That's why he is involved in ARISE, an interfaith coalition that fights poverty and crime, and promotes the needs of underserved populations.

"We're trying to stir up some people, and to connect the dots between what Father says [on the altar] and how ARISE can help," he said.

Taking action

A busload of Catholics from Sacred Heart/St. William's parishes in Troy recently attended an ARISE public meeting to learn about its agenda for the coming year and explore justice issues in Rensselaer county.

Mary Alice O'Brien, president of the parish's social justice committee, was intrigued by an announcement in a parish bulletin asking for volunteers who wanted to help promote social justice.

"It doesn't take too much observation to see that there are a lot of problems in the Capital District that need addressing," she said. "When you think of the Christian principles of concern for the poor and concern for things that you see around you that are not right, it seemed a logical thing for me to see if we could make a difference."

For Rev. Gary Mercure, pastor of Sacred Heart parish, involvement in ARISE and in other social justice concerns is "about what we can do as Catholics to advance the mission of Jesus Christ."

Efforts

Parishioners were not happy with decisions made to reduce federal funding of non-profit organizations in Troy that serve the poor and homeless, and are lobbying for the restoration of funding.

Members of the Sacred Heart/St. William's team are also involved with the ARISE youth-and-education task force, and endorsed Troy's newly approved Tech Valley High School, slated to open in 2007.

The team is also pursuing an increase in funding for Liberty Partnerships, a state program that links college students with at-risk teens to "equip them to go to college," said Bill Rosenberger, ARISE's vice-president for Rensselaer County and a member of the Sacred Heart/St. William's core team.

Tri-county effort

Father Mercure said parishioners are also involved with a task force on regionalism, which is uniting the three counties to share resources and ideas.

"People may not know what other people have or what they are doing. We'd like to make things less isolated," he explained.

Another purpose, said Mr. Rosenberger, is to "improve the planning that goes on in the region to benefit minorities, women and inner-city inhabitants."

Ms. O'Brien is concerned with questions of affordable housing and employment in Troy. In Albany, Father Mercure said, ARISE core teams are working on creating a home for veterans and researching what they can do to assist revitalization in the Park South neighborhood.

Schenectady needs

In Schenectady, St. John the Baptist and Sacred Heart/St. Columba parishes jointly run "Operation Holy Ground," which are walks through the Hamilton Hill neighborhood to talk with residents and call attention to the needs of the area.

"I have seen Schenectady as the perfect opportunity to pitch in and revive a city that has a lot of good things going for it," said Mr. Lessard. "Sometimes, people don't see the struggling schools, the drug dealing, the homelessness, the hunger. It's not an us-and-them thing. It's 'we.'"

Power of coalition

Mr. Rosenberger likes being involved in ARISE because of the concerted effort it makes to change legislation and policy, and the punch he's seen it pack.

"As an individual church, we're limited in how much influence we have in policy and decision-making," he noted. "As a coalition, we're getting individual churches to work together for a common good and getting people on this side of the river to work with people on the other."

Ms. O'Brien believes that another benefit of becoming involved in ARISE is helping parishioners get to know people of other religions.

"We understand each other much better," she said. "Every time we get to visit another church or they come to us, it is very important that we be aware of what we have in common."