About Spirit of Hope Parish @ St. Joseph · Oneida, New York
Spirit of Hope Parish @ St. Joseph is one of the eight worship sites that together form Spirit of Hope Catholic Community, a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Syracuse serving the greater Oneida and Madison County region of central New York. Spirit of Hope itself was created on 11 June 2023, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia through an extinctive union–merger of eight historic parishes, with its name drawn from Romans 15:13: 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.' St. Joseph's Church in Oneida has served as the central office location for the new parish and currently hosts Daily Mass, the Saturday Vigil, the Sunday 10:45 a.m. Mass, and the Saturday confessions, even functioning temporarily as the principal worship site since neighboring St. Patrick's Church on Main Street closed to the public in early 2025 because of a structurally dangerous ceiling.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher J. (Chris) Ballard
- Diocese
- Diocese of Syracuse
Why belong here
Spirit of Hope Parish @ St. Joseph offers a down-to-earth Catholic home in the heart of Madison and Oneida Counties, with daily Mass Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m., a Saturday Vigil at 4:00 p.m., Sunday Mass at 10:45 a.m., and Saturday confessions at 2:45 p.m. — all celebrated in one of central New York's most beautiful stone churches, built by hand by railroad-worker parishioners in 1928–1930. The parish invests deeply in faith formation for children and youth, a young-adult Bible study with the pastor, ongoing faith-sharing groups built around Bishop Barron and other Catholic writers, and the active liturgical service of a parochial vicar, deacon, and lay staff. Worshippers also find a community that spans eight historic churches across the region, brought together in 2023 to keep Catholic life vibrant in this part of upstate New York.
Mass times at Spirit of Hope Parish @ St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 2:45 PM (St. Joseph, Oneida)
- By appointment
About Spirit of Hope Parish
Spirit of Hope Parish is a Roman Catholic community of the Diocese of Syracuse formed on 11 June 2023, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, through the extinctive union–merger of eight parishes under Bishop Douglas J. Lucia: St. Agatha (Canastota), St. Helena (Sherrill), Holy Family (Vernon), St. John the Evangelist (North Bay), St. Joseph (Oneida), St. Mary (Irish Ridge), St. Mary of the Lake (Verona Beach), and St. Patrick (Oneida). Its motto and namesake verse is Romans 15:13: 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.' The cluster brings together Catholic communities in Canastota, Verona Beach, North Bay, Oneida, Irish Ridge, Vernon, and Sherrill, sharing clergy, staff, faith formation, and a single parish bulletin and calendar.
- 8 worship sites across Madison and Oneida Counties
- Founded 11 June 2023
- Diocese of Syracuse
- Pastor: Rev. Christopher J. (Chris) Ballard
St. Joseph, Oneida — The German-Catholic Parish
St. Joseph's is the historic German-Catholic 'national' parish of the city of Oneida. Its story begins in the 1880s with a band of thirty-or-so German-speaking families who walked the two-and-a-half miles to St. Francis' Church in Durhamville each Sunday for a German-language Mass. By 1889 the families had organized the St. Joseph's German Catholic Church Building Society, each contributing fifty cents a month toward building their own church in Oneida. By 1893 a monthly Mass was being offered in a schoolhouse at East Elm and Williams Streets, and excavation began for that first church at the corner of Broad Street and McGuire — blessed by Bishop Ludden on 14 October 1894 with the Rev. Adolph Bergman as first pastor and a rented rectory at nine dollars a month. Italian immigration between 1905 and 1910 swelled the congregation, and by 1926 the parish numbered about 105 families with 175 children in religious instruction, far outgrowing the 224-seat original.
- Founded to serve Oneida's German-speaking Catholics, 1880s–1893
- First St. Joseph's Church blessed 14 Oct. 1894 by Bishop Ludden
- First pastor: Rev. Adolph Bergman (rented rectory at $9/month)
- Italian immigrants joined 1905–1910
The Present Stone Church (1928–1930)
Under what the parish describes as the 'diligent, efficient and frugal supervision' of the legendary pastor Fr. John Lauer, construction of the current St. Joseph's Church began in 1928. Many of the men of the parish, most of whom worked on the railroad, donated their labor after their shifts to hauling, cutting, and laying the stone for the new 'House of God.' The church was completed and dedicated in 1930 and is described on the parish's own history page as 'a magnificent Temple, so majestic, so striking and so beautifully decorated with stained glass depicting the scenes from the Gospels and the lives of the Saints,' standing as 'a testament in stone to the faith of the good people of St. Joseph's.' It replaced both the 1894 Broad Street church and the improvised schoolhouse Mass location on East Elm Street.
- Construction began 1928 under Pastor Fr. John Lauer
- Stone hauled, cut and laid by railroad-worker parishioners
- Church dedicated 1930
- Stained glass depicts Gospel scenes and the lives of the Saints
The Daughters of Charity Era (1935–1979)
In 1935 the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul arrived at St. Joseph's and began decades of parish service. The Sisters instructed the catechism classes of the children, trained altar servers, visited and cared for the needs of parishioners, directed the choir, moderated the Sodality for girls, and organized many social affairs. They were recalled by their Provincial Superiors in 1979, ending their years of service to the parish.
