New priest takes the altar in Amenia

Father Andrew O'Connor

Photo by Christine Bates

New priest takes the altar in Amenia

AMENIA — Father Andrew O’Connor celebrated his first Easter at the Church of the Immaculate Conception after arriving in February to serve the parishioners of Amenia, Pine Plains and Millerton.

In an interview with The Millerton News, he commented that Easter was a time to see whole families together and meet young people home from college or prep school. His busy schedule includes masses on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and another on Sunday night at Choate Rosemary Hall prep school when he visits his family in Connecticut.

Now that spring has arrived the new priest is enchanted by our rural landscape. “Sometimes I ask myself if I wandered into Austria.”

When asked why he was sent by the New York Archdiocese to Amenia, O’Connor mused that these decisions are never quite clear but that perhaps it was because of his fluent Spanish and love of Guatemala, or maybe his faith in the power of art. O’Connor is a visual artist who believes that the church and art nourish each other. He has a background in literature and the fine arts and is already making plans for a sculpture depicting the Ascension.

His book, “A Tuscan Résumé,” which is available at Oblong Books, describes a brief sabbatical in Florence studying sacred art. In 2000 Father O’Connor founded Sacred Art Heals, a Catholic not for profit, that fosters collaborative projects with local artists in parishes from Mississippi to Paris. His fashion line, Social Fabric, produces organic cotton with natural dyes in Central America for clothing made in the United States. Cameron Diaz modeled his linen shorts in a Vogue feature article.

Father O’Connor discovered his talent for learning languages at an early age — first French, then Spanish, Irish in Dublin, Italian and now he’s studying German. He became ordained in 1996 and served in parishes in the United States, Europe and Latin America. For the last ten years he was pastor of St. Mary’s Church in New York City’s East Village where he was part of a Lower East Side preservation effort. Here he is supportive of reopening St. Patrick’s church in Millerton.

Latest News

Millerton ends Earth Day week with film and talk on pervasive plastics

From left, Deborah Maier, moderator, Megan Wolff, Nicole Clanahan and Olivia Skeen.

Photo by John Coston

MILLERTON — The Climate Smart Task Force celebrated the end of Earth Day week on Sunday, April 27, with a free showing of “Plastic People,” a documentary about humanity’s relationship with plastic, cosponsored by The Moviehouse.
The award-winning film portrays a pervasive role plastic plays in our lives and explores its effect on human health, especially as microplastics.

Microplastics have found their way into human organs and even into the placentas of new mothers. The film is a call to action by science journalist Ziya Tong, who talks with scientists and undertakes self experimentation to prove her points.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amenia Planning Board calls for more detail in Keane Stud subdivision covenant study
Amenia Town Hall
Photo by John Coston

AMENIA — A report from the town’s visual impact consultant in connection with the application submitted by developers of the proposed Keane Stud subdivision led to discussion of the type of detailed information needed to satisfy local requirements at the regular meeting of the Planning Board on Wednesday, April 23.

At the April 9 meeting of the Planning Board, Keane Stud subdivision’s Senior Planner Peter Sander of Rennia Engineering had reviewed plan changes that had reduced the number of lots planned from 27 to 23 with a corresponding reduction in total acreage from 704 to 605. Changes had been made to protect the viewshed from DeLaVergne Hill, Sander said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amenia Fire Company plans ham dinner May 3

The Amenia Fire Company on Mechanic Street in Amenia.

Photo by John Coston

AMENIA — The long-anticipated Ham Dinner, an annual event put on by the Amenia Fire Company, is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the firehouse on Mechanic Street. Diners are welcome to eat-in or take-out.

Each dinner will include sliced ham, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, dinner rolls, apple sauce and dessert, all at a price of $17 per person, or $15, if the customer is at least 60 years of age.

Keep ReadingShow less
How gardening can nourishbirds in everyone’s backyard

Bethany Sheffer, volunteer coordinator and naturalist at Sharon Audubon, gives a talk on supporting birds using native plants at the Amenia Free Library Saturday, April 26. The program was put on by the Amenia Garden Club and Conservation Advisory Council as part of Earth Day events.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

AMENIA — Watching birds find nourishment in nature can be an enjoyable experience. Supporting them in that endeavor can be even more rewarding.

Those attending a talk at the Amenia Free Library on Saturday by Bethany Sheffer, volunteer coordinator and naturalist at Sharon Audubon, heard about the plants on which birds feast, and gently encouraged listeners to consider adding some to their property.

Keep ReadingShow less