About Immaculate Conception · Ransomville, New York
Immaculate Conception Parish is a small rural Roman Catholic parish in the hamlet of Ransomville, Niagara County, New York, in the Diocese of Buffalo. The parish sits on Townline Road (Route 429) in the Town of Porter and is clustered with neighboring St. Peter Parish in Lewiston and St. Bernard in Youngstown as part of the "Niagara Frontier Catholic Community" (Family of Parishes #34). It serves a tight-knit farming community in the Lake Ontario fruit belt and is dedicated — as its name suggests — to the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, whose feast on December 8 is its patronal celebration.
- Established
- 1870
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of the Immaculate Conception)
- Rector
- Rev. Samuel T. Giangreco (Parish Administrator of Family #34, effective July 1, 2026)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception offers a warm, small-town Catholic experience in the heart of Niagara County's fruit and farming country, with a tight parish family that is comfortable being heard and involved. Worship is celebrated in an intimate rural church with weekday and Sunday Masses, Saturday confessions, an active Worship and Liturgy Committee, an Altar and Rosary Society, and periodic programs such as Alpha (a free dinner-and-discussion series). It is also part of a larger collaborative family of parishes (the Niagara Frontier Catholic Community / Family #34) that shares priests, deacons and resources across Lewiston, Youngstown and Ransomville, so parishioners benefit from a wider community while keeping a neighborhood-scale parish home.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM (Immaculate Conception)
- Wednesday: 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM (Immaculate Conception, before 6:30 PM Mass)
- Other times by appointment (parish office 716-754-4118)
Adoration times
- No publicly posted adoration schedule; available by appointment via the parish office (716-754-4118).
Welcome & Parish Identity
Immaculate Conception welcomes visitors and parishioners as part of the Niagara Frontier Catholic Community, the collaborative family of parishes that links St. Peter's in Lewiston, St. Bernard in Youngstown and Immaculate Conception in Ransomville. The parish's stated mission is to respond to God's invitation by making disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18) through the celebration of the sacraments, lifelong faith formation, spiritual nourishment, ministry and stewardship opportunities, and the responsible administration of the resources God has entrusted to the community.
- St. Peter Parish — Lewiston (620 Center Street, Lewiston, NY 14092)
- St. Bernard Parish — Youngstown
- Immaculate Conception Parish — Ransomville (4671 Townline Rd., Ransomville, NY 14131)
- Collaborative motto: responding to God's invitation; making disciples (Mt 28:18)
- Family office contact line: (716) 754-4118
Parish History
Catholic life in the Porter/Ransomville area goes back to at least 1870, when sacramental registers begin for what was then the Immaculate Conception Mission in nearby Cambria. Those early records — baptisms, confirmations, deaths and marriages from 1870–1907 — are now preserved at St. Charles Borromeo, Olcott, evidence of how missionary parishes in rural Niagara County served scattered farm families. As the hamlet of Ransomville grew with the arrival of the railroad in 1876 and a wave of general stores, blacksmiths and trades, the Catholic community eventually organized as a parish of its own within the Diocese of Buffalo.
- 1870: Catholic mission presence documented in the Porter/Cambria area
- Late 19th century: Immaculate Conception becomes a parish of the Diocese of Buffalo
- c. 1972: present church constructed at 4671 Townline Road, Ransomville
- 2021: sanctuary refreshed (new rugs, paint) and new altar, ambo and tabernacle stand designed and built
- 2023: joins the Central Niagara Catholic Family (Family #10)
- 2025: reassigned to Family #34 (Niagara Frontier Catholic Community)
Architecture & Sanctuary Furnishings
The present church is a small, modern rural worship building erected in the early 1970s. Its defining interior features are the exposed wood support beams in the ceiling and matching woodwork around the sanctuary. The 2021 liturgical furnishings were designed specifically to harmonize with those architectural elements — the curved legs of the new altar, ambo and tabernacle stand deliberately echo the curves of the ceiling beams, and the wood tone matches the surrounding sanctuary woodwork. The project was led by the parish's Worship and Liturgy Committee, the Altar and Rosary Society, and pastoral associate Laurie Muth, with design by Doug Wolters and construction by Amish craftsman Eli Gingerich of The Woodpeckers.
