About Church of the Assumption · Redford, New York
The Church of the Assumption is a small Roman Catholic parish in the hamlet of Redford, Clinton County, New York, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg. It is pastored by Reverend Michael J. Jablonski, who also serves St. Joseph's Church in Dannemora. The parish is celebrated as the 'mother church' of the surrounding Adirondack community and is famous for the annual Redford Picnic, a tradition begun in 1855 on the day of the church's dedication that continues to draw thousands each year.
- Established
- 1855
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under her title of the Assumption)
- Rector
- Reverend Michael J. Jablonski
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg
Why belong here
The Church of the Assumption is a small, mission-rooted Catholic parish set in the Adirondack foothills of Clinton County, where the same families have gathered for Mass, the annual Assumption celebration, and the famous Redford Picnic since 1855. Worship is centered on the 1855 sandstone church — the visual and spiritual heart of the hamlet — and the parish is led by Fr. Michael Jablonski, who also shepherds the linked St. Joseph's community in Dannemora. For a visitor, it offers an intimate, historically-rich setting to attend Mass, share in a tradition nearly 170 years old, and take part in a beloved community picnic that supports the parish to this day.
Mass times at Church of the Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History & the Redford Mission
The Catholic community of Redford traces its origins to a small chapel built because local residents were not allowed to use the public school-house for Mass. In 1853 the Oblate Fathers from Plattsburgh took over the Redford mission and set out to build a larger church. That church was erected on a lot next to the original chapel, and its blessing took place on Wednesday, August 15, 1855, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary — the source of the parish's name. The parish's 19th-century history is preserved in E. C. Laramée's 'Historical Sketch of Notre Dame Church of the Assumption, B.V.M., Redford, N.Y.' published in 1899 and held on microfilm at the University of Notre Dame Library.
- Mission chapel predates 1855, when Catholics could not use the public school-house for Mass
- Oblate Fathers from Plattsburgh assumed the Redford mission in 1853
- New church blessed on August 15, 1855 (Feast of the Assumption)
- Historical Sketch by E. C. Laramée, published 1899
The Redford Picnic Tradition
On the very day the church was dedicated in 1855, the parishioners and their neighbors gathered for a community picnic on the grounds — a tradition now nearly 170 years old. The early picnics featured bands, food booths, candy, cigars and soda; by 1927 more than 3,000 people attended and hundreds of cars lined the highway. Originally the picnic's proceeds supported the sandstone church, then later the parish school, and today the parish itself. In 1956 the date was moved from the calendar day of August 15 to the third Sunday in August; longtime locals still call it 'the 15th of Redford.'
- First picnic held August 15, 1855, on the day of the church dedication
- Mentioned in the Plattsburgh Sentinel on September 21, 1888
- 3,000+ attendees reported by the Plattsburgh Daily Press in 1927
- Moved to the third Sunday in August in 1956
The Redford Carousel
One of the most distinctive features of the parish and its grounds is a c. 1895 Armitage-Herschell single-track carousel — a rare surviving piece of American folk amusement history with 24 original wooden horses and four chariots. It has been in the possession of the Church of the Assumption since at least the 1920s (reportedly acquired after a traveling carnival went bankrupt or from someone who owed the parish money) and was first documented in use at the picnic in 1925. It runs only on picnic day, is powered today by a tractor via the power take-off, and is accompanied by calliope music.
- c. 1895 Armitage-Herschell single-track carousel
- 24 original wooden horses and 4 chariots
- First used at the Redford Picnic in 1925
- Operates only on picnic day, with calliope music
- Described as one of the oldest continuously operating carousels in North America
Clergy & Staff
The parish is pastored by Reverend Michael J. Jablonski, who also serves as pastor of the linked St. Joseph's Church in Dannemora. Fr. Jablonski is also recognized across the diocese for his ministry of preaching spiritual and healing retreats, including serving as chaplain for the Diocese of Ogdensburg's Our Lady of the Rosary Healing Retreat at Wadhams Hall. Parish correspondence is handled through the parish secretary at [email protected].
- Pastor: Reverend Michael J. Jablonski
- Linked parish: St. Joseph's Church, Dannemora
- Parish secretary email: [email protected]
- Diocesan office: Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg
Visiting the Parish
The Church of the Assumption is located in the hamlet of Redford in southern Clinton County, New York — about 15 miles south of Plattsburgh and within the Adirondack region. Visitors can reach the parish office by telephone at (518) 293-5168 or by email at [email protected]. Mailing address: 78 Clinton Street, Redford, NY 12978. The parish shares its official social presence on Facebook with sister parish St. Joseph's Church in Dannemora.
- 78 Clinton Street, Redford, NY 12978
- Telephone: (518) 293-5168
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook page shared with St. Joseph's Church, Dannemora
- Diocese of Ogdensburg parish listing: rcdony.org/parish/redford
Diocese & Canonical Standing
The Church of the Assumption is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, suffragan to the Archdiocese of New York. It belongs to the diocese's Clinton Deanery and is listed in the official diocesan parish directory. The parish is identified in the GCatholic database (Church ID 18331) and is also recognized as part of the 'Churches in the Path of Totality' for the 2024 solar eclipse that crossed northern New York.
- Diocese of Ogdensburg
- Clinton Deanery
- GCatholic Church ID: 18331
- Rite: Roman-Latin