About Sacred Heart · Lakewood, New York
Sacred Heart Parish (Sacred Heart of Jesus) is a Roman Catholic parish in Lakewood, New York, in the Diocese of Buffalo. Founded in 1912, it has served the southern Chautauqua County community for more than a century and now operates as part of the Catholic Neighbors in Faith (CNIF) family of parishes, which links it with St. James (Jamestown), Holy Apostles (Ss. Peter & Paul and St. John in Jamestown), St. Patrick (Randolph), and Our Lady of the Snows (Panama). Today the parish is administered by Rev. Paul S. Cygan with parochial vicars Rev. Marcin Porada and Rev. Donald R. Watkins Jr., and remains rooted in its Eucharist-centered mission of deepening faith and serving neighbors.
- Established
- 1912
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Paul S. Cygan (Administrator, Catholic Neighbors in Faith)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Lakewood is a Eucharistic-centered community with more than a century of faith life in southern Chautauqua County, now linked through Catholic Neighbors in Faith with four neighboring parishes and a second worship site in Panama. The parish welcomes families through its faith formation programs (Pre-K through Grade 10) at the Lakewood site, gathers the community for First Friday Sacred Heart devotions and Holy Hours, and maintains handicap-accessible facilities, a parish center, and outdoor recreation space. Belonging here means joining a parish family shaped by a clear mission: 'growing through the Eucharist, deepening the faith within ourselves and one another, and sharing the light of Christ with all.'
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15–3:45 PM (Sacred Heart, Lakewood)
Adoration times
- First Friday Holy Hour with confession: 4:30 PM
- First Friday Mass: 5:30 PM
- First Saturday Mass: 9:00 AM
Parish Identity and Catholic Neighbors in Faith
Sacred Heart Parish in Lakewood is one of four parishes in the Catholic Neighbors in Faith (CNIF) family of the Diocese of Buffalo, alongside St. James and Holy Apostles (Ss. Peter & Paul / St. John) in Jamestown, and St. Patrick in Randolph. It also operates a second worship site, Our Lady of the Snows, in Panama. The family is administered by Rev. Paul S. Cygan, with parochial vicars Rev. Marcin Porada and Rev. Donald R. Watkins Jr. Sacred Heart's own mission statement, drawn from its directory profile, reads: 'Since the 19th Century, Sacred Heart Parish continues to gather celebrating the Eucharist. Growing through the Eucharist, we strive to deepen the faith within ourselves and one another. Together we are committed to serve everyone within our parish and to share the light of Christ with all.'
- Diocese of Buffalo — Family #4 (Catholic Neighbors in Faith)
- Worship sites: Sacred Heart, Lakewood (380 E. Fairmount Ave.); Our Lady of the Snows, Panama (36 E. Main St.)
- Sister parishes: St. James, Holy Apostles (Ss. Peter & Paul / St. John), St. Patrick
History of Sacred Heart Parish
The parish traces its roots to Pentecost Sunday, May 26, 1912, when a former Union chapel on Ohio Street in Lakewood was dedicated as the first Sacred Heart Church, purchased by Bishop Charles H. Colton of Buffalo, with Rev. Thomas H. Harrigan as the first pastor. A second chapel — the Chapel of the Most Precious Blood on Dunham Avenue in West Ellicott — was donated in 1944 by the Blood family and dedicated by Msgr. John C. Carr. Eighteen years later, with both congregations outgrowing their facilities, the parish broke ground on a new church on Fairmount Avenue on June 11, 1963, and celebrated its first Mass there in January 1964 under Rev. John T. Horne. On May 29, 2008, Sacred Heart was merged with Our Lady of the Snows in Panama as part of the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Journey in Faith and Grace' initiative.
- 1912 — First church dedicated on Ohio Street (former Union chapel)
- 1944 — Chapel of the Most Precious Blood dedicated in West Ellicott
- 1963–1964 — New Fairmount Avenue church built; first Mass January 1964
- 1994 — John T. Horne Church Hall renovated into classrooms
- 2001 — Parish Center dedicated by Bishop Henry J. Mansell
- 2008 — Merger with Our Lady of the Snows, Panama
Clergy and Parish Staff
Sacred Heart Parish is administered through Catholic Neighbors in Faith. The administrator is Rev. Paul S. Cygan, assisted by parochial vicars Rev. Marcin Porada and Rev. Donald R. Watkins Jr. The parish directory listing also notes Dineen Muniz as Secretary and Faith Formation Director. Past clergy who shaped the parish include Father Thomas H. Harrigan (first pastor), Father John Richards (1944s), Rev. John T. Horne (first pastor of the current church building), and Rev. Monsignor Joseph Dowdell, who served 1989–2013 and is remembered as 'Father Joe' for his close involvement with the religious education program and parishioners.
