About Immaculate Conception Church (Parish of St. Theresa, Sacred Heart and Immaculate Conception) · Haines Falls, New York
Immaculate Conception Church is a Roman Catholic parish church located at 67 North Lake Road in Haines Falls, New York, in the heart of the northern Catskills. It is one of two worship sites of Sacred Heart–Immaculate Conception Parish, together with Sacred Heart Church in Palenville, and is affiliated with St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Windham as a sister church. All three belong to the Hudson Valley Vicariate West (HHV West) Network of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Sunday Mass is celebrated at Immaculate Conception at 11:00 AM, with weekday, vigil, and network-wide Mass times coordinated across the wider pastoral grouping.
- Established
- 1907
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of the Immaculate Conception)
- Rector
- Rev. Jay Atherton (effective July 1, 2026, Rev. Patrick Rice has been appointed pastor of the merged parish by Bishop Mark O'Connell)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception welcomes you into a small but vigorous mountain Catholic community that spans three worship sites — Haines Falls, Palenville and Windham — under one pastoral team in the Diocese of Albany. Sunday Mass is celebrated right on North Lake Road in Haines Falls, surrounded by the Catskill communities of Tannersville, Elka Park, Hunter and Lexington; the parish also oversees the historic St. Francis de Sales Mission and cemetery in Elka Park. Active parish life includes a Women's Guild that meets monthly, a Bible study using The Bible Timeline program, a shared network Faith Formation program, and easy access to FORMED.org digital Catholic content for the whole family.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception Church (Parish of St. Theresa, Sacred Heart and Immaculate Conception)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- After the Saturday 5:00 PM Mass at St. Theresa's in Windham — ask the priest and he will stay
About the Parish
Immaculate Conception Church is the Haines Falls worship site of Sacred Heart–Immaculate Conception Parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. It works in close pastoral partnership with Sacred Heart Church in Palenville and with St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Windham, and together they form part of the Hudson Valley Vicariate West Network (HHV West). The parish boundaries stretch across the mountain-top communities of Palenville, Haines Falls, Tannersville, Elka Park, East Jewett, Hunter, and Lexington, and the parish also cares for the historic St. Francis de Sales Mission Church and cemetery in Elka Park.
- Sunday Mass at Immaculate Conception: 11:00 AM
- Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart, Palenville: 9:00 AM
- Saturday Vigil at St. Theresa's, Windham: 5:00 PM
- St. Francis de Sales Mission, Elka Park: special Masses only (not weekly)
History of Immaculate Conception
The parish traces its roots to St. Mary of the Mountain in Hunter, the mother Catholic church of the northern Catskills, founded in 1837 to serve Irish immigrants in the tanning trade. As the early-20th-century Catskills resort trade boomed — with grand hotels like the Catskill Mountain House, the Laurel House, Hotel Kaaterskill, and the Lox-Hurst — Father William Keefe began saying Mass for the mountain-top faithful at the Antlers Hotel in 1905–1906. In 1906 he purchased the Levi Haines property and began building a new church. The first Mass in the new Church of the Immaculate Conception was celebrated on Sunday, July 6, 1907, and the Hunter Review of July 12, 1907 carried a long description of the building and the ceremonies. The total projected cost was $5,000. Father Keefe then moved the parish residence from Hunter down to the former 'Haines Home' in Haines Falls, which still serves as the rectory.
- 1837 — St. Mary of the Mountain founded in Hunter
- 1905–1906 — Father Keefe celebrates Mass at the Antlers Hotel in Haines Falls
- 1906 — Levi Haines property purchased; construction begins on the new church
- 1907 (July 6) — First Mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception
- 2009 — Immaculate Conception merged with Sacred Heart, Palenville
Clergy, Staff & Parish Leaders
The parish is led by a pastor who serves the three worship sites — Immaculate Conception, Sacred Heart, and St. Theresa's — supported by an administrative assistant, bookkeeper, music director, cantors and parish trustees. The pastorate is shared with the wider HHV West Network, whose hub is the Network Office at 66 William St., Catskill, NY (518-943-3150).
- Pastor: Rev. Jay Atherton (until July 1, 2026)
- Pastor-designate (effective July 1, 2026): Rev. Patrick Rice
- Administrative Assistant: Mrs. Siobhain Lavery
- Bookkeeper: Mrs. Janine O'Leary
- Music Director: Mr. Joe Eigo
- Cantor (St. Theresa's): Joan Oldknow
- Cantor (Sacred Heart–Immaculate Conception): Ewa Kalinski
- Trustees (Sacred Heart–Immaculate Conception): Marc Czermerys, Dave Armstrong
- Trustees (St. Theresa's, Windham): Claudia Desgache, Mary Ann Ledda
Sacraments
Parishioners are asked to contact the Network Office for most sacramental preparations. Baptisms are arranged through the office, weddings require a minimum eight-month notice and follow the published Wedding Guidelines, and confessions are heard after the Saturday Vigil Mass at St. Theresa's in Windham (simply let the priest know and he will stay).
- Baptism: call the Network Office at 518-943-3150
- Weddings: contact the Network Office at least 8 months in advance (518-943-3150); Wedding Guidelines and Policies posted on the parish website
- Confession: after the Saturday 5:00 PM Mass at St. Theresa's, Windham
- Religious Education / Faith Formation: see the HHV West Network Faith Formation site linked from the parish website
Parish Ministries & Faith Formation
The parish shares faith formation and parish life across the HHV West Network. Active lay groups include the Women's Guild (which meets at St. Theresa's the first Friday of each month from 2:00–4:00 PM in the Church Hall), and a parish Bible study using The Bible Timeline program, launched in April 2026 with two weekly sessions. Children and youth are served through the Network Faith Formation site, including the Circle of Grace safety curriculum, and parishioners are encouraged to register for a free personal account on FORMED.org (under 'St. Patrick's Athens-Catskill') for Catholic video, audio, and e-book content.
- Women's Guild — first Friday, 2:00–4:00 PM, Church Hall
- The Bible Timeline Bible Study — two weekly sessions (launched April 2026)
- Network Faith Formation (HHV West) — sign-up via the parish website
- Circle of Grace children's safety program
- FORMED.org digital Catholic library (free parish access)
Contact, Location & Visiting
The parish office serves Immaculate Conception and Sacred Heart and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM. The mailing address is P.O. Box 379, Haines Falls, NY 12437. For sacramental arrangements and registration, parishioners are encouraged to use the Network Office at 66 William St., Catskill, NY 12414 (518-943-3150).
- Parish Office: (518) 589-5577 — [email protected]
- Network Office: 518-943-3150
- Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
- Address: 67 North Lake Rd., Haines Falls, NY 12436
- Register as a parishioner via St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, zip 12496
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. William Keefe1904–(after 1907)
Built and opened Immaculate Conception in Haines Falls; first Mass celebrated July 6, 1907; previously pastor of St. Mary of the Mountain, Hunter; moved rectory from Hunter to the former Haines Home in Haines Falls.
- Rev. Jay Athertonuntil July 1, 2026
Current pastor of Sacred Heart–Immaculate Conception Parish; reassigned by Bishop O'Connell as Rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany, and Parochial Vicar of Historic St. Mary's, Albany.
- Rev. Patrick Ricefrom July 1, 2026
Named by Bishop Mark O'Connell as incoming pastor of Sacred Heart (Palenville) merged with Immaculate Conception (Haines Falls), and St. Theresa of the Child Jesus (Windham).