About Our Lady of Queen of Peace · Rochester, New York
Our Lady Queen of Peace is a Roman Catholic parish in the town of Brighton, an inner-ring suburb of Rochester, New York, within the Diocese of Rochester. Established in 1960 by Bishop James E. Kearney and dedicated at 601 Edgewood Avenue in 1962, the parish has operated for more than six decades from the same building — originally intended as a temporary worship space — while steadily expanding its ministries. Since 2008 Our Lady Queen of Peace has been formally clustered with the neighboring St. Thomas More parish (founded 1953) at 2617 East Avenue, sharing priests, staff, and faith-formation programs as one Catholic community with two worship sites. The combined community offers daily and weekend Mass in English, a full faith-formation K-12 program, OCIA for adults, music and youth ministries, and an active schedule of social-outreach projects serving local shelters, food pantries, and refugees.
- Established
- 1960
- Patron
- Our Lady Queen of Peace (Mary, Queen of Peace)
- Rector
- Father Joseph Hart
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
Our Lady Queen of Peace offers a warm, suburban Brighton parish with a full liturgical schedule — multiple Sunday and daily Masses, Saturday Reconciliation, and live-streamed services — combined with the broader programs of its 2008 cluster with St. Thomas More. The parish is rooted in the sacramental and devotional life of the Catholic Church (OCIA, Confirmation, Faith Formation K-12, Adoration, Stations of the Cross, Lenten Penance Services) and reaches outward through dozens of ministries: parish choirs and a handbell choir at OLQP, robust youth and young-adult ministry, and a wide social-outreach program including a monthly food drive for St. Andrew's Center, monthly toiletry drives for The Women's Place, annual school-supply and Thanksgiving-bag collections, Soup Saturdays at St. Martin's Kitchen (Nov.–March), a year-round knitting/crocheting ministry, Christmas Giving Tree, Habitat for Humanity builds, and refugee resettlement with diocesan partners.
Mass times at Our Lady of Queen of Peace
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM before the 4:30 PM Mass at both OLQP & STM
- By appointment: call the parish office (585) 244-3010 between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM Monday–Thursday
Welcome & Parish Identity
Our Lady Queen of Peace is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Rochester, located at 601 Edgewood Avenue in Brighton, just southeast of the City of Rochester, New York. Since June 2008 it has been formally clustered with the neighboring St. Thomas More parish (2617 East Avenue, Rochester) as one Catholic community with two worship sites — sharing priests, staff, faith-formation programs, and outreach. The combined parish welcomes all who wish to worship, learn, serve, and belong.
- Cluster community: Our Lady Queen of Peace / St. Thomas More
- Located in the Town of Brighton, Monroe County
- Monroe Central Deanery, Diocese of Rochester
- Pastor: Father Joseph Hart
- Visiting Priest: Father Daniel Condon
History of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish
Bishop James E. Kearney established Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish on September 14, 1960, during the post-war residential expansion of suburban Rochester. Father James F. Slattery was named founding pastor in June 1960 and led the parish for 26 years. The church at 601 Edgewood Avenue was dedicated by Bishop Kearney on April 29, 1962 — a building originally intended as a temporary worship space that still serves the parish today. A parish hall was subsequently dedicated in Father Slattery's honor after his death in 2005. In June 2008 OLQP clustered with neighboring St. Thomas More, creating today's two-site Catholic community.
- Founded: September 14, 1960 by Bishop James E. Kearney
- Church dedicated: April 29, 1962
- Founding pastor: Father James F. Slattery (1960–1986; d. 2005)
- Cluster formed with St. Thomas More: June 2008
- Parish hall named for Father Slattery
Our Staff & Clergy
The OLQP/STM cluster is served by a pastor, visiting priest, the diocese's Vicar General as Assisting Priest, a deacon, a pastoral administrator, and a dedicated lay staff responsible for faith formation, OCIA, youth ministry, music, and parish finances. Father Joseph A. Hart serves as Pastor (also listed as Co-Administrator with Margaret Ostromecki in the diocesan directory).
- Father Joseph Hart – Pastor (244-3010 ext. 102)
- Father Daniel Condon – Visiting Priest
- V. Reverend Paul Tomasso – Assisting Priest / Vicar General
- Deacon Art Cuestas
- Margaret Ostromecki – Pastoral Administrator / Co-Administrator
- Nathalie Pearson – Administrative Assistant
- Sue Ward – Director of Faith Formation (ext. 109)
- Mary Ann Obark – OCIA Coordinator & Adult Sacramental Preparation
- Nora Bradbury-Haehl – Pastoral Associate / Youth & Young Adult Ministry
- Meghan Robinson Kellogg – OLQP Music Director (ext. 107)
- Edith Harwick – STM Music Director
- Mary Kase – OLQP/STM Finance Director
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish faith-formation program prepares children, teens, and adults for a full sacramental life in the Catholic Church. Classes meet weekly for K-5, with a two-year Confirmation process beginning no sooner than grade 8. Catechists and aides are needed every year and receive ongoing formation and CASE training.
