Msgr. Denis Duprey just prior to the Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020, morning Mass.
By John T. Ryan
Peru – When Rev. Alan Shnob announced his retirement parishioners of St. Augustine’s Church expected to be linked with St. Margaret’s Parish in Wilmington, Holy Name Parish in Au Sable Forks, and the Catholic Community of Keeseville. Plans were in place for one pastor to preside over all the parishes. Instead, Bishop Terry LaValley asked Msgr. Denis Duprey, the recently retired pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Plattsburgh, to come to St. Augustine’s for one year as parish administrator. Msgr. Duprey jokingly describes this parish administrator position as “a half-way house out of full ministry.” He pointed out that a retired priest has many opportunities for part-time service commenting, ”My goal is to be of service to people and to help bring more joy to my own life.”
Few St. Augustine’s parishioners would agree that Msgr. Duprey’s first 100 days in Peru looks like a half-way house out of full ministry. Once an aspiring journalist, he has taken ownership of the weekly parish bulletin, highlighting photos of the most important parish happenings, especially youth activities. Appreciating technology, he has brought the parish’s Facebook page to life. He makes a point to speak to the weekday volunteers working at the soup kitchen, St. Vincent’s and Roger’s House and is attentive to parish organizations.
People also look forward to Msgr. Duprey’s brief, relevant, often humorous homilies. He credits a high school teacher for his speaking abilities. “During my senior year at Mooers High School, it became known that I was interested in becoming a priest. My English teacher, Mrs. Payne, encouraged me to sign up for an oratorical contest. She said, ‘If you’re going to be a priest, you’re going to have to give a sermon.’ I thought, ‘O my, do I want to get into this?’ ” With Mrs. Payne’s help, he won that contest and developed a sense of confidence in his speaking abilities.
Msgr. Duprey’s homilies may be brief, but preparation is a six-day process beginning on Monday when he reads the weekend scriptures. He organizes his thoughts on Wednesday, but he doesn’t complete the homily until Saturday. His homilies are never more than one-page long. He recalls his seminary instructor saying, “I like to go by Jesus. Do you realize that the Our Father and the Ten Commandments each fit onto one page? Certainly what you have to say is not more important.”
Msgr. Duprey is enjoying his time at St. Augustine’s. He said, “This is a very vibrant, very friendly parish. People have been very supportive. With COVID, we didn’t have the opportunity for a welcoming reception. We can’t stand outside the church greeting people. We can’t see people. You don’t know who they are. Still, connections are being made. I know many people who went to church a lot, especially the elderly I haven’t seen. I don’t know their names. I don’t know their faces. I do know one thing. They’ve given a good part of their lives to the church. Not just going to Mass, but working at the Applefest, being religious education teachers and working in other capacities.”
Lower church attendance didn’t begin with the pandemic. It started at least a half-century ago. Msgr. Duprey commented, “Pope Benedict used to say, ‘We’re going to have a smaller but more vibrant church.’ People cite many causes such as the church is too strict; the church is too liberal; the priests don’t do enough outreach. I believe the fundamental problem is like what happened in France following the French Revolution. We have a highly secularized society in which we live, and that includes us. God is not at the center. Our school systems are very good, but at one time (before the 1962-63 Supreme Court decisions), religion was highly respected and supported in the schools. Students were encouraged to go to released time religious education. My teachers, many of whom were not Catholics, were the most generous supporters of my vocation. And it’s not just our schools, but our media, our music. Stores are open on Sunday mornings. We’re into consumerism.”
Is it possible to turn this around? He said, “I think it has to do with all Christians. We have to make sure our faith is as vibrant as possible. I recently spoke to a young man who will leave home to attend college. I said to him, ‘Make sure you go to church. You’re going to be with a group of guys who do not go to church, but there will be at least one or two boys who will go if you ask them to go. If you go, they’ll go.’ ”
The people of St. Augustine’s were hopeful that linkage with the Wilmington, Au Sable Forks, and Keeseville churches would be successful. Nevertheless, most are undoubtedly grateful to Bishop LaValley for assigning Msgr. Duprey to their parish. He brings humor, leadership, and living faith to the parish community. He’s achieving his goal of being of service to people, and hopefully, he has brought joy to his own life.
Editor’s Note: I am a St. Augustine’s parishioner and don’t claim to be objective in writing this article.
