About Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels · Olean, New York
The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels is a Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic Minor basilica in Olean, New York, located on South Union Street in downtown Olean near the Allegheny River. Built almost entirely of Pennsylvania white marble with twin 150-foot towers, it is one of the most visible landmarks of the city and the most prominent symbol of Roman Catholicism in western New York's Southern Tier. On February 14, 2017, Pope Francis elevated it to the status of Minor Basilica, making it the 83rd basilica in the United States. It functions as an active parish church within the Diocese of Buffalo and is currently part of the multi-parish 'Enchanted Mountains Catholic Community.'
- Established
- 1852 (mission); 1876 (parish erected)
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels (Santa Maria degli Angeli / Portiuncula of Assisi)
- Rector
- Rev. Chris Emminger (since 2023, pastor/rector; forms part of the Enchanted Mountains Catholic Community). Wikipedia infobox lists Rev. Dennis Mancuso, Vicar Forane, as Rector.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Angels offers the rare combination of small-city accessibility and large-church beauty: a soaring white-marble Neo-Gothic basilica with daily Mass, perpetual devotional life (Eucharistic Adoration several days a week and a robust Reconciliation schedule), and over 170 years of parish heritage spanning the Irish-German immigrant frontier, the Franciscan missionary era, and present-day Family-of-Parishes collaboration. Pilgrims come for the artwork (Carrara marble furnishings, restored ceiling murals, the Portiuncula devotion connecting it to St. Francis), the active parish family life of the Enchanted Mountains Catholic Community, and the building's singular claim as only the 83rd minor basilica in the United States, designated a Jubilee Church in both 2016 and 2025.
Mass times at Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 4:00 PM–5:00 PM at the Basilica (with concurrent Eucharistic Adoration)
- Thursday 5:00 PM–7:00 PM at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels
- Friday 1:00 PM–2:00 PM at the Basilica (First Friday only)
- By appointment via the parish office (716-372-4841)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 4:30 PM–5:30 PM (with Confessions) at the Basilica
- Thursday 5:00 PM–7:00 PM at the Basilica
History of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels
The parish was born in the rough frontier railroad town of Olean in 1852 with a $300 wooden 'shanty' church, served first by Franciscan missionaries (1855–1876), then by diocesan clergy under the first resident pastor, Rev. John J. Hamel (1876). The present marble church was designed by Émile Ulrich of Cleveland, begun in 1913, opened in 1915, and consecrated June 29, 1919. On February 14, 2017, Pope Francis elevated it to Minor Basilica—the 83rd in the United States and the second in the Diocese of Buffalo. The basilica is closely linked to the spiritual journeys of Thomas Merton (1940) and Olympic hero Louis Zamperini (baptized 1917).
- 1852: Shanty church built with $300 from railroad workers
- 1860: Wood-frame church dedicated to St. Mary of the Angels (Portiuncula)
- 1876: First diocesan pastor, Rev. John J. Hamel
- 1913: Construction of marble church begins
- 1915: Opened and blessed by Venerable Msgr. Nelson Baker (Sept. 26)
- 1919: Building consecrated by Bishop Colton (June 29)
- 1952: Centennial interior redecoration with Carrara marble furnishings
- 2015: Holy Door of Mercy designated for the Jubilee Year
- 2016: Ceiling paintings restored by Swiatek Studios of Buffalo
- 2017: Pope Francis grants Minor Basilica title (Feb. 14); Inaugural Mass June 29
Architecture and Sacred Art
Designed in the Neo-Gothic (Gothic Revival) style by Émile Ulrich, a French architect trained at the l'École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the basilica is clad almost exclusively in Pennsylvania white marble and is anchored by twin 150-foot towers capped in stone steeples. The interior features Carrara-marble altars, communion rail, pulpit, and baptismal font imported from Italy, plus restored ceiling murals by Swiatek Studios of Buffalo depicting angels on clouds bearing the Latin words of the Hail Mary.
- Architect: Émile Ulrich of Cleveland
- Style: Neo-Gothic / Gothic Revival
- Length: 159 feet
- Twin towers: 150 feet with stone steeples
- Exterior cladding: Pennsylvania white marble
- Altars, railing, pulpit, baptismal font: Carrara marble (Italy)
- Restored ceiling paintings: Swiatek Studios of Buffalo (2016)
Becoming a Minor Basilica
In March 2015, Very Rev. Gregory J. Dobson, VF, initiated the Vatican application by submitting a 22-point petition to Bishop Richard J. Malone. The Vatican's 119-question application was obtained in May 2015 and answered over the following year by parishioner Jennifer Kane, with translation assistance from Rev. David Flood, OFM of St. Bonaventure University. On February 14, 2017—the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius—the CDWDS, under Prefect Robert Cardinal Sarah, signed the decree granting the title of Minor Basilica on behalf of Pope Francis. Bishop Malone publicly announced the decree on March 17, 2017 at Our Lady of Victory National Shrine.
