About Most Holy Rosary · Maine, New York
Most Holy Rosary Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural town of Maine, New York, in Broome County just northwest of Binghamton. It is part of the Diocese of Syracuse and is canonically linked with the Church of the Holy Family in Endwell, sharing one pastor (Rev. Clarence F. Rumble) while maintaining an independent parish office. The parish was established in 1944 and continues to serve a tight-knit rural community with Sunday Mass, a weekday Friday Mass, Bible study, a parish library, and the Knights of Columbus.
- Established
- 1944
- Patron
- The Most Holy Rosary (the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Holy Rosary)
- Rector
- Rev. Clarence F. Rumble
- Diocese
- Diocese of Syracuse
Why belong here
Most Holy Rosary is the kind of parish where, as the bulletin puts it, 'group prayer is powerful' — the Rosary is prayed together before every Sunday Mass, and the small size means visitors and regulars alike are known by name. The community gathers for Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM, a Friday morning weekday Mass, Bible study on Wednesdays, a twice-monthly small-group book study, a parish library in honor of a former pastor, and devotions such as the Holy Hour and Patriotic Rosary. Canonically linked with the Church of the Holy Family in Endwell, MHR offers the warmth and intimacy of a small-town parish backed by the stability of a shared pastoral team.
Mass times at Most Holy Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment at the rectory (per catholicmasstime.org; not listed in the parish bulletin schedule)
Adoration times
- None listed at Most Holy Rosary itself; parishioners are directed to the Adoration Chapel at the linked Church of the Holy Family (Endwell), Monday – Friday, 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM (contact Carla Coon, [email protected])
Welcome to Most Holy Rosary
The parish's homepage greets visitors as 'A welcoming place for all' and points immediately to its signature devotion: 'The Rosary is prayed before Mass each Sunday at 9am. Please join us — group prayer is powerful!' The site also highlights Wednesday Bible Study in the parish hall from 6:00 – 7:30 PM, framed as 'Scripture in our lives.' Visitors are invited to call the office at (607) 862-3216 or email [email protected], with the mailing address given as P.O. Box 248, Maine, NY 13802, and the physical location at 2596 Main St.
- Phone: 607-862-3216
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing: P.O. Box 248, Maine, NY 13802
- Church: 2596 Main St., Maine, NY 13802
- Tagline: 'A welcoming place for all.'
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish is served by a small, tight-knit staff led by Pastor Rev. Clarence F. Rumble, who also serves as pastor of the linked Church of the Holy Family in Endwell. Deacon James Tokos assists with diaconal ministry, and a team of lay staff handles pastoral, administrative, financial, and music ministries. Two elected trustees — Scott Kurkoski and Karen Taylor — provide lay governance alongside the pastor.
- Pastor: Rev. Clarence F. Rumble (also pastor, Church of the Holy Family, Endwell)
- Parish Deacon: James Tokos
- Pastoral Minister: Matt Karp
- Business Manager: Yvonne Austenfeld
- Office Manager: Renée Stastny
- Director of Music: Gavin Rice
- Trustees: Scott Kurkoski and Karen Taylor
Mass & Service Schedule
Most Holy Rosary keeps a deliberately simple weekly schedule appropriate to a small rural parish: one Sunday Mass, one Friday weekday Mass, and a Wednesday Morning Prayer with Communion. Mass intentions and Sanctuary Candle intentions may be requested through the parish office using a Mass request envelope with a $15 offering per Mass or candle.
- Sunday Mass — 9:30 AM (Rosary prayed in common beforehand at 9:00 AM)
- Friday Mass — 9:00 AM (cancelled on the day of a funeral; check the website)
- Wednesday — 9:00 AM Morning Prayer with Communion
- Parish Office: Monday – Thursday, 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
- Funeral-day cancellations posted on mostholyrosary-maineny.org
Faith Formation: Bible Study & Book Study
Faith formation at MHR centers on the parish hall and the rectory, not on a separate school building. The Wednesday evening Bible Study in the hall from 6:00 – 7:30 PM walks through the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings and applies them to daily life. A smaller-group Book Study meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7:00 PM in the rectory; recent reading has been 'My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of his Mother' by Antonia Salzano Acutis, the mother of the young Italian blessed who compiled a famous catalogue of Eucharistic Miracles.
