About Immaculate Heart of Mary (2 Worship Sites, see directions below) · Darien Center, New York
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural Genesee-Wyoming region of western New York, in the Diocese of Buffalo. It is a two-site parish with worship locations in Darien Center (the former Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel on Alleghany Road) and in Bennington Center (on Clinton Street). As part of the Diocese of Buffalo's 2024 'Road to Renewal' reorganization, both worship sites of Immaculate Heart of Mary were merged into St. John Neumann Parish and the buildings were slated for closure; sacramental records from 2008 to 2024 are now maintained at St. John Neumann in Strykersville. The parish serves a quiet farming community south of Batavia and its IRS ruling date as a religious organization is March 1946.
- Established
- 2008
- Patron
- Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
Immaculate Heart of Mary has long been a small, rural Catholic community serving the farming families of Darien Center and Bennington Center with two simple, accessible worship sites — Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Darien Center and Saturday vigil Mass at the Bennington Center church. The parish offered a close-knit setting in which generations of the same families worshiped, and its sacramental life (baptisms, weddings, funerals, first Communions, confirmations) was celebrated in the intimate setting of a country parish. While the buildings were closed under the Diocese of Buffalo's 2024 renewal plan, the parish registers are preserved at St. John Neumann in Strykersville for continuity of records.
Mass times at Immaculate Heart of Mary (2 Worship Sites, see directions below)
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Two Worship Sites
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish was a two-site Roman Catholic parish in the Genesee-Wyoming region of the Diocese of Buffalo. The Darien Center worship site — listed officially as the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel — stood at 10675 Alleghany Road in Darien Center, NY 14040. The Bennington Center worship site, also called Immaculate Heart of Mary, was located at 1230 Clinton Street, Bennington Center, NY 14011.
- Darien Center site (Our Lady of Good Counsel): 10675 Alleghany Rd., Darien Center, NY 14040
- Bennington Center site (Immaculate Heart of Mary): 1230 Clinton Street, Bennington Center, NY 14011
- Parish phone: (585) 547-3547
- Bennington Center phone: (585) 591-0176
- Web: immaculateheartparish.org
History & Formation
The combined parish was formed in 2008 by the Diocese of Buffalo, joining two earlier country parishes. The Darien Center congregation traces its origins to 1911 (Our Lady of Good Counsel); the Bennington Center congregation dates to 1872 (Sacred Heart of Jesus). Following the Diocese's 2024 'Road to Renewal' plan, both worship sites were designated for closure and the parish merged into St. John Neumann Parish, Strykersville.
- Darien Center parish (Our Lady of Good Counsel) founded 1911
- Bennington Center parish (Sacred Heart of Jesus) founded 1872
- United as Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in 2008
- Merged into St. John Neumann Parish, Strykersville, under the 2024 Road to Renewal plan
- Sacramental records 2008-2024 housed at St. John Neumann, Strykersville
Mass & Worship Schedule
As a small two-site country parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary offered a simple weekly schedule: the Saturday Vigil Mass was celebrated at the Bennington Center church and Sunday Mass at the Our Lady of Good Counsel church in Darien Center. (Schedules may have varied before closure; parishioners were directed to consult the parish bulletin for the current calendar.)
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 4:00 pm at Bennington Center
- Sunday Mass — 7:30 am at Darien Center (Our Lady of Good Counsel)
Sacraments
Like every Catholic parish in the Diocese of Buffalo, Immaculate Heart of Mary prepared parishioners for and celebrated the seven sacraments. Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, Marriages and Funerals were celebrated at one or both of the parish's worship sites depending on family preference and the priest's assignment.
- Baptism
- First Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral liturgies
Diocese of Buffalo & 'Road to Renewal'
Immaculate Heart of Mary belongs to the Diocese of Buffalo, which serves eight counties of western New York. In 2024, Bishop Michael Fisher announced the 'Road to Renewal,' a sweeping consolidation that reduced the diocese's parishes and worship sites. Immaculate Heart of Mary (Darien and Bennington) was placed in Family No. 13 and ultimately directed to merge into Family No. 14 under the new St. John Neumann Parish, with both worship sites slated for closure by mid-2025.
- Jurisdiction: Diocese of Buffalo
- Vicariate: Genesee-Wyoming
- Vicar Forane involved in planning: Rev. Bernard Nowak
- Pastoral plan: 'Road to Renewal,' announced 2024
- Merged with St. John Neumann Parish (Strykersville, Attica, Sheldon, Varysburg)
Parish Records & Archives
After the 2008 merger, the combined parish's sacramental registers were kept at the Darien Center rectory. Following the 2024 announcement, the Diocese of Buffalo designated St. John Neumann Parish in Strykersville as the custodian of all sacramental records for the years 2008 through 2024. Records of the predecessor parishes (Our Lady of Good Counsel 1911-2008, and Sacred Heart of Jesus / Immaculate Heart of Mary Bennington 1872-2008) are also accessible through diocesan archives.
- Immaculate Heart of Mary records (2008-2024): St. John Neumann, Strykersville
- Our Lady of Good Counsel records (1911-2008): St. John Neumann, Strykersville
- Sacred Heart / Immaculate Heart of Mary Bennington Center records (1872-2008): Immaculate Heart of Mary, Darien Center