About Holy Cross · Salem, New York
Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic parish in Salem, New York, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Along with St. Patrick's in Cambridge and Immaculate Conception in Hoosick Falls, it forms the Battenkill Catholic Cluster (sometimes called the Battenkill Catholic Network), a pastoral grouping of rural parishes in the rolling countryside between New York's Hudson River and Vermont's Green Mountains. Holy Cross celebrates Mass on Sundays at 8:15 AM and Tuesdays at 9:00 AM at its church on North Main Street, and shares clergy and faith-formation resources with its sister parishes.
- Established
- 1859
- Patron
- Holy Cross
- Rector
- Rev. Scott VanDerveer
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
Holy Cross offers a small, traditional Catholic community in rural Salem with Sunday and weekday Mass, the hospitality of a long-standing parish (in continuous service since 1859), and the wider reach of the Battenkill Catholic Cluster, which means parishioners benefit from shared clergy, faith formation for all ages, and outreach programs like Wings of Care for the elderly and homebound. Whether you live in Salem year-round or are visiting the southern Adirondack region, the parish welcomes you to worship at a historic church in the heart of Washington's rolling farmland.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Location
Holy Cross Church sits at 249 N. Main St. in the village of Salem, Washington County, New York — a rural community in the rolling countryside between the Hudson River and Vermont's Green Mountains. It is one of the principal Catholic parishes serving Salem's residents and is identified by the Town of Salem itself as one of the community's anchor churches.
- Address: 249 N. Main St., Salem, NY 12865
- Phone: (518) 854-7626
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
History of Holy Cross
The original Holy Cross church was built in 1859, just twelve years after the Diocese of Albany was established. Salem Catholics had been gathering since at least 1842 for occasional Masses in local farmhouses whenever a traveling priest passed through. In 1862 the bishop invited the Augustinian Order to the diocese, and the Augustinians served Holy Cross from 1863 to 1873. The original church was replaced with a new structure dedicated in 1888, and the parish marked its 100th Anniversary in 1985 with a special Mass, procession, and dinner.
- 1859 — Original Holy Cross church built
- 1863–1873 — Served by Augustinian Fathers (O.S.A.)
- 1888 — New (current) church dedicated
- June 24, 1895 — Holy Cross Church of Salem, N.Y. incorporated as a NY domestic not-for-profit corporation
- 1985 — 100th Anniversary Mass, procession, and dinner
- 1994–1997 — Diocese of Albany forms the Battenkill Catholic Cluster
Battenkill Catholic Cluster
Holy Cross is one of three parishes that make up the Battenkill Catholic Cluster, a pastoral network of Roman Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Albany. The cluster was formed in the mid-1990s when the Albany diocese began grouping these rural parishes for shared pastoral planning. The cluster also publishes Mass times and contact information for the nearby parishes of St. Joseph's in Greenwich and Notre Dame–Visitation in Schuylerville.
- Immaculate Conception — Hoosick Falls, NY
- St. Patrick's — Cambridge, NY
- Holy Cross — Salem, NY
- Nearby parishes: St. Joseph's (Greenwich), Notre Dame–Visitation (Schuylerville)
Mass and Worship Schedule
Mass at Holy Cross is currently celebrated twice weekly. The parish shares the broader cluster Mass schedule so that parishioners can attend Mass at any of the Battenkill churches on any day of the week.
- Sunday — 8:15 AM (English)
- Tuesday — 9:00 AM (English)
Clergy and Staff
Holy Cross is served by clergy and staff shared across the Battenkill Catholic Cluster. The pastor and parochial vicar listed on the Diocese of Albany's directory page for Holy Cross also serve the cluster's other parishes.
- Rev. Scott VanDerveer — Pastor
- Rev. Peter Tkocz — Parochial Vicar
- Mary Rosmus — Parish Life Coordinator, (518) 677-2757
Faith Formation and Lifelong Faith
The cluster operates a shared lifelong faith formation program — the Battenkill Catholic Lifelong Faith Learning Center — offering activities and resources for all ages to enrich faith and nurture spiritual growth. It covers the entire sacramental preparation pathway from childhood through becoming Catholic as an adult, plus youth ministry for grades 7–9 and 9–12, and family faith formation with at-home resources.
- Sacrament Preparation: Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation
- OCIA — Becoming Catholic (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Youth Ministry (Grades 7–9 and 9–12)
- Family Faith Formation and at-home resources
Wings of Care Outreach
Wings of Care is a ministry of care for the elderly and homebound that operates across the Battenkill Catholic Cluster. It is grounded in the belief that every person is worthy of reverence throughout his or her life and deserves affordable services to help them remain in their homes as long as possible. The ministry also offers opportunities to grow in faith.
- Companionship
- Transportation
- Homemaking
- Socialization
- Faith-growth opportunities for clients
- Contact: 518-677-2757
Records and Archives
Baptism, marriage, and burial registers for Holy Cross are extensive and have been indexed by the American-Canadian Genealogical Society, making the parish a useful resource for those researching Catholic families of Washington County and the surrounding region.
- Marriages: 582 (1865–2003)
- Baptisms: 2,028 (1862–2002)
- Burials: 1,085 (1899–2003)
Visit and Contact
Parishioners and visitors are invited to attend Mass at the church on North Main Street or to reach the parish office by phone or email during business hours. The Battenkill Catholic website also lists additional contacts for the cluster parishes.
- Parish phone: (518) 854-7626
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Cluster website: battenkillcatholic.org
- Diocese of Albany parish page: rcda.org/parishes/parish/holy-cross-church-salem-ny
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Augustinian Fathers (O.S.A.)1863–1873
First order invited to staff Holy Cross after the 1862 bishop's invitation; last Augustinian, Fr. Fedigan, helped acquire the first St. Joseph's church in Greenwich.