"The Little White Church on the Hill"
A history of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Churchville, New York
The
Roman Catholic parish of St. Vincent de Paul in Churchville, New York, part
of the Diocese of Rochester, was formally organized in the fall of 1869. Its
founding pastor, Rev. Michael Purcell, purchased a house and lot and converted
the house into a small church accommodating 150 people in April of 1870 for
a mere $2000. During the next year, the building was enlarged to accommodate
300, but unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire shortly thereafter.
In June of 1873, 1.7 acres were purchased at the present parish site on North Main Street. In 1888, during the pastorate of Rev. Dennis Curran, the present church building was constructed. Bishop McQuaid rewarded Fr. Curran for his fine work in building both the church and the parish house (completed in 1894) by appointing him pastor of Corpus Christi Church in Rochester and Vicar General of the diocese.
Three acres of land further north on North Main Street were purchased by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid, the first bishop of Rochester, for a parish cemetery. A second parcel of land was added in 1907.
In 1958, the growing parish was feeling the need for more space, and so with a crew of volunteers, the parish hall was dug out from under the church. In April of 1969, the church was renovated with new carpeting, pews, and kneelers. A side entrance was added to allow easier access to the church from the new parking area located behind the building. In 1985, more extensive renovation was done, a new enlarged choir loft was added, and the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was created in what was originally a storage room. As the parish continued to expand in the late 1980’s, a Parish Center was commissioned and erected as an addition to the church building. This provided more spaces for meetings and religious education. In 1999, several classes were created in the lower level of the Parish Center building to accommodate the increased enrollment in our faith formation programs.
Today, St. Vincent de Paul Church counts over 400 families as members. Demographically, the median age of the parishioners is 36, with the largest group currently in their 40’s. There are 250 children under age 16, while only 65 of the parishioners have reached their 75th birthday.
Situated on the western edge of Monroe County, the parish is served full time by a lay pastoral administrator, assisted by two part-time priests who are our sacramental ministers. Weekend Masses are held on Saturday evening at 5:00 pm, and on Sunday morning at 8:30 & 10:30 am. Weekday liturgies — Mass on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; Scripture & Communion services on the other days — are at 8:30 am.
We believe our faith community has a friendly, welcoming character, typical of a small town, and we live the spirit of Vatican II even as we cherish the rich traditions of Catholicism.
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Church property circa: 1913 |
last updated: October 31, 2005