About Our Lady Queen of Apostles · Frankfort, New York
Our Lady Queen of Apostles is a Roman Catholic parish in the village of Frankfort, New York, situated in the Mohawk Valley. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany (Mohawk Valley Vicariate) and is twinned as a sister parish with Annunciation Church in Ilion, with the two sharing clergy and faith-formation programs. The parish serves Herkimer County Catholics through daily and Sunday Masses at its Frankfort church and shared Sunday Masses at the Ilion site, and offers the sacraments of Reconciliation, Baptism, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles (Blessed Virgin Mary under the title 'Queen of the Apostles')
- Rector
- Father Paul Catena (as of recent diocesan and news reporting; formerly shared pastor of Annunciation-Ilion and Our Lady Queen of Apostles-Frankfort)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
Our Lady Queen of Apostles offers a welcoming, small-town Catholic home in the Mohawk Valley with a clear sacramental life: a Sunday morning Mass at 9:00 am in Frankfort (with the sister parish in Ilion offering an 11:00 am Mass), daily Mass on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and Saturday Vigil and Reconciliation during the May–October season. The parish actively reaches out to young families through a faith-formation program serving roughly 170 children across the two parishes, using the Faith and Life series for grades 1–8 and the Altaration and Chosen series for Confirmation preparation in grades 9–10.
Mass times at Our Lady Queen of Apostles
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday: 7:30 am
- Thursday: 7:30 am
- Saturday: 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm (May–October, at OLQA)
About Our Lady Queen of Apostles
Our Lady Queen of Apostles Church (OLQA) is a Roman Catholic parish in the village of Frankfort, Herkimer County, New York, within the Mohawk Valley Vicariate of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Established in 1927, the parish grew out of the merger of two earlier Frankfort parishes — Saint Mary of Mount Carmel and Saints Peter & Paul — and continues to serve local Catholic families today. The parish is closely twinned with Annunciation Church in nearby Ilion, with the two sharing clergy, religious-education staff, and weekend Mass coverage.
History
Founded in 1927, Our Lady Queen of Apostles is one of the long-standing Catholic parishes of the Mohawk Valley. According to historical notes kept by neighboring parishes, OLQA was created by combining the older Saint Mary of Mount Carmel parish and the Saints Peter & Paul parish — both rooted in Frankfort's immigrant and small-town Catholic life. In more recent decades the parish has operated in pastoral partnership with Annunciation Church in Ilion, NY (established 1868), an arrangement under which the two parishes share a pastor and rotate Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass coverage between their two church buildings.
- Established 1927
- Formed from merger of St. Mary of Mount Carmel and Ss. Peter & Paul parishes
- Sister-parish relationship with Annunciation Church, Ilion
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Our Lady Queen of Apostles runs a parish religious-education program in cooperation with its sister parish, Annunciation in Ilion. As of recent diocesan press coverage, roughly 170 children are enrolled across the two parishes. Younger students (grades 1–8) use the Faith and Life series with textbook and activity book, while Confirmation preparation for grades 9–10 uses the 'Altaration: The Mystery of the Mass Revealed' series (six sessions) and the 'Chosen' series (eighteen sessions), along with ten 'You' sessions on the theology of the body for tenth-graders. Maryel Wallace has served as coordinator across both parishes, with parish-side assistance from Teresa Riscica at OLQA and Vicki Angell at Annunciation.
- Faith and Life series, grades 1–8
- Altaration series, grade 9 (six sessions)
- Chosen series, grades 9–10 (eighteen sessions)
- 'You' sessions on theology of the body, grade 10
- Approximately 170 students across both parishes
Sacraments
OLQA celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments either at the parish or by referral. Baptisms, Marriages, and Anointing of the Sick are arranged by calling the Parish Office; Reconciliation is offered on the published weekly schedule; the Eucharist is celebrated at the daily and Sunday Masses listed above; and Confirmation is prepared through the parish faith-formation program.
- Baptism
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation
- Eucharist
- Confirmation
Clergy & Staff
OLQA shares pastoral leadership with Annunciation Parish in Ilion. Father Paul Catena served as pastor of both parishes from 2004 (Ilion) and 2008 (also Frankfort) until his November 2012 reassignment to St. Ambrose Parish and School in Latham. Subsequent reporting in The Evangelist (Diocese of Albany) identifies Father Anthony Michael Barratt as a priest of the Ilion-Frankfort cluster. Parish faith-formation is coordinated by Maryel Wallace, with parish-side assistance from Teresa Riscica at OLQA.
- Father Paul Catena
- Father Anthony Michael Barratt
- Maryel Wallace (Faith Formation coordinator)
- Teresa Riscica (parish assistant, OLQA)
- Vicki Angell (parish assistant, Annunciation/Ilion)
Visit & Contact
The parish is located at 412 Frankfort Street, Frankfort, NY 13340, and can be reached by phone at (315) 894-2360 or by email at [email protected]. The parish's own website is http://www.olqoa.info, and it is also listed on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany's parish directory at rcda.org. The parish falls within the Mohawk Valley Vicariate of the Diocese of Albany.
- Address: 412 Frankfort Street, Frankfort, NY 13340
- Phone: (315) 894-2360
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish website: http://www.olqoa.info
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Diocese & Vicariate
Our Lady Queen of Apostles belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, in upstate New York. Within the diocese it is one of the parishes of the Mohawk Valley Vicariate, currently led by Vicar Very Rev. Christopher Welch. Sister parishes in the same vicariate include Annunciation (Ilion, est. 1868), Blessed Sacrament (Mohawk), Church of Saints Anthony and Joseph (Herkimer), and other Mohawk Valley parishes.
- Diocese of Albany
- Mohawk Valley Vicariate
- Vicar: Very Rev. Christopher Welch
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Paul Catenafrom approximately 2008
Appointed pastor of Annunciation Church in Ilion in 2004; from 2008 also served as pastor of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles Church in Frankfort. Held these posts until November 2012 when reassigned to St. Ambrose Parish and School in Latham.
- Father Anthony Michael Barrattsubsequent pastor for the Ilion-Frankfort cluster
Per The Evangelist (Albany diocese) reporting on priest anniversaries, Father Barratt served as a priest for both parishes.