Church in Transition: These souls wear many colors

ALBANY - Once the parish of immigrant Lithuanians, St. George's has undergone a complete transformation in the past 18 years. No longer a church of white Europeans, it is now called the Black Catholic Apostolate. "This is the new face of evangelism the Catholic Church has to do if it is going to survive," said Rev. Kofi Nstiful-Amissah. "Gone are the days of Lithuanian, Irish, Italian families. Those days of children being born into the church are gone. The new face of evangelical work in America."

Beginning each Mass with a greeting and prayer, Amissah shifts into Gospel music. Drums, guitar, piano/organ, tambourines and congas raise their sound. People sing, clap and dance in uplifting worship.

"There's lots of involvement, lots of preaching," said Amissah. "They come to pray, believe me, and I find that praying for them is having a good, good time.

"You have to touch their soul or they won't come," he added.

Born on March 29, 1951, in Agona Swedru, Ghana, on Africa's west coast, Amissah was the third of eight children born to a tailor and his trader wife. Amissah doesn't remember a pivotal moment when he felt a calling to serve God. It was just always part of his makeup.

"I was baptized and raised Catholic," said Amissah. "We always had priests around. We played around the church. The school was next door. It was a very positive influence."

For Amissah, the decision to become a priest was not a radical one. "Everybody around me was religious," he said. "It wasn't that strange for me to say that I was going to be a priest."

After 12 years of Catholic schooling, he entered St. Theresa's Seminary in Amisano, Ghana. In 1975, he made his first trip to the U.S. to attend graduate school. In 1979, he received a master's degree in theology from the now closed St. Anthony-On-Hudson in Rensselaer. He returned to Ghana for ordination, and he taught at St. Theresa's for four years.

"I wanted to be a priest ever since I could remember," said Amissah. "That's all I wanted to be."

At the invitation of Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Amissah returned to the Albany Diocese to work as a parish priest. He served at St. Mary's Hospital in Troy and the Albany parishes of St. Margaret Mary, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and St. Casimir before being assigned to St. George's.

It was at St. George's that he saw people like those he left at home, where he grew up poor in material things but blessed with a rich outlook.

"I've always seen an overwhelming power in poverty and suffering," said Amissah. "That's what normally would grab me. Whereas the notion of suffering and poverty is a negation, I see it as a very strong force."

"There are so many things that don't attract me personally," said Amissah. "What attracts me most are ordinary folks living their lives and struggling."

"Poverty and suffering is what everybody will touch and go on from in their lives, but I feel pulled towards it," said Amissah. "It doesn't mean that I like to see people suffer. I'm there to help them out using the message of Christ to give it a whole different meaning. That's what really grabs my attention in this life. The power of life itself."

Comparing Americans to Africans is not easy. Where Americans see want, Amissah sees plenty.

"I grew up poor. People have a very simple, very basic life in Ghana. People here always think Africa is always poor and sick. That is not necessarily the case. People are struggling with education, food and a decent living, but the simplicity of their life is the attraction. The struggle for the basics is powerful. The power of Christ pulls you out of it.

"There's a lot of riches here," said Amissah. "I would want to translate those riches into opportunities for success. As an African coming here, I think that what is very striking for me is the endless opportunities. That is what is mind boggling.

"These opportunities don't exist in Third World countries," said Amissah. "Where else would you have 2,000 colleges in one area? This is the land of opportunities."

In his role as mission director, Amissah guides his parishioners in developing their gifts. Besides academic opportunities, Amissah referred to the spiritual and material opportunities in the Capitol District. "The richness of this place," he said.

Unlike traditional parishes centered around a neighborhood, which might in turn be focused on a particular ethnic group, the Black Apostolate draws from a wide region.

"We have 150 families and a lot of singles," said Amissah. "They come from all over the place."

Started 18 years ago with about 70 people in the now closed St. Joseph's, the Black Apostolate was the brainchild of Amissah and two parishioners. "The idea was to bring new people into the Catholic Church," said Amissah. "I am a black man. This is a very serious black evangelization. There was nothing around. It just made the diocese look very incomplete. It also was very un-American.

"This is the strength of this country walking in here," said Amissah, whose congregation includes African Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, Native Americans and Caucasians. His Mass draws people from Vermont and Massachusetts.

Shabby and worn, the church needs help. Amissah's parishioners have raised $300,000 but an estimate from architects shows that $875,000 is needed for a new roof, exterior work, bathrooms and other essentials. The church is in the midst of an appeal.

Music is a big part of the liturgy, and Amissah's brother Martin provides African, Caribbean, Latin and European rhythms. Two more brothers also immigrated to the Albany area and are on hand to help their big brother out whenever they're needed.

So, what happened to the former congregation of St. George's?

"The pastor retired, and we moved in," said Amissah. "The next week, they were gone."