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T H E E VA N G E L I S T
May 26, 2011
‘I look upon the work sometimes as my prayer.’ CROSS CREATOR
Blacksmith forges faith BY ANGELA CAVE STA F F W R I T E R
Jim Moran’s blacksmithing hobby started four decades ago with a hair dryer, a hibachi grill and a handful of coal in his Delmar backyard. The makeshift forge he created evolved into a shed with a full hearth and draft hood, and blacksmithing turned into a passion for Mr. Moran, a parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Today, the retired environmental engineer is the resident blacksmith at Normanskill Farm in Albany, where he leads demonstrations for schoolchildren and community members and takes requests for artwork and tools. His most recent piece — a cross surrounded by leaves made for the Albany Diocese’s Spring Enrichment gathering in mid-May — is just one example of his talent. “It’s clay,” Mr. Moran said of the steel and iron scraps he finds in junkyards, inherits from friends or buys in stores. “I can make it into whatever I want. That, to me, is the thrill of being a black-
THE SPRING ENRICHMENT CROSS smith: I can take a piece of metal lying on the ground and turn it into something useful.” When he began the hobby, his wife of 50 years, Maureen, was just happy he had an outlet for stress. “He could go out in the backyard and beat out all his frustrations on a piece of metal,” she joked. Mr. Moran has forged personalized fireplace tools and chandeliers, hooks and brackets, birdfeeders, coffin fixtures and even a lifelike snake he keeps in his car.
But his favorite subject seems to be crosses: Different sizes and styles hang on walls and grace tables in his house and in the homes of friends and fellow parishioners. He recently hung a Celtic-influenced cross on the brick exterior of the house. Mrs. Moran noted that “a couple of people have said, ‘That is perfect for your house. It epitomizes what you and Jim are about.’” She describes her husband as “filled with faith” — especially as he is her caregiver through the end stages of ovarian cancer. “He is here. He is constant,” she said simply. Mr. Moran, who tries to attend Mass about three times a week, couches his faith in more subtle terms. “I look upon the work sometimes as my prayer,” he said of blacksmithing, describing the candle stands he made for his parish. “If I’m fixing something at church — a broken pew or lights — then that’s my prayer. “We are given gifts, and how we use them is important.”
AT LEFT, MR. MORAN AT WORK. Each month, he meets with a group of about 15 blacksmiths in Albany, training them on basics like lighting a fire and holding a hammer and complicated tasks like riveting and making tongs. Interest in the trade has resurfaced in recent years, he said. He attends international conferences for blacksmithing and enjoys meeting others like him when he vacations: “No matter where I go in the world, I find a blacksmith.” (Angela Cave photos) VIEWPOINTS
Spring Enrichment participants reflect on workshops During last week’s Spring Enrichment gathering at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, The Evangelist asked participants to talk about their favorite workshops. The Workshop: “So what? Why It Matters that We Believe in God and Who That God Is” “It made me think about my own perceptions of God: Am I living to my full potential? I was going into it from a youth minister’s point of view, but until you’ve looked into your CURTIN own faith, you can’t really get there with others.” — Kathleen Curtin, St. Mary’s parish, Clinton Heights; youth minister at Holy Trinity and St. Michael’s, Cohoes Workshop: “Digital Discipleship” “It gave us a lot of good ideas.
We really don’t do anything computer-wise with the kids. We don’t think like that. Spring KOSOWICZ Enrichment always gives me that push.” — Jaime Kosowicz, Holy Trinity parish, Johnstown Workshop: “Third Edition of the Roman Missal: Something Old is New Again” [The speaker] “had an excellent presentation. She gave information on what we are [currently] saying and what the changes are going to be. It gave me enough of the background to be able to answer questions
four-day event brought together religious educators from across the Albany Diocese for courses on various aspects of faith.
parishioners may have.” — Elizabeth Schlesier, Christ Our Light parish, Loudonville
SCHLESIER Workshop: “How Catholics Read the Bible” “It gave me some more background information and context. We looked at comparisons of the four Gospels and how they were geared toward different audiences. It will make it more meaningful when SCHUMACHER I’m reading
the New Testament.” — Peg Schumacher, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany Workshop: “Introduction to the Liturgical Year” “I didn’t really have a good understandOTTAVIANO ing of what the liturgical year was. The presenter broke it down into the Christian year being a year with God as its basis. The liturgical year really has no beginning or end. It’s in God’s time. I’m very time-oriented. To realize that there are other time frames that are not binding — it’s kind of comforting.” — Robert Ottavia-
no, Immaculate Conception parish, Glenville Workshop: “Women of the Hebrew Scriptures” “Women get overlooked a lot when we think about Church. We’re mostly a patriarchal and hierarchical society. There are a lot more women mentioned in the Bible. Even though history is ‘his’ story, women did play a role in the Church.” — JR McGinn, Christ Our MCGINN Light parish, Loudonville
(ANGELA CAVE PHOTOS)