- Approximate construction date: c. 1972
- Exposed wood ceiling beams — design motif for new liturgical furnishings
- Matching woodwork framing the sanctuary
- New altar, ambo and tabernacle stand consecrated July 25, 2021 by Bishop Michael W. Fisher
- Designer: Doug Wolters (Illinois)
- Builder: Eli Gingerich, The Woodpeckers (Amish craftsman)
- Project funding: Upon This Rock diocesan grant
Clergy, Deacons & Parish Staff
Immaculate Conception is currently served by Family #34 of the Diocese of Buffalo's family-of-parishes program. Father Samuel T. Giangreco was appointed Parish Administrator of Family #34 effective July 1, 2026; Father Steven A. Jekielek was named Administrator Pro Temp earlier in 2026 and continues to serve while remaining Vicar Forane of the Niagara/Orleans Vicariate. The family also includes Father Alphonse Arulanandu and deacons David Augustyniak and John Phillips. Until early 2026, Father Luke P. Uebler served as pastor of Immaculate Conception (appointed March 3, 2025). At the parish level, Deacon Howard Morgan is the longstanding parish deacon; retired pastor Father James ('Jim') Bastian and retired Father Joseph Dumphrey, OSFS continue to assist with Masses. Pastoral associate Laurie Muth is also actively involved.
- Rev. Samuel T. Giangreco — Parish Administrator, Family #34 (effective July 1, 2026)
- Rev. Steven A. Jekielek — Administrator Pro Temp, Family #34; Vicar Forane, Niagara/Orleans Vicariate
- Rev. Alphonse Arulanandu — priest, Family #34
- Rev. Luke P. Uebler — pastor (March 3, 2025 – Jan. 6, 2026, on leave)
- Rev. James ('Jim') Bastian — retired pastor (2022), assisting in retirement
- Rev. Joseph Dumphrey, OSFS — retired assisting priest
- Deacon Howard Morgan — parish deacon
- Deacon David Augustyniak — Family #34
- Deacon John Phillips — Family #34
- Laurie Muth — Pastoral Associate
Family of Parishes & Diocesan Collaboration
Immaculate Conception participates in the Diocese of Buffalo's family-of-parishes initiative, which clusters neighboring parishes under shared pastoral leadership, a unified bulletin, and combined faith formation, youth ministry and stewardship. From 2023 to 2025 the parish belonged to the Central Niagara Catholic Family (Family #10) with St. John the Baptist Lockport, All Saints Lockport and St. Brendan on the Lake Newfane; priests-in-solidum Rev. Matt M. Nycz (moderator), Rev. Daniel E. Ogbeifun and Rev. Andrew R. Lauricella rotated through the four parishes so every parishioner could get to know each priest. In March 2025 Immaculate Conception moved to Family #34, the Niagara Frontier Catholic Community, alongside St. Peter (Lewiston) and St. Raphael (Niagara Falls). The parish has also hosted vicariate-level events for the Niagara/Orleans Vicariate, including the first diocesan briefing on the proposed $150 million abuse settlement.
- Family #34 — Niagara Frontier Catholic Community (current)
- Former Family #10 — Central Niagara Catholic Family (2023–2025)
- Priests In Solidum (Family #10): Rev. Matt M. Nycz (moderator), Rev. Daniel E. Ogbeifun, Rev. Andrew R. Lauricella
- Shared weekly family bulletin and family crest
- Vicariate meetings and abuse-settlement briefing hosted at the church
- Vicar Forane for Niagara/Orleans Vicariate: Rev. Steven A. Jekielek
Ministries, Faith Formation & Evangelization
Immaculate Conception maintains a tight core of parish ministries — most notably the Worship and Liturgy Committee and the Altar & Rosary Society — that led the recent sanctuary and altar project. The parish also offers Alpha, a free dinner-and-discussion evangelization series run on Thursday evenings in October, designed to help Catholics deepen their faith and invite newcomers. Sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, RCIA) and lifelong faith formation are coordinated collaboratively across the family of parishes.