- March 2015: Application initiated by Fr. Dobson
- May 2015–May 2016: 119 Vatican questions researched by Jennifer Kane
- Feb. 14, 2017: Decree signed by Cardinal Sarah
- March 17, 2017: Public announcement by Bishop Malone
- June 29, 2017: Inaugural Mass celebrated by Bishop Malone, Bishop Cunningham, and Auxiliary Bishop Grosz—700+ in attendance
Parish Family: Enchanted Mountains Catholic Community
Since 2023, St. Mary of the Angels has been part of the 'Enchanted Mountains Catholic Community' — a Family of Parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo that also includes St. John the Evangelist in Olean and St. Bonaventure in Allegany. The Family model pools resources and ministerial programs across parishes under one or two priests, in keeping with the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Family of Parishes' pastoral strategy.
- Member churches: Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels (Olean), St. John the Evangelist (Olean), St. Bonaventure (Allegany)
- Pastoral priority areas (six pillars): Liturgy, Spiritual Life, Forming Disciples, Outreach/Inreach, Stewardship, Administration
- Central Office: 202 South Union Street, Olean, NY 14760
Clergy Leadership and Pastoral Succession
The Basilica has been served by a succession of pastors beginning with Franciscan missionary Rev. Pamphilius DiMagliano, OSF (1855–c.1876), followed by the first diocesan pastor Rev. John J. Hamel (1876) and the pastor Fr. Rengel who oversaw the construction of the present marble church (1913–1915). The most recent pastors include Rev. Gregory J. Dobson, VF (22 years, third longest-serving), Very Rev. Patrick Melfi (2018–2020), Rev. John Adams (2020–2023), and the current pastor/rector, Rev. Chris Emminger (since 2023).
- Pamphilius DiMagliano, OSF (Franciscan)
- John J. Hamel (first resident diocesan pastor)
- Fr. Rengel (supervised construction of 1913–1915 building)
- Gregory J. Dobson, VF (third longest-serving pastor)
- Patrick Melfi (ninth pastor, second rector)
- John Adams (appointed 2020 by Bp. Scharfenberger; pastor 2021)
- Chris Emminger (current pastor/rector, since 2023)
Notable Visitors and Associations
St. Mary of the Angels is associated with two of twentieth-century America's most notable Catholics. In 1940, the writer and monk Thomas Merton—then teaching at St. Bonaventure College—regularly came here to pray and confess, stopping in one last time to pray the Stations of the Cross before traveling by train to the Abbey of Gethsemani, an episode memorialized in his autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain. Olympic distance runner and WWII POW survivor Louis Zamperini was baptized at the parish in 1917 before his Italian immigrant family relocated to California.
- Thomas Merton (1940) — prayed the Stations of the Cross the night before entering the Trappists
- Louis Zamperini (baptized 1917) — Olympic champion and WWII hero (subject of 'Unbroken')
Visiting, Tours, and the Parish History Book
The parish offers a Basilica Virtual Tour via its website and in-person guided tours led by historian and author Jennifer Kane. The complete, documented parish history (1850–1956, with a modern overview) is available in the softcover book 'A Place Set Apart,' written by Kane as a byproduct of the Vatican basilica application. Books can be picked up at the parish office to avoid shipping fees, or ordered online.
- Virtual Tour available on smaolean.org
- In-person tours led by historian Jennifer Kane
- 'A Place Set Apart' (3rd Edition) — 394-page parish history book
- Available via the tri-parish office or online order
Contact and Practical Information
The parish is administered through the EMCC Central Office at 202 South Union Street, Olean, NY 14760, with off-street parking and handicap-accessible entry via the Irving Street side behind the Parish Life Center (119 West Henley Street). Office hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM; closed on weekends and legal holidays.
- Address: 202 South Union Street, Olean, NY 14760
- Phone: (716) 372-4841
- Fax: (716) 372-5905
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–3 PM
- Parking: off-street lot behind Parish Life Center; handicap-accessible
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Pamphilius DiMagliano, OSF1855–c.1876
Franciscan missionary; first resident pastor of the Olean mission; built the 1860 wood-frame St. Mary of the Angels church.
- Rev. John J. Hamel1876–
Appointed by Bishop Stephen Vincent Ryan as first resident diocesan pastor; alumnus of St. Bonaventure College; fluent in German.
- Fr. Rengel
Pastored during construction era; selected architect Émile Ulrich and oversaw the building of the present marble church (cornerstone 1913, opened 1915).
- Rev. Gregory J. Dobson, VFto 2018
Retired July 30, 2018 after 22 years as pastor/rector—the third longest-serving pastor in parish history.
- Very Rev. Patrick Melfi2018–2020
Appointed 8/1/2018 (Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori); ninth pastor and second rector; Olean native and former parishioner/altar boy; first time since 1895 that all Olean Roman Catholics were under one pastor.
- Rev. John Adams2020–2023
Assigned by Apostolic Administrator Most Rev. Edward Scharfenberger as parochial administrator (2020); confirmed as pastor/rector by Bishop Michael Fisher in 2021.
- Rev. Chris Emminger2023–present
Appointed by Bishop Fisher as pastor/rector; also assumed pastorship of St. John the Evangelist and St. Bonaventure Churches, forming the Enchanted Mountains Catholic Community.