June 14, 2017

Bishop Terry R. LaValley has announced pastoral changes, effective, June 21.

• Msgr. Harry K. Snow, due to health concerns, will be retiring as judicial vicar and as pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Waddington and St. John the Baptist Church in Madrid.  He will reside at St. Joseph’s Nursing Home in Ogdensburg.

•Father Douglas J. Lucia, pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Canton, adjutant judicial vicar of the Tribunal, diocesan director of the Department of Worship, vice-chancellor, episcopal vicar for worship and family life, and director of seminarians, has been appointed judicial vicar and pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Waddington and St. John the Baptist Church in Madrid.  He will continue as director of vocations and seminarians.

•Father Bryan D. Stitt, parochial vicar of St. Patrick’s Church in Rouses Point and St. Mary’s Church in Champlain, has been appointed pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Canton and director of the Office of Worship.

•Mr. James D. Crowley, chancellor of the Diocese and director of the Office of Public Information and Office of Cemeteries, has been appointed also as executive director of family life.  Mr. Stephen Tartaglia remains director of the Family Life Office.

Profiles of the new pastors follows. (An interview with Msgr. Snow will be featured in an upcoming issue of the NCC.)

Father Lucia
Father Lucia was born March 17, 1963, in Plattsburgh and grew up in Altona.  He studied for the priesthood at Wadhams Hall Seminary College and Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, NY, before his ordination May 20, 1989, by Bishop Stanislaus J. Brzana.

In his first assignment, Father Lucia served as parochial vicar at St. Patrick’s in Watertown.  In 1990, he left the diocese for two years to serve in the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall.  He returned to become parochial vicar at St. John’s in Plattsburgh and then parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

From 1997 to 1999, Father Lucia was assigned to study canon law in Rome.  During the summer of 1998 he served as a parochial vicar at Holy Family in Watertown and worked part time for the diocesan tribunal office.
Upon the completion of his studies, Father Lucia was named adjutant judicial vicar and vice chancellor.  He also served as administrator at St. Raphael’s in Heuvelton and as a part-time chaplain at the Gouverneur Correctional Facility.

In 2000 he was named bishop’s secretary and in 2003 was named diocesan director of vocations.

From September 2003 to March 2004, Father Lucia served as administrator of St. Mary’s in Canton.  In September, 2004, Bishop Robert Cunningham appointed him as chancellor and episcopal vicar for diocesan services.  In 2005 he was given additional responsibilities as diocesan director of seminarians.

In June, 2006, Father Lucia was appointed pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church, Morristown and St. Peter’s Church in Hammond with its mission of St. Patrick’s Church in Rossie.  He was also appointed diocesan director of the Worship Office.

Father Lucia returned to Canton in 2008 as pastor. In 2010, Bishop LaValley appointed him as episcopal vicar for worship and family life.

In September, 2016, he was given added responsibilities as diocesan director of vocations and seminarians.

Father Stitt
Father Stitt, new pastor in Canton and director of the Office of Worship, served in the diocesan vocation office for many years of his priesthood.

In 2007, he was named associate vocation director and, in 2010, vocation director, a position he held until September, 2016. At that time, he was named parochial vicar for Champlain and Rouses Point.

Father Stitt, a native of Crown Point, was born Aug. 12, 1977. He studied for the priesthood at Wadhams Hall Seminary College and the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

He was ordained July 19, 2003 at St. Mary’s Cathedral by Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito and then returned to Rome to complete a licentiate in spiritual theology degree.

Through the years, Father Stitt has served as parochial vicar in Ticonderoga and Saranac Lake and at St. Peter’s in Plattsburgh.

He has also been assigned as special parochial vicar at St. Mary's Cathedral, administrator of St. Patrick’s Church in Colton with its missions of St. Paul’s, South Colton and St. Michael’s, Parishville.

Previously, he was administrator in Clayton and LaFargeville from May 2009.

Prior to that assignment, Father Stitt served as bishop’s secretary from 2007 as well as associate vocation director for the diocese and part-time parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg until 2010 when he became full-time vocation director.

Between, 2010 and 2015, the priest provided temporary pastoral service as administrator at St. Joseph’s/ St. Mary’s in Massena and for Fort Covington and Bangor along with his work in the vocation office.