About Our Lady of the Lake. Good Shepherd Catholic Community · King Ferry, New York
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in King Ferry, New York is the southernmost of four historic worship sites that together form the Good Shepherd Catholic Community (GSCC), a unified multi-site parish in Cayuga County serving the Finger Lakes region. Established in 1868 by farming families, the small white clapboard church on State Route 90 has welcomed generations of Catholic worshippers in the rural community between Auburn and Ithaca. Since 2006 it has shared a single pastor, staff, and faith formation program with its sister sites at St. Patrick's (Moravia), St. Patrick's (Aurora), and St. Michael's (Union Springs), all within the Diocese of Rochester.
- Established
- 1868 (Our Lady of the Lake); 2006 (formal unification as Good Shepherd Catholic Community)
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Lake (Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of the Lake)
- Rector
- Rev. William A. Moorby (Fr. Bill Moorby); Father Joseph Maurici has been announced as the incoming Parochial Administrator of GSCC effective June 30
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Lake offers the rare gift of a small, historic rural Catholic church — white clapboard, gabled, and surrounded by Finger Lakes farmland — where Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM is celebrated in an intimate setting rooted in a community founded by farmers in 1868. As part of Good Shepherd Catholic Community, parishioners enjoy the best of both worlds: the warmth and continuity of a single neighborhood church and the broader liturgical, faith-formation, and outreach resources of a four-site parish, including a shared food pantry, Vacation Bible School, the Bl. Solanus Casey Doorway Ministry for parishioner guidance, and a unified pastoral council.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Lake. Good Shepherd Catholic Community
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Fridays, 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM, at Our Lady of the Lake before First Friday Mass & Benediction
Adoration times
- Benediction follows the 9:00 AM First Friday Mass at Our Lady of the Lake
About Good Shepherd Catholic Community
The Good Shepherd Catholic Community (GSCC) is a unified multi-site Catholic parish that brings together four historic worship sites in the Finger Lakes region of New York: Our Lady of the Lake in King Ferry, St. Michael's in Union Springs, St. Patrick's in Moravia, and St. Patrick's in Aurora. Formally established as one parish in 2006 as part of a Diocese of Rochester pastoral-planning initiative, GSCC pools the resources of these communities so that, in the parish's own words, it can 'better serve the spiritual, educational, and pastoral needs of its members.' Each church retains its own architecture, history, and congregation while sharing a single pastor, parish office, faith formation program, pastoral council, and outreach efforts.
- Four worship sites: Our Lady of the Lake (King Ferry), St. Michael's (Union Springs), St. Patrick's (Moravia), St. Patrick's (Aurora)
- Diocese of Rochester, Cayuga County, New York
- Parish office: 299 Main Street, Aurora, NY 13026
- Phone: 315-364-7197
Our Lady of the Lake — King Ferry
Our Lady of the Lake is the southernmost worship site in Good Shepherd Catholic Community. Established in 1868, the church was built by and for the farming families of the King Ferry area, and its design still reflects that origin: a modest 19th-century rural Catholic church with a rectangular nave, gabled roof, simple bell tower, white clapboard siding, wooden pews, and clear-glass windows that flood the sanctuary with natural light. Set along State Route 90, it harmonizes with the surrounding Finger Lakes farmland and remains a quiet landmark of Catholic life in southern Cayuga County.
- Address: 8695 State Route 90, King Ferry, NY 13081
- Founded 1868
- Architecture: white clapboard, gabled roof, simple bell tower
- Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM; First Friday Mass at 9:00 AM followed by Benediction
Pastoral Staff & Leadership
Good Shepherd Catholic Community is led by Rev. William A. Moorby ('Fr. Bill'), who was appointed pastor by Bishop Salvatore Matano of the Diocese of Rochester. Fr. Bill is supported by Deacon Dennis Donahue (who coordinates the Bl. Solanus Casey Doorway Ministry), Office Administrator Robin Driskel (who is retiring and being succeeded by Julie Orman), Faith Formation Director Jon Robson, and Regional Finance Director Shawn Gillen-Caryl. The parish has announced that Father Joseph Maurici will become the next Parochial Administrator of GSCC effective June 30.
- Rev. William A. Moorby — Pastor ([email protected]; cell 607-761-6117)
- Deacon Dennis Donahue — Blessed Solanus Casey Doorway Ministry
- Robin Driskel — Office Administrator ([email protected])
- Julie Orman — incoming Office Administrator
- Jon Robson — Director of Faith Formation
- Shawn Gillen-Caryl — Regional Finance Director
- Father Joseph Maurici — incoming Parochial Administrator (effective June 30)
Pastoral Council
Parish-wide governance is exercised through a Pastoral Council with representatives from each of the four worship sites. Members and site representatives are listed on the parish website.
