About Blessed Sacrament · Tonawanda, New York
Blessed Sacrament Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Tonawanda, New York, serving the Ken-Ton community since 1929. A parish of the Diocese of Buffalo and now part of the Light of Christ Family of Parishes, it is centered on devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and offers daily and weekend Masses, perpetual-style adoration in its Chapel of Divine Mercy, the St. Faustina's Gate Food Pantry, and a wide array of parish ministries. Weekend Masses are live-streamed, and the church is also notable for its recent role in submitting a counterproposal during the Diocese of Buffalo's parish renewal process.
- Established
- 1929
- Patron
- The Blessed Sacrament (the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist)
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Parker
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
Blessed Sacrament is a Eucharistic-centered Catholic community that lives out devotion to the Real Presence through daily Mass, extended adoration in its Chapel of Divine Mercy (Wednesday 9 am through Thursday 10 pm), and a robust sacraments of service — from the St. Faustina's Gate Food Pantry that fulfills roughly 100 food requests every month for the Ken-Ton community, to an RCIA team, faith formation for children, a choir, a Legion of Mary, Altar & Rosary Society, a St. Joseph's Guild caring for parish buildings and grounds, and ministries to the sick and homebound. Newcomers are invited to simply 'not be a stranger' — visit, talk with the parish office Monday–Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, and find a ministry to call their own.
Mass times at Blessed Sacrament
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 5:45 – 6:15 pm (confessionals located in the Chapel)
Adoration times
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Wednesday 9 am through Thursday 10 pm, located in the Chapel of Divine Mercy
- Holy Days and Healing Masses: see the weekly bulletin
Welcome to Blessed Sacrament Church
Blessed Sacrament is a Eucharistic-centered Roman Catholic parish in Tonawanda, NY, founded in 1929 and belonging to the Light of Christ Family of Parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo. The parish worships in the main church and in its Chapel of Divine Mercy, offers daily and weekend Masses, and welcomes visitors to 'not be a stranger' — the parish office is open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. Weekend Masses are available live-streamed through the parish website.
- Weekend: Saturday Vigil 4:00 pm; Sunday 9:30 am (Choir Mass)
- Weekday: Monday and Thursday 8:00 am; Wednesday 6:30 pm — all in the Chapel of Divine Mercy
- Live-streamed weekend Masses via parish website
A Brief History of the Parish
The parish traces its roots to 1919, when Catholic families in 'Duck Town' — north of Kenmore Avenue and east of Niagara Falls Boulevard — gathered for Sunday Mass in the Kenilworth Fire Hall on Hawthorne Avenue. Bishop William Turner of Buffalo erected the new parish in October 1929 and appointed Father Michael J. Fitzgerald as founding pastor; he said his first Mass for the congregation on December 8, 1929, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The parish marked its 90th Anniversary on October 26, 2019.
- 1919 — first Masses held in the Kenilworth Fire Hall on Hawthorne Avenue, served by Father Klauder of St. John the Baptist.
- October 1929 — Bishop Turner appoints Father Michael J. Fitzgerald as first pastor.
- December 8, 1929 — first Mass of the new parish (Feast of the Immaculate Conception).
- 1930s — parish survives the Great Depression; Fitzgerald sometimes could not collect his own small salary and once sold his car to buy groceries for destitute parishioners.
- 1959 — Father Fitzgerald elevated to Monsignor by Pope John XXIII; invested December 13, 1959 at St. Joseph's New Cathedral in Buffalo.
- 1961 — Monsignor Fitzgerald retires at age 65 after 32 years; parish left with 1,600 families and 1,100 pupils in the school.
- October 26, 2019 — 90th Anniversary celebration; sixteen-part history series republished in the bulletin.
Founder: Monsignor Michael J. Fitzgerald
Reverend Monsignor Michael J. Fitzgerald (May 27, 1895 – Muchross, Ireland) studied at St. Brendan's Seminary in Killarney and St. Kieran's College in Ireland, and was ordained December 1, 1918 at the Seminary of Our Lady of the Angels at Niagara University. Before founding Blessed Sacrament, he served as Assistant Pastor at St. Joseph's Cathedral, St. Monica's Church, and St. Thomas Aquinas — all in Buffalo. He chose the name 'Blessed Sacrament' out of personal devotion to the Eucharist. Together with his original trustees, Frank J. Drexelius and James O. Burns (whose names remain on the parish's incorporated title), he laid the foundation of the present parish community.
Worship & Liturgy
Weekend Mass is celebrated Saturday at 4:00 pm (Vigil) and Sunday at 9:30 am with the parish choir, followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet in the Chapel. Weekday Masses are held in the Chapel of Divine Mercy on Monday and Thursday mornings at 8:00 am and on Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm. Holy Days and Healing Masses are announced in the weekly bulletin.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 pm
- Sunday: 9:30 am (Choir, Divine Mercy Chaplet after Mass)
- Monday: 8:00 am (Chapel)
- Wednesday: 6:30 pm (Chapel)
- Thursday: 8:00 am (Chapel)
- Live-stream link: see the parish website
Our Parish Staff
The parish is led by a pastor and parochial vicar and is supported by office, music, faith-formation, and maintenance staff, as well as dedicated ministry coordinators. The Food Pantry operates under a volunteer director.