- Arrived 1935
- Recalled by Provincial Superiors 1979
- Roles: catechism, altar servers, choir, Sodality, parish visiting, social life
From Linking to Merger (2008–2023)
In response to declining population in Madison and Oneida Counties, a shrinking pool of priests, and rising building costs, Bishop Lucia first 'linked' St. Joseph's with neighboring parishes under one pastor: in 2008 with St. Patrick, in 2017 with St. Mary, and by 2020 all of the cluster parishes were linked together. After an examination of sacramental statistics, Mass attendance, finances, and pastoral vitality in 2019–2020 — and unanimous recommendation of the Presbyteral Council on 28 February 2023 — Bishop Lucia issued his Decree on Parish Mergers, formally extinguishing the eight constituent parishes on 11 June 2023 to create Spirit of Hope Parish.
- Linked with St. Patrick 2008
- Linked with St. Mary 2017
- All eight parishes linked together 2020
- Merged into Spirit of Hope 11 June 2023
Sacraments and Devotions
The parish celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments through its pastor, parochial vicar, and deacon. Baptisms are routinely scheduled most weekends — Fr. James Buttner noted over fifty celebrated in his first year on staff — and are prepared for through the parish's own formation process. Marriages are arranged by contacting the parish office. First Communion and Confirmation are coordinated through the Faith Formation program staffed by Lisa Spooner (DRE), Marie Stoker (Coordinator), and Mark Ranieri (Youth Minister/High School Faith Formation). Anointing of the Sick and Last Rites are provided by the priests, who rotate on-call coverage across the parish's sites; funeral ministry is coordinated by Deacon Dave Schiltz.
- Baptism (preparation required)
- Marriage (contact parish office)
- First Communion / Confirmation (Faith Formation)
- Anointing of the Sick / Last Rites (on-call rotation)
- Funeral Ministry (Deacon Dave Schiltz)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Spirit of Hope's Faith Formation program serves children and youth across the entire merged parish. Lisa Spooner serves as Director of Religious Education, Marie Stoker is Coordinator of Faith Formation, and Mark Ranieri leads youth ministry and high-school faith formation. The current pastor, Fr. Chris Ballard, also leads a Young Adult Bible Study. The parish also hosts a recurring Faith Sharing Group built around Bishop Barron's and Jeff Cavins's daily scripture reflections on the last Thursday of the month (facilitated by Mary Jo and Bob Newberry), and each Lent runs several small-group faith-sharing series on books such as Bishop Barron's 'Lenten Gospel Reflections,' Fr. Joe Sica's 'A Journey for the Soul,' and Sr. Miriam James Heidland's 'Restore,' together with 'Encountering the Catholic Faith — Four Gospels, Four Perspectives, One Story.'
- DRE: Lisa Spooner
- Coordinator of Faith Formation: Marie Stoker
- Youth Minister / HS Faith Formation: Mark Ranieri
- Young Adult Bible Study with Fr. Chris
- Faith Sharing Group (last Thursday, Bishop Barron / Jeff Cavins reflections)
Parish Staff & Clergy
The Central Office of Spirit of Hope Parish is housed at St. Joseph, 121 St. Joseph Place, Oneida, NY 13421, and is staffed Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The clergy and staff listed on the parish's Central Office Staff page are led by Pastor Fr. Chris Ballard, with Parochial Vicar Fr. Joseph Ryan, Deacon Dave Schiltz (Funeral Ministry), Director of Religious Education Lisa Spooner, Youth Minister/High School Faith Formation Mark Ranieri, Coordinator of Faith Formation Marie Stoker, Business Administrator Scott Rapasadi, Coordinator of Buildings and Grounds Sena Clarke, Pastoral Secretary Terry Houck, and Executive Assistant Kristina Houck. Fr. James Buttner was also assigned as a Parochial Vicar to Spirit of Hope early in his priesthood (per the Diocese of Syracuse clergy directory and Catholic Sun coverage).
- Pastor: Fr. Chris Ballard
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Joseph Ryan
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. James Buttner
- Deacon & Funeral Ministry: Dc. Dave Schiltz
- DRE: Lisa Spooner
- Youth Minister/HS Faith Formation: Mark Ranieri
- Coordinator of Faith Formation: Marie Stoker
- Business Administrator: Scott Rapasadi
- Coordinator of Buildings and Grounds: Sena Clarke
- Pastoral Secretary: Terry Houck
- Executive Assistant: Kristina Houck
Get Involved & Giving
The parish invites new members through its 'Get Involved & Parish Registration' link on the homepage and supports the mission through online giving via Breeze (one-time or recurring gifts). A parish bulletin, online calendar, parish events list, and online store are linked from the homepage, and ongoing faith-formation and faith-sharing programs (listed above) offer entry points for newcomers into the life of the parish community.
- Parish Registration (online)
- Online Giving via Breeze
- Parish Bulletin, Calendar, Events, and Online Store
- Young Adult Bible Study and Lent Faith Sharing groups open to all adults
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Adolph Bergman1894 –
First pastor of St. Joseph's; rented rectory at $9/month. Blessed the first church on 14 Oct. 1894.
- Fr. John Lauer1928–1930s
Described as the 'legendary pastor' who supervised the construction of the present stone church with donated parishioner labor; church dedicated 1930.