St. Catherine of Siena Church
26 Mendon-Ionia Rd. Mendon, NY 14506
Established in the early 1900's, St. Catherine of Siena is in our second century of welcoming parishioners. Our motto is a quote from St. Catherine: 'Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire'.
At the turn of the last century, Mendon boasted mills, a coal and lumber company, a produce company, two general stores and three hotels where traveling men stopped and local folk danced to violins and a parlor organ. There were other churches, but nothing were Catholic.
Once Bishop McQuaid put his imprimatur on the establishment of the Mendon church, area Catholics lost little time in laying its cornerstone. Parishioners raised $2,920.75 from hundreds of towns people and friends from other communities, both Catholic and non-Catholic. Founding fathers, John Quinn, David O’Connor and William Furlong, collected $1,650.00 alone; Patrick and Mary Culhane, who resided in the present rectory, donated a building lot valued at $150.00 on May 18, 1901.
Father John J. Donnelly from Victor said the first scheduled weekly Mass in Mendon on May 18, 1900. Since there was no Catholic Church, vestments were donned in Finucane Hall. Father Donnelly served St. Catherine’s for 11 years as it's first pastor. Reverends Louis Edlelman, Cornelius Silke, Victor Hurley Weilliam Killackey, and Howard Geck would succeed Rev. Donnelly until Msgr. Albert Schnacky made his home here as its first resident pastor in 1970.
Msgr. Schnacky and his beloved German Shepherd Heidi were a staple in the parish until 1986. Resident pastors Rev. Charles Latus and Rev. James Lawlor faithfully served St. Catherine's parishioners in the years following, bringing us to the pastor-ship of our current priest, Rev. Robert S. Bourcy
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Address
26 Mendon-Ionia Rd. Mendon, NY 14506
Phone