- Bible Study — Wednesdays, 6:00 – 7:30 PM, parish hall
- Small Group Book Study — 2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 7:00 PM, rectory (contact Jean, 607-727-4410)
- Current study: 'My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of his Mother'
Father Clarence Cerwonka Parish Library
The parish library is named in honor of Father Clarence Cerwonka, a former pastor. It is staffed by volunteers and open after Mass on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month from 10:15 AM to 11:00 AM, and on Wednesdays from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM in the parish office. The collection can be browsed on the parish website, and titles can be reserved by email for pickup the following Sunday. The current Book of the Month is a binder of Eucharistic Miracles compiled by Carlo Acutis.
- Hours: after Sunday Mass on 1st & 3rd Sundays (10:15 – 11:00 AM) and Wednesdays (12:00 – 2:00 PM)
- Reserve titles by email for pickup the following Sunday
- Book of the Month: Eucharistic Miracles compiled by Carlo Acutis
- Librarian contact: Terri Natishan, 908-612-2484
Parish Ministries & Volunteer Service
Like most small parishes, MHR depends heavily on lay volunteers serving at the altar and in the parish hall. A rotating ministry schedule is published in the weekly bulletin assigning sacristans, altar servers, ushers (the Knights of Columbus serve in this role), lectors, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to each upcoming Sunday. Stewardship of time, talent, and treasure is a recurring theme in the bulletin.
- Sacristans
- Altar Servers
- Ushers (Knights of Columbus)
- Lectors
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Choir / Music Ministry under Director Gavin Rice
- Stewardship Committee
Knights of Columbus & Community Life
The local Knights of Columbus council is closely tied to MHR — council members serve as ushers at Mass and administer the annual $500 Tim McGovern Memorial Scholarship to a graduating high-school senior from the parish. The 2025 recipient was Joshua Karp, who joined fellow graduates Luke Bigelow, Sophia Castaldo, and Kazio Jellick in being recognized by the parish community. The Knights also support parish fundraisers such as the Super Raffle 50/50.
- Knights of Columbus — ushers at Sunday Mass
- Annual Tim McGovern Memorial Scholarship ($500)
- Super Raffle 50/50 — tickets $20 each, drawing held in October
Stewardship & Online Giving
The parish publishes a weekly offertory goal of $4,950.00 in the bulletin alongside the previous week's collection, with a note of thanks for parishioners' 'generosity, charity and sacrifice.' Online giving is handled through Abundant (abundant.co/mostholyrosarychurch/give). Parishioners who attend Mass at the linked Church of the Holy Family in Endwell may drop their MHR envelopes in the Holy Family offertory and they will be forwarded to MHR.
- Weekly Stewardship Goal: $4,950.00
- Online Giving: abundant.co/mostholyrosarychurch/give
- Linked-parish envelope forwarding: MHR envelopes accepted at Holy Family, Endwell
Holy Family – Most Holy Rosary Linkage
Most Holy Rosary is canonically linked with the Church of the Holy Family in Endwell, NY, under the pastoral care of Rev. Clarence F. Rumble. The two parishes share one pastor but maintain separate parish offices, staffs, finances, and Mass schedules. Practical benefits for parishioners include the ability to drop envelopes at either church, shared pastoral emergency coverage (Fr. Rumble's emergency line: 607-754-0690), and access to additional Mass, confession, and adoration opportunities at Holy Family.
- Linked parish: Church of the Holy Family, Endwell, NY
- Shared Pastor: Rev. Clarence F. Rumble
- Holy Family Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM; Sunday Mass: 8:00 AM & 11:00 AM
- Holy Family Daily Mass: Tuesday – Thursday, 9:00 AM
- Holy Family Confession: Saturday, 3:00 PM
- Holy Family Adoration Chapel: Mon–Fri, 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Diocese of Syracuse
Most Holy Rosary is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, which covers central and upstate New York. The diocesan website (syrdio.org) is linked from the bulletin, and the parish email uses the @syrdio.org domain. Parishioners are encouraged in the bulletin to pray for vocations and to follow the diocese's vocations ministry on Instagram (@vocationssyracuse).
- Diocese: Diocese of Syracuse
- Diocesan website: www.syrdio.org
- Vocations office: [email protected]
- Vocations Instagram: @vocationssyracuse
Visit & Contact
Visitors are warmly welcomed at Most Holy Rosary. The bulletin regularly prints 'A warm welcome to our visitors!' and notes that registration cards for those interested in joining the parish are available on the vestibule podium. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and the parish emergency line (for Fr. Rumble) is 607-754-0690.
- Office Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
- Pastor Emergency Line: 607-754-0690
- Registration cards on the vestibule podium
- In case of emergency: call Father Clarence Rumble at 607-754-0690
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Clarence Cerwonka
Former pastor in whose memory the parish library is named (the 'Father Clarence Cerwonka Library').