- Worship and Liturgy Committee
- Altar & Rosary Society
- Alpha (Thursdays in October, 6:00–7:30 PM; free; dinner provided)
- RCIA and adult faith formation
- Sacramental preparation for First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage
- Youth and family ministry through the family of parishes
- Stewardship and lay ministry programming
Sacraments & Devotions
The parish celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments — Baptism (infant and adult through RCIA), First Reconciliation and First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders discernment — and provides funeral liturgies and bereavement support. The patronal devotion of the parish is the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated each year on December 8. Holy Day Masses are typically scheduled at the parish in addition to the regular weekly schedule; the December 8 patronal Mass is normally celebrated at 6:30 PM at Immaculate Conception.
- Baptism — infant and adult (RCIA)
- First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage — preparation and celebration
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment / for the homebound
- Funeral liturgies and bereavement support
- Holy Orders and vocations discernment
- Patronal feast — Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8
Visiting, Location & Practical Info
Immaculate Conception is located at 4671 Townline Road (NY Route 429) in the hamlet of Ransomville, Town of Porter, Niagara County, New York. The church is single-level and easy to access, with on-site parking. Office staff and many parish services are coordinated through St. Peter Parish in Lewiston (620 Center Street), and the central parish phone line — (716) 754-4118 — is the best first point of contact for both newcomers and longtime parishioners. Visitors are warmly welcomed at all Masses, and Alpha nights and Holy Day liturgies are designed to be especially accessible to newcomers.
- Address: 4671 Townline Road (Route 429), Ransomville, NY 14131
- Phone: (716) 754-4118
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.niagarafrontiercatholic.org
- On-site parking available
- Single-level, modest-sized rural church
- Family office also at St. Peter Parish, 620 Center Street, Lewiston, NY 14092
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James (Jim) Bastianthrough August 1, 2022 (retirement)
Long-time pastor of Immaculate Conception; oversaw 2021 altar, ambo and tabernacle consecration by Bishop Michael W. Fisher. Continued in retirement assisting Family #10 alongside retired Father Joseph Dumphrey, OSFS.
- Rev. Matt M. NyczMay 1, 2023 – March 2025
Priest In Solidum and Moderator of Family #10 (Central Niagara Catholic Family), which grouped Immaculate Conception with St. John the Baptist Lockport, All Saints Lockport, and St. Brendan on the Lake Newfane.
- Rev. Daniel E. OgbeifunMay 1, 2023 – March 2025
Priest In Solidum, Family #10 (Central Niagara Catholic Family).
- Rev. Andrew R. LauricellaMay 1, 2023 – March 2025
Priest In Solidum, Family #10 (Central Niagara Catholic Family); also pastor of St. Brendan on the Lake, Newfane/Wilson.
- Rev. Steven A. Jekielekfrom early 2023; Administrator Pro Temp effective Jan. 24, 2026
Temporary administrator for St. John the Baptist Lockport and Immaculate Conception Ransomville; Vicar Forane of the Niagara/Orleans Vicariate; Finance Manager of the Department of Catholic Education.
- Rev. Luke P. UeblerMarch 3, 2025 – Jan. 6, 2026
Appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception when the parish joined Family #34 (the Lower Niagara River Catholic Community). Granted a leave of absence effective January 6, 2026.
- Rev. Samuel T. Giangrecoeffective July 1, 2026
Appointed Parish Administrator of Family of Parishes #34 (St. Peter, Lewiston and Immaculate Conception, Ransomville), to reside at St. Peter, Lewiston.
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