- Kelly Ford and Tom Powers — St. Patrick's, Moravia
- Marcia Slocum — Our Lady of the Lake, King Ferry
- Mike Groth and Jim Orman — St. Patrick's, Aurora
- John Miller — St. Patrick's, Aurora / Lansing
- Frank Sciortino — St. Michael's, Union Springs
- Paul Nelson — St. Patrick's, Moravia
- Abby Ford — St. Patrick's, Aurora (youth representation)
Mass & Weekly Services
At Our Lady of the Lake specifically, Mass is celebrated on Sunday morning at 10:30 AM and on First Fridays at 9:00 AM, immediately followed by Benediction. Across the four worship sites, GSCC offers daily and weekend Masses at St. Michael's (Union Springs), St. Patrick's (Moravia), and St. Patrick's (Aurora), as well as a weekly Mass at Northwood Nursing Home in Moravia.
- Sunday 10:30 AM — Our Lady of the Lake, King Ferry
- First Friday 9:00 AM (followed by Benediction) — Our Lady of the Lake
- Sunday 8:30 AM — St. Patrick's, Moravia
- Sunday 12:00 PM — St. Patrick's, Aurora
- Sunday 4:00 PM — St. Michael's, Union Springs
- Saturday 4:00 PM — St. Michael's, Union Springs
- Tuesday 9:00 AM — St. Patrick's, Moravia (Second Tuesday at 9:30 AM at Northwood Nursing Home)
- Monday & Friday 9:00 AM — St. Patrick's, Aurora
- Thursday 4:00 PM — St. Michael's, Union Springs
Sacraments
All sacramental preparation is coordinated through the Parish Office in Aurora. Couples must contact the office at least six months before a wedding; parents must call for a baptism appointment; and the Anointing of the Sick and Communion for the homebound are arranged by phone. Non-Catholics interested in becoming Catholic are invited to inquire about RCIA.
- Baptism — by appointment through the Parish Office
- Marriage — six months' notice required
- Anointing of the Sick and Communion for the Sick/Homebound — by request
- RCIA — speak to any staff member or call the Parish Office
- Mass Intentions / Mass Cards — through the Parish Office in Aurora
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for children and adults across GSCC is led by Director of Faith Formation Jon Robson, whose office is at 299 Clark Street, Auburn, NY 13021 (315-252-7593). The parish also runs an annual Vacation Bible School — most recently 'VBS True North: Trusting Jesus in a Wild World' — described on the parish site as a ministry carried on through the legacy of former Faith Formation Director Marilyn Paradise.
- Faith Formation Office: 299 Clark Street, Auburn, NY 13021
- Phone: 315-252-7593
- Director: Jon Robson
- Annual Vacation Bible School for children
- RCIA for adults preparing to enter the Church
Outreach & Social Ministry
Good Shepherd Catholic Community maintains a strong outreach footprint, anchored by the King Ferry Food Pantry — which serves Cayuga County and is open the first and third Saturdays of each month from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and by appointment. A parish-wide 'Fish Bowl' donation drive on the first Sunday of each month collects items that are then distributed to food pantries in Union Springs, Moravia, and the King Ferry Food Pantry at SCCS.
- King Ferry Food Pantry — First & Third Saturdays, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (and by appointment)
- First Sunday 'Fish Bowl' food donation drive
- Blessed Solanus Casey Doorway Ministry — parishioner guidance, information & referral, spiritual direction
- Social Ministry / Emergency Assistance through the Parish Office
Getting Involved & New Parishioners
The parish welcomes new members at every site. Registration forms are available at each worship site or by contacting the Parish Office, and parishioners are encouraged to introduce themselves to the staff. Volunteers are regularly sought for counting the weekly collections, teaching at VBS, and helping run the King Ferry Food Pantry.
- New parishioner registration forms at each site and through the Parish Office
- Collection-counter volunteers needed on Mondays
- VBS volunteers for the annual summer program
- Food Pantry volunteers
Visiting & Contact
Our Lady of the Lake sits directly on State Route 90 (NY-90) in the hamlet of King Ferry, between Auburn and Ithaca. The unified Parish Office — which serves all four worship sites — is at 299 Main Street, Aurora, NY 13026, and is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (and by appointment).
- Our Lady of the Lake: 8695 State Route 90, King Ferry, NY 13081
- Parish Office: 299 Main Street, Aurora, NY 13026
- Phone: 315-364-7197
- Office hours: Mon–Tue and Thu, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (and by appointment)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. William A. MoorbyAppointed by Bishop Salvatore Matano; serving into 2025
Arrived as pastor; under him year-round Masses resumed at St. Patrick's, Aurora, and the parish consolidated into one pastoral council and office.