About Holy Family · Downsville, New York
The Church of the Holy Family is a Roman Catholic mission parish serving the small village of Downsville in Delaware County, New York. It is one of three linked parishes — alongside St. John the Baptist in Walton and St. Peter's in Delhi — that together form a single faith community served from the rectory at St. John the Baptist. Classified by the Diocese of Albany as a mission of St. John the Baptist, Holy Family offers a Sunday Mass in Downsville each week along with Sunday Eucharistic Adoration, with the full weekly schedule of Masses, Reconciliation, and First Friday devotions shared across the three worship sites. The parish is cared for pastorally by Rev. Edward Golding and a small staff of lay ministers who reach out to the homebound, the grieving, and the sick throughout the western Catskills region.
- Patron
- Holy Family (of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Edward Golding
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
Holy Family Downsville offers something rare for rural upstate New York: a weekly Sunday Mass and a four-hour block of Eucharistic Adoration right in the village, supported by a network of three parishes and an attentive pastor. The faith community actively reaches out to the homebound and grieving through its Pastoral Care and Grief Ministries, and the parish encourages participation in the shared tri-parish Faith Formation program. For Catholics in Downsville and the surrounding East Branch valley, it is a welcoming mission church where individual families are known by name and where a Sunday visit can include both Mass and a long quiet hour before the Blessed Sacrament.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Saturday of the month, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM (at St. John the Baptist Church, Walton — shared tri-parish schedule)
Adoration times
- Sunday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (at Holy Family, Downsville)
About Holy Family
Holy Family is the Catholic mission church serving Downsville, New York, in the East Branch valley of Delaware County. Along with St. John the Baptist in Walton and St. Peter's in Delhi, it forms a single tri-parish Roman Catholic community under the Diocese of Albany. The parishes describe themselves as 'responsive and evolving faith families encouraging growth in our relationship to God and to one another,' welcoming individuals and families who are 'seeking spiritual guidance in the tradition of the Catholic Church.' Sunday Mass in Downsville is celebrated at 8:00 AM, followed immediately by a four-hour period of Eucharistic Adoration. The parish is administered from the rectory at St. John the Baptist, Walton, where the pastor's office and shared parish staff are based.
- Tri-parish community: St. John the Baptist (Walton), St. Peter's (Delhi), Holy Family (Downsville)
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
- Classification: Mission of St. John the Baptist Church, Walton
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
Pastor and Staff
The three parishes are shepherded by a single pastor, Rev. Edward Golding, whose name and pastoral letters appear on the homepage of catholicwalton.com. The parish secretary and other lay staff supporting all three worship sites are based at the St. John the Baptist rectory, 25 Benton Avenue, Walton. The Diocese of Albany directory likewise lists Father Golding as the priest in charge of St. John the Baptist, St. Peter's, and the Church of the Holy Family.
- Pastor: Rev. Edward Golding — (607) 865-7394
- Parish office address (St. John's): 25 Benton Avenue, Walton, NY 13856
- Pastoral Care line: (607) 865-7394, ext. 207
Pastoral Care and Outreach to the Sick
The tri-parish community maintains an active Pastoral Care Ministry that brings the Eucharist and the pastoral presence of the Church to those who cannot easily come to Mass. Parishioners are asked to notify the office of any Catholic neighbor, friend, or relative who is homebound, hospitalized, or living in a nursing home, so that a Minister of the Sick can visit. The Pastoral Care voicemail line is shared across all three parishes.
- Pastoral Care / Ministers of the Sick — leaves message at (607) 865-7394, ext. 207
- Visits to the homebound, hospital, and nursing home residents
- Bringing Holy Communion to those unable to attend Mass
Grief Ministry
The Grief Ministry accompanies parishioners who are mourning — whether the loss is recent or long past — by offering a listening ear, empathy, and suggestions rooted in Catholic spirituality. The parish describes its mission as helping people move 'forward with the help of our Faith' toward 'a positive life journey.' Contact information is published on the parish homepage.
- Contact: Kathy — (607) 376-1633, [email protected]
Faith Formation
Faith Formation (the parish religious education program) is offered across the three linked parishes, with sessions meeting monthly during the school year. The parish homepage notes that 'Faith Formation is finished for the year' as part of the regular calendar rhythm. The program serves the families of all three worship sites together.
- Shared tri-parish Faith Formation program
- Monthly sessions during the academic year (September–May)
- Hosted at St. John the Baptist, Walton
Parish Addresses and Contact
Although Holy Family Downsville is the mission site, mail and donations for St. John the Baptist and Holy Family are typically directed to the Walton rectory; donations for St. Peter's go to the Delhi parish office. The parish office phone line routes calls across all three sites.
- Church of the Holy Family — 14918 Route 30, Downsville, NY 13755 — (607) 363-7214
- St. John the Baptist (Walton) — 25 Benton Avenue, Walton, NY 13856 — (607) 865-7394
- St. Peter's (Delhi) — 8 Franklin Street, Delhi, NY 13753 — (607) 746-2503
- Parish email: [email protected]
Giving and Supporting the Parishes
During the COVID-19 pandemic the pastor publicly asked parishioners to continue giving by mail, since the regular collection basket was no longer being passed. The mailing arrangement has continued as a way of supporting all three worship sites.
- Mail donations for St. John the Baptist or Holy Family to: 25 Benton Avenue, Walton, NY 13856
- Mail donations for St. Peter's to: 8 Franklin Street, Delhi, NY 13753