked every weekend. Parish ministers never have time off. There’s no Christmas vacation to look forward to like I had when I was a principal. I didn’t want that! But I enjoy it – even with the weekend work. It’s a privilege to bring Communion to people, and I like visiting with them. That’s probably the best part.”

Sister Bernadette said her major role in ministering to those she visits is “just listening.”

“Some of these people don’t have anybody else,” she said. “We just sit and talk and pray. I always say to Father Joe (Morgan), ‘I can’t do (the home visits) as fast as you.’ Father Joe can’t stay and visit long. He doesn’t have time. I have the time, and I’m about to have more.”

SISTER MARY EAMON LYNG, SSJ
“When I left (Sisters of St. Joseph) leadership in Watertown, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be considered for the Vocations Office,” said Sister Eamon. “Working here has been a privilege, but I think it’s healthy when there’s new life that can come in and bring a new dimension to the ministry of the Church. It’s time for them to have someone younger who can reach young people and help them to find life in Christ and a relationship with him.”

Sister Eamon said she’s been blessed to work in the diocesan role.

“It’s been an absolute privilege working in the diocesan offices, especially in the Vocations Office when vocations are a priority for our bishop and our diocese,” said Sister Eamon. “I’d like to express deep, deep gratitude to Bishop LaValley and Father Chris Carrara. It’s also been a privilege working as part of a family, the diocesan family. I will deeply miss working here. There’s no better place to work. My hope, my dream is to volunteer to help support that family, the diocesan family in the future.”

Sister Eamon said she’s enjoyed the people she worked with outside the diocesan offices, as well.

“It was a privilege to work with parishes to help them build vocations teams or vocations committees,” she said. “We continue to encourage building a team or committee because out of that, the parish can focus on holding Holy Hours, especially during Lent.”

She said she’s also enjoyed working with schools, catechetical programs and youth and family ministries.

“It’s a privilege talking to the young people about vocations – priesthood, consecrated life, single life, marriage,” she said. “It’s been good to talk about the importance of family. Vocations come out of the family.”

Sister Eamon said she was excited to be part of bringing back the Andrew Dinners, opportunities for young men to gather with Bishop LaValley, seminarians and priests of the diocese to learn about the priesthood and discernment.

“I think that’s been very fruitful,” she said. “It’s an outreach to encourage young men to at least discern where God is calling them. The next part of that is encouraging a women’s discernment group, which we’re beginning.”
She also enjoyed working with the seminarians as they prepare to enter seminary and while at seminary.

“I loved working with them,” she said.

Sister Eamon said her diocesan role also gave her opportunities to grow.

“I’ve learned so much working in the diocesan offices,” she said. “Whether it was in education, evangelization or vocations, I learned. “I also learned working with the other departments, especially (diocesan Information Technology Coordinator) Ian (Fawcett) and IT. I’ve learned to be better at using technology because of the skills of the people here and how we work together.”

While she’s retiring from her diocesan role, Sister Eamon plans to continue serving God and his people here in the North Country.

“I plan to continue working with the Deacon Formation Program,” she said. “I enjoy that very much. I’m hoping to still have the energy and mind to continue to teach in that program for a while. Having a relationship with these deacons has been a real gift of joy. I teach Scripture. I have a master’s (degree) in Scripture from Providence College.”

Sister Eamon also hopes to volunteer and serve more in the Ogdensburg community.

“I’m hoping to be able to volunteer with the parish and with Our Lady’s Outreach,” she said. “And I continue to be involved with the Sisters of St. Joseph Associates and in different ministries within the community. I’ll still be active in ministry. I’m also looking forward to having a little more time for personal prayer.”

Deacon candidate to fill both jobs
By Darcy Fargo
Editor

Following God’s call to serve as a deacon put Garry Stevens in a position to receive a different kind of call, one that would result in him being named the new diocesan Vocations Coordinator and Episcopal Delegate for Religious.

“I received a phone call from (Episcopal Vicar for Clergy and Vocations Director) Father (Chris) Carrara,” said Stevens, who is in formation to become a deacon with the class scheduled for ordination in August. “He explained to me that Sister (Mary) Eamon (Lyng) and Sister Bernadette (Marie Collins) were going to retire this year. He said they were combining the two jobs, and he asked if I was interested. We met. He explained the roles and responsibilities of the two positions, and I agreed to take the job. It’s nothing I pursued. Father Carrara and instructors from the diaconate program thought I would be a good fit.”

Stevens will assume the combined role effective July 1. He said he views the role as “a challenge.”

“It’s vital that we recruit men to the priesthood and diaconate, and that we recruit men and women to consecrated life,” he said. “I look forward to visiting other parishes and speaking with vocation committees.”

Stevens, who resides in Castorland and attends St. James Minor Church in Carthage, said he’s been active in ministry in some capacity most of his life.

“We lived in northern New York when we first got married,” he said. “I worked for the paper mill in Deferiet. We moved to Texas, and I was involved in forming and establishing a new Catholic parish in Lufkin, Texas. I served as sacristan, Eucharistic minister, lector and part of the OCIA, RCIA at the time. My wife and I were also involved in Pre-Cana.”

After 42 years in the paper industry, Stevens retired in 2018. Retiring gave him the time he needed to follow God’s call to the diaconate.

“After we established St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Lufkin, Texas, I started my diaconate training,” he said. “Then the mill failed, and I lost my job, and we moved to Louisiana. There was no diaconate training in the diocese or parish there. When I moved back to New York, I took a job in sales in the pulp and paper industry. I felt that renewed calling, and I felt I needed to pursue it. I retired early, I got ahold of Father Carrara, and I registered for the diaconate program.”

Stevens said he looks forward to working with Sister Eamon and Sister Bernadette through the transition.

“I’ve talked to Sister Eamon at length,” he said. “We’ll all have a lot of conversations as we move through the transition, and I’ll get a better understanding of what’s going on in both roles.”

He’s also looking forward to getting to know the diocese.

“With the role of Vocations Coordinator and the role of Episcopal Delegate, I’ll be able to travel to different areas of the diocese and learn about them,” he said.

Stevens has been married to his wife, Rosie, for 46 years. The couple has two adult children, Bethany and Zachary, and four grandchildren between the ages of 4 and 19.