Mourners recall Young as the ‘saint of our time’
He blazed trails in treating addiction in prison and housing the homeless
Albany The priests donned their white robes and masks as they stood at the altar of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday, sharing prayers and telling stories of Father Peter Young, a beloved priest in the Capital Region who died this month at the age of 90 after a long battle with multiple myeloma.
A private funeral for Young was held on Saturday and live-streamed online.
“There seems to be a sharp contrast in moods: The joy and sense of wellbeing that we normally feel at Christmas time ... against the sadness that we are surely experiencing at the death of someone all of us loved and respected,” said Rev. Kenneth J. Doyle.
Young was known for his work in helping people living with substance abuse, as well as changing people’s attitudes on how they see and think about addiction and substance abuse issues.
He founded several non-profits under the Peter Young Housing, Industry and Treatment umbrella. Those organizations grew to operate from 117 sites that stretched across New York, and they provided shelter, job training, employment and substance-abuse counseling to several thousand clients, including to individuals who were formerly incarcerated or homeless.
The attendees at the private funeral, which was rescheduled to Saturday after Thursday’s severe snowstorm, listened as several priests of the Roman Catholic Dio
cese of Albany reflected on Young’s legacy.
“For Peter, all of his goodness is rewarded as he’s brought gently into heaven. Now he gets to spend his best Christmas ever in the presence of the one whose birth we celebrate,” Doyle said.
Young was never one to put a spotlight on himself, and he was sure “he’d be embarrassed now” by the outpouring of praise, Doyle said. “I could never figure out how he had enough time to do all that he did. Once I remember thinking: ‘Maybe there are really three
Peter Youngs.’”
But this was a virtual funeral, so people sent their praise in the comments nonetheless.
“Rest in Peace Padre Young,” wrote one virtual attendee.
“Thank you God for lending Father Young to us,” said another.
As speakers talked about Young’s tireless work to help those struggling with addiction, one online viewer of the funeral commented, “his program definitely saved my life.”
After “Ave Maria” was sung and as the funeral began to conclude, a virtual attendee summarized the speeches and the reflections on Young’s life with a comment online: “Truly a saint of our time.”