Resurrection (2 Worship sites, see directions below)

About Resurrection Parish

Resurrection Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Buffalo serving the greater Batavia, New York area. It is administered through three worship sites — St. Joseph in Batavia (303 East Main Street, which is also the parish office), St. Cecilia in East Pembroke, and Holy Name of Mary in Oakfield (56 Maple Avenue). The parish was formed in 2008 from the merger of St. Mary's and St. Joseph's in Batavia and has since grown through additional parish mergers and the Diocese's Road to Renewal initiative, most recently absorbing Ascension Parish (Batavia) effective November 22, 2024. Resurrection Parish is one of the parishes of Family #12 in the Diocese of Buffalo's collaborative Family of Parishes model.

History

Resurrection Parish traces its origin to 2008, when St. Mary's and St. Joseph's parishes in Batavia merged under the pastoral leadership of Father Ivan R. Trujillo, who had first been assigned to St. Mary's in the late 1980s. Father Bob Waters (ordained 1969) served alongside him as senior parochial vicar. Together with Music Director Mark Hoerbelt, they formed a long-running pastoral and liturgical team; Father Ivan served Batavia for 36 years and the trio celebrated roughly 2,500 Masses together over 24 years. In June 2023 both priests retired after celebrating their final Sunday Masses, and Rev. Matthew Zimheld was named head of the Family of Parishes in Batavia. Under the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Rightsize and Reshape' process, the parish closed its St. Mary's worship site, and on November 22, 2024, Ascension Parish was formally merged into Resurrection by decree of Bishop Michael W. Fisher.

• 2008 — St. Mary's and St. Joseph's parishes merge to form Resurrection Parish, with Father Ivan Trujillo as founding pastor.
• 2023 (June) — Father Ivan Trujillo and Father Bob Waters both retire; Rev. Matthew Zimheld becomes head of Batavia Family of Parishes.
• 2024 (Spring) — Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal recommends St. Mary's worship site closure and Ascension Parish merger.
• 2024 (Oct. 15) — Rev. Patrick O'Keefe named Parochial Vicar; Rev. Jozef Dudzik named Senior Parochial Vicar of realigned Family #12.
• 2024 (Nov. 22) — Ascension Parish formally merged into and closed into Resurrection Parish.

Worship Sites

Resurrection Parish operates three worship sites, each serving a distinct sub-community of the greater Batavia area. The parish office is co-located with the St. Joseph Worship Site in downtown Batavia.

• St. Joseph Worship Site — 303 East Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020 (parish office)
• St. Cecilia Worship Site — 8656 Church Street, East Pembroke, NY 14056
• St. Maximilian Kolbe / Holy Name of Mary Worship Site — 56 Maple Avenue, Oakfield, NY 14125

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Resurrection Parish runs a Family Faith Formation program that begins each year with a 10:00am Mass at the St. Joseph site in Batavia, followed by a session at St. Joseph's School, with subsequent combined parish gatherings at each worship site and individual classes at each site between those gatherings. The program prepares children for the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. Each worship site has its own coordinator for parish families.

• Family Fee: 1 child $40; 2 children $55; 3 or more $70
• Sacramental preparation fee: $15 per child
• Checks payable to Resurrection Parish; mailed or delivered to parish office by Sept. 14
• St. Joseph's coordinator: Jason Smith ([email protected])
• St. Cecilia's coordinator: Mary Ann Dorman ([email protected])
• Holy Name of Mary coordinator: Sister Barbara Bogden ([email protected])

Sacraments

Resurrection Parish prepares parishioners for and celebrates the seven sacraments. Baptisms are arranged through the parish office, and First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation are prepared for through the parish Faith Formation program. Marriages are scheduled by contacting the parish office, and funeral Masses are coordinated by having the funeral director contact the parish office at 585-343-5800.

• Baptism — contact parish office
• First Reconciliation / First Communion / Confirmation — parish Faith Formation
• Marriage — contact parish office
• Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum — on request
• Funeral / Memorial Mass — Mon–Sat 9:00am (≈1 hour); eulogies not permitted during the Mass

Funeral Mass Planning

The parish website hosts a dedicated Funeral Mass Planning page offering guidance for families at the time of a loved one's passing. Funeral Masses and Memorial Masses are celebrated Monday through Saturday at 9:00am and typically last about one hour; they are scheduled through the funeral director, who contacts the parish's main office. The parish notes that eulogies are not permitted during the Mass, but that a eulogy may be given at another appropriate setting. Readings should be selected from the Old Testament (First Reading) and the New Testament (Second Reading), with both readings from the New Testament between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. The page also offers a 'Music Suggestion' section with appropriate liturgical music; secular music, while sometimes a fitting tribute, is not appropriate for a funeral Mass.

• Funeral director contacts parish main office at (585) 343-5800 to schedule
• Mass held Mon–Sat 9:00am, lasting approximately one hour
• Eulogies are not permitted during the Mass itself
• Music Selection should follow the parish's liturgical Music Suggestion guide

Family of Parishes (Diocese of Buffalo)

Resurrection Parish belongs to Family #12 of the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Road to Renewal' Family of Parishes collaborative model. Following the October 2024 realignment, the family includes Resurrection (Batavia), Ascension (Batavia), St. Brigid (Bergen), Our Lady of Mercy (LeRoy), and St. Padre Pio (Oakfield). Rev. Patrick O'Keefe serves as Parochial Vicar of Family #12, and Rev. Jozef Dudzik serves as Senior Parochial Vicar of the combined Family #12 / Family #14 cluster, residing at Ascension, Batavia.

• Family #12 parishes: Resurrection, Ascension, St. Brigid, Our Lady of Mercy, St. Padre Pio
• Parochial Vicar: Rev. Patrick O'Keefe
• Senior Parochial Vicar: Rev. Jozef Dudzik

Parish Staff, Music & Clergy

Parish liturgy is supported by a long-tenured Music Director, Mark Hoerbelt, who worked 24 years alongside the founding pastorate. The parish operates with a team of clergy assigned through the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal: Rev. Matthew Zimheld leads the Batavia family as of June 2023, accompanied by Father Scott Stone and Father Brentwood; following the 2024 realignment, Rev. Patrick O'Keefe was named Parochial Vicar of Family #12 and Rev. Jozef Dudzik was named Senior Parochial Vicar of the broader Family #12 / Family #14 group, residing at Ascension, Batavia. The previous pastoral leaders, Father Ivan R. Trujillo (founding pastor) and Father Robert E. Waters (senior parochial vicar), both retired in June 2023 after many years of combined service to the Batavia community.

• Music Director: Mark Hoerbelt
• Founding Pastor (retired 2023): Rev. Ivan R. Trujillo
• Senior Parochial Vicar (retired 2023): Rev. Robert E. Waters
• Family head (since June 2023): Rev. Matthew Zimheld
• Parochial Vicars (2023): Rev. Scott Stone; Father Brentwood
• Parochial Vicar (since Oct. 2024): Rev. Patrick O'Keefe
• Senior Parochial Vicar (since Oct. 2024): Rev. Jozef Dudzik

Getting Involved & Contact

Families can register their children for Faith Formation through the parish registration link or by contacting the parish office. Funeral Masses are scheduled by having the funeral director call the parish at 585-343-5800. The parish office at 303 East Main Street, Batavia is open Monday through Friday, 8:00am–12:00pm, and serves as the central record and administrative office for all three worship sites. Parish news is posted on the resurrectionbatavia.com website's Parish News page.

• Parish office: 303 East Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020
• Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:00am–12:00pm
• Phone: (585) 343-5800
• Website: http://www.resurrectionbatavia.com/