EXPECTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

     Father Cullen administered to the Catholic people who resided in Crescent from 1869-71. He was followed by the Rev. Patrick J. Brady, who, after a few years residence, transferred the seat of the parish to the newly established St. Patrick's Church, Cohoes, thus making the Crescent Church an out-mission.

     This arrangement was continued by the Rev. Leo O'Haire, who succeeded Father Brady in 1913. He founded a mission at Dunsback Ferry and erected St. Leo's Church there in 1915.

     During the pastorate of his successor, the Rev. Thomas Flanigan, St. Mary's Church, Crescent, was re-established as a separate parish with Dunsback Ferry as its mission. In 1927, The Rev. Charles P. McCarthy was appointed its pastor.  A beautiful new church and rectory were built on a site across the road from the original church.

     According to the first Baptismal Register dated October 1st, 1927 the name of the parish changed from "Expectation, B.V.M." to St. Mary's Church. It is quite in fashion today to get back to one's roots. With this in mind, a new statue of the Expectation of Mary was commissioned by the parish in 2003 to have a place of honor in the new entrance of the expanded church. The artist who sculpted the statue from Indiana limestone was Joseph Faul of Albany, NY. The statue was blessed at the dedication of the new building on August 27, 2004.   

     The Feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is December 18. The date goes back to its origins in Spain. Because of the restrictions on celebrating feasts in Lent, the Annunciation was transferred to December 18. The Tenth Council of Toledo in 656 fixed the date. Eventually, Spain would end up with both this feast and the Annunciation. The feast spread from Toledo, through Spain and elsewhere, e.g. Venice, Toulouse (1695), Cistercians (1702)2 Tuscany (1712), Papal States (1725). ( The Ambrosian Rite in Milan, Italy keeps Sunday before Christmas as a feast of Mary, very similar to the feast in question.)

     For our parish, the Feast of the Expectation of Mary offers us not only the opportunity to return to the roots of our Catholic Community in Crescent, but also affords us a beautiful way to celebrate the creation of new life in the phenomenon of pregnancy. It has already become practice among the faithful to pause before the statue of the Expectation of Mary in the church foyer to offer a special prayer for a loved one who is expecting a new child.