- Weekly K-5 Program (Tuesdays)
- Confirmation Years 1 & 2 (begins grade 8)
- Online and paper registration for 2025–2026
- Youth Ministry gatherings approximately twice monthly
OCIA — Becoming Catholic
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) is the parish's formal process for welcoming adults into full communion with the Catholic Church, and a similar journey exists for children age 7 and older. It is open to those unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or baptized Catholics who have not yet made First Communion or been Confirmed.
- Coordinator: Mary Ann Obark
- Adult Sacramental Preparation also coordinated here
- Volunteers welcome to serve as sponsors or catechists
Music & Liturgical Arts
Music ministry is robust across both worship sites of the cluster. At OLQP, the parish choir and instrumentalists lead music at the 9 AM Sunday Mass roughly every other week; a handbell choir (started during the pandemic) plays several Masses each year, and singers and ringers aged 12 and up are welcome. At STM the semi-professional Liturgical Choir, open by audition to those age 16+, anchors the 11 AM Sunday Mass with a repertoire spanning Gregorian chant to contemporary sacred music.
- OLQP Choir and Instrumentalists — rehearsal Sundays 10:15–11:45 AM
- OLQP Handbell Choir — seasonal schedule
- STM Liturgical Choir — Sunday rehearsals 9:30 AM
- OLQP Music Director: Meghan Robinson Kellogg
- STM Music Director: Edith Harwick
Social Outreach & Charity
Outreach to the wider Rochester community is woven into parish life at OLQP/STM, ranging from monthly food and toiletry drives to multi-parish Habitat for Humanity builds and refugee resettlement in partnership with Catholic Family Center. The Social Advocacy Group keeps parishioners informed on issues of Catholic social teaching and the parish welcomes new volunteers and ideas throughout the year.
- Monthly food collection for St. Andrew's Center (Inner-City Food Pantry)
- Monthly toiletry collection for The Women's Place (shelter for women & children)
- Annual School Supplies Drive (August)
- Thanksgiving Bag Service Project (St. Andrew's Food Cupboard)
- Christmas Giving Tree
- Soup Saturdays — 25 gallons of homemade soup to St. Martin's Kitchen, Nov.–March
- Knitting/Crocheting Group (Tuesdays 9–11 AM at OLQP, Fall & Winter)
- Habitat for Humanity builds with Brighton churches
- Refugee Resettlement
Lent, Advent & Seasonal Devotions
In addition to the regular Mass and Confession schedule, the cluster offers seasonal penance services and devotions throughout the liturgical year. Lent 2026 features a parish Penance Service at OLQP on Friday, March 14 (10:00 AM, three priests available), the Diocesan Day of Penance and Mercy on Monday, March 24, weekly Stations of the Cross on Fridays, and the Pathways to Synodality Lenten Series on Wednesdays.
- Lenten Penance Service — March 14, 10 AM at OLQP
- Diocesan Day of Penance and Mercy — March 24, 2026
- Stations of the Cross — Fridays in Lent
- Pathways to Synodality Lenten Series — Wednesdays, 1:30 PM or 6:30 PM
- Ash Wednesday Masses — 8 AM & 12:15 PM at STM; 7 AM & 7 PM at OLQP
Planning Your Visit
Visitors and newcomers are warmly welcomed at Our Lady Queen of Peace. Drop-in for Donuts fellowship follows Family Masses on designated Sundays (February 8, January 11, 2026). Parishioners 55 and older are invited to the regular Senior Lunch gatherings, and Faith-Formation registration for the 2025–2026 year is open online and on paper.
- Family Masses with Children's Homily & Drop-in for Donuts
- Senior Lunch program (parishioners 55+)
- Faith Formation Registration for K-5 and Confirmation
- Emergency Pastoral Care line: 585-244-3010 or 585-381-4200
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father James F. Slattery1960–1986
Founding pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace; ordained 1941; the parish hall was later named in his honor; died May 11, 2005.
- Father Joseph Hart2008–present (cluster)
Originally named Part-time Sacramental Minister of the OLQP/STM cluster in June 2008; currently Pastor/Co-Administrator.