Holy Spirit

Parish History

Holy Spirit Parish was established in 1910 as the first Catholic parish to serve Buffalo's North Park, a neighborhood just transitioning out of farmland. A small clapboard church was built on Hertel Avenue, and Bishop Colton blessed a popular shrine to St. Rita there in 1913. The outbreak of World War I brought an influx of factory workers from Pierce Arrow, American Radiator and Curtiss Aeroplane, transforming North Park and the parish. The original church was eventually sold and moved to Wilbury Place, and in 1929 ground was broken on the present Dakota Street church, which opened in 1930.

Church Building & Architecture

The present Holy Spirit Church was erected in 1930 to a design by architect Edward J. Trautman. It is a modest, boxy brick structure that originally combined the worship space on the ground floor with a school on the second floor. The Modernist massing is accented with simplified Gothic Revival touches on the front façade, including a compound-arched main entrance, a Gothic-style stained-glass window with simple tracery, and windows framed by Gibbs surrounds.

Devotions

The parish nurtures devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary through two regular weekly devotions.

• Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena — Wednesdays at 6:00 PM, preceding the 6:15 PM Mass
• Eucharistic Adoration — Fridays at 7:30 AM

Parish Staff & Clergy

Holy Spirit is staffed by a pastor, a parish administrator who oversees the wider Catholic Community of Buffalo, North, a permanent deacon, and lay leaders directing faith formation, music and parish outreach.

• Rev. David I. Richards — Pastor
• Rev. Joseph W. Tokasz — Administrator, Catholic Community of Buffalo, North (Family #20)
• Deacon Timothy Haley — Permanent Deacon
• Sr. Katherine Marie Bogner, SSMN — Director of Lay Ministries
• Karen Adamski — Director of Religious Education
• Rasa Stalygiene — Music Director

Ministries & Outreach

Beyond Sunday worship, Holy Spirit runs a long-standing food pantry that serves the North Park neighborhood, a religious-education program for parish children, a parish music ministry, and a lay-ministry program under the direction of Sr. Katherine Marie Bogner, SSMN. Volunteers are welcome — the parish asks those interested in serving to call the rectory during office hours.

• Food Pantry — Thursdays 9:00–10:00 AM and 5:00–6:00 PM at 85 Dakota St.
• Religious Education — coordinated by Karen Adamski (716-875-8102)
• Lay Ministry program — under Sr. Katherine Marie Bogner, SSMN
• Music Ministry — under Rasa Stalygiene
• Parish volunteers — call the rectory, 716-875-8102, Mon–Fri 9 AM–4 PM

Catholic Community of Buffalo, North (Family #20)

Since 2022 Holy Spirit has been grouped with five neighboring parishes — Assumption, All Saints, St. Mark, St. Margaret and St. Rose of Lima — into the Catholic Community of Buffalo, North, one of the Diocese of Buffalo's pilot Families of Parishes under the Road to Renewal pastoral renewal initiative. The community shares pastoral leadership and certain resources across its worship sites while each parish retains its own Mass schedule, ministries and identity.

• Family #20 — Catholic Community of Buffalo, North
• Sister parishes: Assumption, All Saints, St. Mark, St. Margaret, St. Rose of Lima — all in Buffalo
• Family-wide Pastor: Rev. David I. Richards
• Family Administrator: Rev. Joseph W. Tokasz
• Pastoral model: Diocese of Buffalo Road to Renewal

Contact & Visiting

The parish is easy to reach on Dakota Street in North Buffalo, with offices at 91 Dakota St. and the parish center/food pantry at 85 Dakota St.

• Address — 85 Dakota St., Buffalo, NY 14216 (rectory: 91 Dakota St.)
• Phone — 716-875-8102
• Fax — 716-875-4186
• Email — [email protected]
• Office Hours — Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 9:00 AM–4:00 PM; Wed 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
• Website — holyspiritchurchbuffalo.com
• Facebook — @HolySpiritBuffalo