- Rev. Michael Parker — Pastor
- Rev. Peter Ekanem — Parochial Vicar (ext. 406)
- Mary Anne Guerra — Administrative Assistant (ext. 401)
- DebraAnn Costanzo — Business Manager (ext. 402)
- Sr. Lucette Kinecki — Faith Formation (ext. 403)
- Ken Fick, Jr. — Music Director
- Judy Carter — Volunteer Pantry Director, St. Faustina's Gate (716-837-2544)
- Will Burtis — Maintenance/Custodial
- Rosemary Ailinger — Parish Trustee
Parish Ministries
The parish runs a remarkably broad slate of ministries for a parish of its size, organized into Liturgical, Faith Formation, Outreach, Spiritual Life, and Pastoral Council groups. Many ministries are coordinated by Sr. Lucette Kinecki.
- Eucharistic Ministers & Eucharistic Ministers to the Sick & Homebound
- Lectors, Greeters, Ushers, Altar Servers, Funeral Servers
- Parish Choir (rehearses Tuesday evenings at 7 pm)
- Faith Formation for children and teens; Baptism Class Ministry
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) — meets Sunday mornings
- Nursing Home Ministry
- St. Faustina's Gate Food Pantry
- Catholic Charities Team
- Altar & Rosary Society — meets second Monday of the month, Sept–June
- Legion of Mary
- Ladies of the Altar
- St. Joseph's Guild — Building & Grounds Renovations
- Hospitality Committee
- Spiritual Life Committee
- Parish Pastoral Council
- Finance Committee — meets quarterly
- Fundraising Committee
- Communications Committee
- Liturgical Environment Team
- Parish Historian
Music Ministry
The parish choir, under Music Director Ken Fick, Jr., ministers at the 9:30 am Sunday Mass and at various Masses throughout the year. The group rehearses on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm and welcomes new members.
St. Faustina's Gate Food Pantry & Outreach
St. Faustina's Gate is the parish's outreach food pantry, serving the Ken-Ton community. It routinely fulfills about 100 food requests each month, and the parish runs a monthly non-perishable collection whose donations go immediately onto the pantry's shelves. Volunteer director Judy Carter can be reached at 716-837-2544. Pantry drop-off hours: donations may be left on the garden bench at the chapel entrance of the church, or dropped off at Father Cotter Hall Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9 am–1 pm, and Wednesday and Friday 9 am–3 pm. Open to clients Tuesday and Thursday, 11 am – 1:30 pm.
Faith Formation & RCIA
Faith Formation for children and teens is coordinated by Sr. Lucette Kinecki, with the goal of encouraging faith growth at home and active participation in parish life. The RCIA team welcomes adults seeking to enter the Catholic Church and meets Sunday mornings.
- Faith Formation — Sr. Lucette Kinecki (716-834-4282 x403)
- Baptism Class Ministry — Sr. Lucette Kinecki
- RCIA Team — meets Sunday mornings
Family of Parishes — Light of Christ (South)
Blessed Sacrament is part of the Light of Christ Family of Parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo. The Family's Central Office (South) is located at St. John the Baptist, 1085 Englewood Avenue, Kenmore, NY 14223, where the parish business office has been relocated.
Diocesan Renewal Process (2024)
In 2024, when the Diocese of Buffalo recommended the closure of nearly 90 worship sites as part of its parish renewal effort, Blessed Sacrament parishioners announced they would submit a counterproposal to remain open. Speaking to WIVB News 4 Buffalo, parish council president Maria Gust and counterproposal team member Tom Puchalski argued that the parish has 'more to offer than the other parishes,' citing better parking, a more central location, and a building that could accommodate multiple parishes.
- Diocese of Buffalo renewal process — recommended closures announced 2024
- Blessed Sacrament counterproposal announced at a parish family meeting
- Bishop Michael Fisher and Renewal Committee referenced as reviewers
Visit Us — Contact & Location
The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. Parishioners and visitors are warmly invited to stop by, call, or email with questions about Mass, sacraments, Faith Formation, the food pantry, or how to volunteer.
- Address: 263 Claremont Ave, Tonawanda, NY 14223
- Phone: (716) 834-4282 • Fax: (716) 834-9573
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 am – 4 pm
- Parish Business Office (relocated): Light of Christ Family Central Office (South), St. John the Baptist, 1085 Englewood Avenue, Kenmore, NY 14223
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael J. Fitzgerald (later Monsignor Michael J. Fitzgerald)1929–1961 (32 years as pastor; retired at age 65)
Founding pastor. Born May 27, 1895 in Muchross, Ireland; ordained December 1, 1918 at Niagara University. Assumed a $72,000 mortgage the day the stock market crashed; built the church, school, and rectory; elevated to Monsignor by Pope John XXIII in ceremonies at St. Joseph's New Cathedral on December 13, 1959. Left the parish at his retirement with 1,600 families and a school of 1,100 pupils (from an original 90 families and 70 children).