Spirit of Hope Parish @ Holy Family

About Spirit of Hope Parish @ Holy Family

Spirit of Hope Parish @ Holy Family is the Vernon worship site of Spirit of Hope Catholic Community, a single Roman Catholic parish uniting eight churches across central New York — in Canastota, Verona Beach, North Bay, Oneida, Irish Ridge, Vernon, and Sherrill. The community came together, in the words of the parish, 'that we may thrive as a community of Catholic believers.' Holy Family itself was founded in 1974 as a mission combining the former St. Catherine (Vernon) and St. Agnes (Vernon Center) congregations, and today welcomes worshippers to two Sunday Masses at its Peterboro Street church.

History & the 2023 Merger

Diocesan 'linkages' of parishes in Madison and Oneida Counties began in 2008, when Holy Family was linked with St. Helena (Sherrill). By 2020 all of today's Spirit of Hope parishes were linked together under shared pastoral leadership. Following parish reviews in 2019 and 2020, Bishop Douglas J. Lucia decreed on June 8, 2023 that the parishes of St. Agatha (Canastota), St. Helena (Sherrill), Holy Family (Vernon), St. John (North Bay), St. Joseph (Oneida), St. Mary (Irish Ridge), St. Mary of the Lake (Verona Beach), and St. Patrick (Oneida) be united into the new parish of Spirit of Hope (Romans 15:13), effective June 11, 2023 — the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

• 1974 — Holy Family founded as a mission of St. Helena (Sherrill) and St. Agnes (Vernon Center)
• 2008 — Holy Family linked with St. Helena under shared pastoral leadership
• 2012 — St. John (North Bay) linked with St. Mary of the Lake
• 2017 — St. Mary (Irish Ridge) linked with St. Joseph (Oneida)
• 2020 — All eight parishes linked together
• June 11, 2023 — Effective date of the extinctive union-merger into Spirit of Hope Parish
• Principal church: St. Patrick, 347 Main St., Oneida

Clergy & Central Office Staff

Spirit of Hope Parish is served by a pastor and parochial vicar with the support of a Central Office team based at St. Joseph, 121 St. Joseph Place, Oneida. The parish also benefits from the liturgical and pastoral ministry of a permanent deacon assigned to Funeral Ministry.

• Father Chris Ballard — Pastor
• Father Joseph Ryan — Parochial Vicar
• Deacon Dave Schiltz — Funeral Ministry
• Terry Houck — Business Administrator
• Scott Rapasadi — Coordinator of Buildings and Grounds
• Lisa Spooner — Director of Religious Education
• Mark Ranieri — Youth Minister / High School Faith Formation
• Marie Stoker — Coordinator of Faith Formation
• Kristina Houck — Executive Assistant
• Sena Clarke — Pastoral Secretary

Faith Formation & Religious Education

The parish maintains a robust faith formation program for children and teens under Director of Religious Education Lisa Spooner and Coordinator of Faith Formation Marie Stoker, while Mark Ranieri serves as Youth Minister for High School Faith Formation. Programs are coordinated centrally for the eight-church community and offered at multiple sites.

• Religious Education (children)
• High School Youth Ministry
• Faith Formation coordination

Adult Faith & Bible Study

Spirit of Hope offers adults several ongoing opportunities for ongoing formation, including a monthly Faith Sharing Group that uses Bishop Barron and Jeff Cavins daily scripture reflections and is facilitated by Mary Jo and Bob Newberry, plus a Young Adult Bible Study led by Jacob Vaccaro (315-725-8455). During Lent, a special Faith Sharing series follows Bishop Barron's 'Lenten Gospel Reflections.'

• Faith Sharing Group — last Thursday of the month, 9:30–11:00 a.m.
• Young Adult Bible Study — monthly, 7:00–9:00 p.m.
• Lent Faith Sharing — Bishop Barron's 'Lenten Gospel Reflections'

Devotions & Holy Hours

Beyond the regular Mass and confession schedule, the parish hosts a monthly Holy Hour with Confessions, and offers Funeral Ministry through Deacon Dave Schiltz. The Blessed Sacrament is reserved at Holy Family along with five other Spirit of Hope church sites under canon 934 §1, 1°.

• Monthly Holy Hour and Confessions
• Eucharistic Reservation at Holy Family
• Funeral Ministry (Deacon Dave Schiltz)

Parish Records & Sacramental Registers

Following the 2023 merger, sacramental registers from all eight originating parishes were transferred to the Spirit of Hope parish office at St. Joseph, 121 St. Joseph Place, Oneida. Sacramental records for the predecessor St. Agnes Mission (Vernon Center) and St. Catherine (Vernon) are specifically retained on file at the Holy Family site.

• St. Agnes Mission, Vernon Center — records at Holy Family
• St. Catherine, Vernon — records at Holy Family
• Central sacramental register archive — St. Joseph parish office, Oneida

Getting Involved & Parish Registration

Parishioners can register with Spirit of Hope and get involved in parish life through the Central Office. The parish's homepage highlights Faith Formation and 'Get Involved & Parish Registration' as the main entry points for newcomers. Pastoral and finance councils offer further ways to participate in parish governance alongside the parish staff.

• Parish registration via the Central Office
• Pastoral Council and Finance Council
• Liturgical ministries, faith formation, and youth ministry volunteering

Contact & Visit

The physical church address is 4352 Peterboro Street, Vernon, NY 13476 (for GPS directions). All parish mail should be sent to the Central Office at 121 St. Joseph Place, Oneida, NY 13421. The Central Office is open Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. The parish phone is (315) 363-3280, with the email [email protected] and the website spiritofhopecatholic.org.

• Physical (church): 4352 Peterboro St., Vernon, NY 13476
• Mailing (Central Office): 121 St. Joseph Pl., Oneida, NY 13421
• Phone: (315) 363-3280
• Email: [email protected]
• Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.