About Our Lady of the Snows · Panama, New York
Our Lady of the Snows is a historic Catholic faith community in the rural village of Panama, Chautauqua County, New York. Founded in 1946 and dedicated in 1956, it has long served as a spiritual home for local families under the patronage of Mary under the title Our Lady of the Snows. In 2008 the parish was merged into Sacred Heart Parish in Lakewood, becoming a secondary worship site, and in 2025 the church building was decreed to be reduced to profane but not sordid use. The small wooden sanctuary is especially known for its Divine Mercy painting behind the altar.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Snows
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
History and Founding
Our Lady of the Snows began as a mission in 1946, using a remodeled home on East Main Street. It was dedicated a decade later on 18 November 1956.
Road to Renewal and Closure
As part of the Diocese of Buffalo's restructuring, the parish was merged into Sacred Heart Parish, Lakewood, in 2008. In 2024 the diocese announced the site would close and be sold, and in 2025 a decree reduced the church to profane but not sordid use.
Sacred Art
The sanctuary features a Divine Mercy painting behind the altar, noted in the diocesan pilgrimage guidebook.