- Rev. Paul S. Cygan — Administrator (CNIF)
- Rev. Marcin Porada — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Donald R. Watkins Jr. — Parochial Vicar
- Dineen Muniz — Secretary / Director of Religious Education
- Pastors of note: Rev. Thomas H. Harrigan; Father John Richards; Rev. John T. Horne; Rev. Msgr. Joseph Dowdell; Fr. Piotr Zaczynski
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith Formation for children is offered at the Sacred Heart site for Pre-K through Grade 10, coordinated through the Catholic Neighbors in Faith 'Forming Disciples' department. The parish's faith formation program has deep roots: under Monsignor Joseph Dowdell (1989–2013) it became the largest religious education program for Catholics in Chautauqua County, leading to the construction of a learning center completed in 2001. The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) is offered regionally through CNIF (e.g., at St. James in Jamestown).
- Faith Formation: Pre-K through Grade 10 at the Sacred Heart site
- Director of Religious Education: Dineen Muniz
- OCIA / RCIA for adults offered through Catholic Neighbors in Faith
- Monsignor Joseph Dowdell Parish Center (built 2001) — classrooms, gathering area, meeting rooms
Facilities and Parish Grounds
Behind the present Fairmount Avenue church stands the Monsignor Joseph Dowdell Parish Center, dedicated in fall 2001 by Bishop Henry J. Mansell. The center is fully handicapped accessible (with a chairlift and accessible restrooms) and includes a gathering area and five additional class/meeting rooms. The parish grounds also feature a playground, volleyball court, horseshoe pits, and a pavilion available for youth and adult enjoyment.
- Monsignor Joseph Dowdell Parish Center — dedicated 2001
- Handicap-accessible facilities with chairlift
- John T. Horne Church Hall — renovated 1994 as classrooms
- Playground, volleyball court, horseshoe pits, and pavilion on parish grounds
Contact, Location, and Getting Involved
Sacred Heart is located at 380 East Fairmount Avenue, Lakewood, NY 14750-2197. The parish phone is (716) 763-2815 and the parish email is [email protected]. The parish is part of the Catholic Neighbors in Faith family, whose central office is at 27 Allen Street, Jamestown, NY 14701 (716-487-0125, [email protected]). The parish welcomes new families through its Faith Formation registration and invites the wider community to share in its First Friday and First Saturday Sacred Heart devotions.
- Address: 380 East Fairmount Avenue, Lakewood, NY 14750-2197
- Parish phone: (716) 763-2815
- Parish email: [email protected]
- CNIF office: 27 Allen St., Jamestown, NY 14701 — (716) 487-0125 — [email protected]
- Families registered: 326 (per current Official Catholic Directory listing)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas H. Harrigan1912–
First pastor of Sacred Heart Parish; served when the former Union chapel on Ohio Street was dedicated as the first Sacred Heart Church on Pentecost Sunday, May 26, 1912.
- Father John Richards
Pastor when the former Blood family residence on Dunham Avenue in West Ellicott was donated in 1944 and renamed Chapel of the Most Precious Blood.
- Rev. John T. Horne1963–c.1989
Celebrated the first Mass in the new Fairmount Avenue church in January 1964. The church hall was later renamed the John T. Horne Church Hall after its 1994 renovation.
- Rev. Monsignor Joseph Dowdell1989–2013
Known to parishioners as 'Father Joe.' Originally assigned for what was meant to be six years; served 24 years. Built up the religious education program (then the largest Catholic program in Chautauqua County) and oversaw construction of the learning center completed in 2001, later named the Rev. Monsignor Joseph Dowdell Parish Center in 2012. Died July 26, 2019.
- Rev. Piotr (Peter) F. Zaczynski2013–
Pastor at the time of the 2008 merger of Sacred Heart Lakewood with Our Lady of the Snows in Panama; oversaw the combined parish of 600+ families at the two sites.