About St. Agnes · Avon, New York
St. Agnes Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the village of Avon, New York (Livingston County), in the Diocese of Rochester. The parish was founded in 1850 and has worshipped in its current brick church on Prospect Street since 1870, when the building whose cornerstone had been blessed by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid in 1869 was opened for Masses. Today St. Agnes is clustered with two neighboring parishes — St. Paul of the Cross in Honeoye Falls and St. Rose in Lima — sharing one pastor, Rev. Michael G. Fowler, and a common faith-formation program. The parish also operates St. Agnes School, the only Catholic elementary school in Livingston County.
- Established
- 1850
- Patron
- St. Agnes of Rome
- Rector
- Rev. Michael G. Fowler
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
St. Agnes offers the rare combination of a historic, beautiful 19th-century church with a lively, multi-generational Catholic community and the only Catholic elementary school in Livingston County. As the lead church of a three-parish cluster with St. Paul of the Cross and St. Rose, St. Agnes gives parishioners a rich range of liturgical, faith-formation and outreach opportunities — from daily Mass and First Friday adoration to youth ministry, OCIA, a parish food pantry, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and Bible study — all grounded in the parish mission of worshiping God, spreading the Gospel, building community, and serving those in need.
Mass times at St. Agnes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 12:30–2:00 PM at St. Paul of the Cross, Honeoye Falls
- Wednesday: 3:00–4:30 PM at St. Rose, Lima (alternating weeks; see parish calendar)
- Saturday: 3:00–3:45 PM at St. Agnes
Adoration times
- First Friday: 8:45 AM–12:00 PM at St. Agnes
Welcome and Parish Mission
St. Agnes, in cluster with St. Paul of the Cross and St. Rose, describes itself as 'a welcoming Catholic community called by God to live out the message of Christ in love and service to all people.' Its fuller mission statement reads: 'Energized by the Holy Spirit and nourished by the Eucharist, we the parishioners of St. Agnes, St. Paul of the Cross, and St. Rose, in joyful unity embrace our baptismal call to worship God, spread the good news of Jesus Christ, build up a welcoming community of faith and hope, and lovingly serve and comfort those in need.' The parish website and weekly e-newsletter are the main channels of communication, alongside Facebook.
- Cluster parishes: St. Agnes (Avon), St. Paul of the Cross (Honeoye Falls), St. Rose (Lima)
- Cluster office: 96 Prospect St., Avon, NY 14414
- Parish Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
History of St. Agnes Parish
Founded in 1850, St. Agnes is one of the earliest parishes of the Diocese of Rochester. The congregation first worshipped in a former Baptist meeting house beginning in 1853, then built its own brick church on Prospect Street — cornerstone laid August 15, 1869 by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid, opened for Masses in 1870. The building was largely built by parishioners. A major renovation in the late 1980s culminated in a rededication on August 13, 1989 by Bishop Matthew H. Clark. In 2010 St. Agnes was clustered with neighboring parishes, and in 2019 the community celebrated the 150th anniversary of its church with Bishop Salvatore R. Matano presiding.
- Parish founded: 1850
- Cornerstone blessed: August 15, 1869 by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid
- Church opened for Masses: 1870
- Major renovation and rededication: August 13, 1989 by Bishop Matthew H. Clark
- Cluster formed with St. Paul of the Cross and St. Rose: 2010
- 150th anniversary of church building: August 17, 2019
The Church Building
St. Agnes Church is a sizable brick structure standing just north of Avon's village traffic circle. Its spacious interior features many statues and colorful stained-glass windows depicting St. Francis of Assisi, St. Peter, St. John the Baptist, St. Agnes, St. William of Bourges and St. John Chrysostom. The parish's bells — silent since 2011 — were repaired in 2019 and ring at 8:10 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as five minutes before the Saturday 4 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. Masses. A former parishioner tradition had Catholics in Avon stopping to pray the Angelus at the noon peal.
- Brick church on Prospect Street
- Stained-glass windows honoring Saints Francis of Assisi, Peter, John the Baptist, Agnes, William of Bourges and John Chrysostom
- Working bell tower restored in 2019
Clergy and Staff
St. Agnes is led by Father Michael G. Fowler, who pastors the Avon–Honeoye Falls–Lima cluster. He is assisted by two permanent deacons and a team of parish and school staff.
- Pastor: Rev. Michael G. Fowler
- Deacon Peter Dohr
- Deacon William (Bill) Goodman
- Faith Formation: Christine DeVito
- Bookkeeper / Cemetery: Holly Murray
- Buildings & Operations: Bonnie Deprez
- Parish Secretary: Ann Brule
- Finance Director: Richard Stryker
- Parish email: [email protected]
Father Michael G. Fowler — Pastor
Father Michael Fowler was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 2015 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Rochester by Bishop Salvatore R. Matano. A native of Tioga County and a graduate of St. Patrick's School, Owego Free Academy and SUNY Geneseo, he earned a Master of Divinity from Pope John XXIII National Seminary before assignment as Parochial Vicar of the cluster. He later became Pastor of the same three parishes. He has described Catholic education as central to his own formation and is a frequent presence at school Masses.
- Ordained: June 20, 2015
- Ordaining bishop: Most Rev. Salvatore R. Matano
- Studies: SUNY Geneseo; Master of Divinity, Pope John XXIII National Seminary
- Home diocese: Diocese of Rochester (formerly Tioga County, NY)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish describes faith formation as 'a lifelong process' of deepening one's relationship with God and living as a missionary disciple. Programs serve children, youth, young adults and adults across the cluster, and the parish uses the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies as a curriculum resource.
- Faith Formation for Grades K–7
- Confirmation preparation
- High School Youth Ministry (Grades 7–12)
- Young Adult Ministry
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Adult Bible Study — Tuesdays at 6:30 PM
- Vocations resources and Safe Environment materials
- Pflaum Gospel Weeklies curriculum
St. Agnes School
Founded in 1875 — just a decade after the Civil War ended — St. Agnes School is the only Catholic elementary school in all of Livingston County. Located at 60 Park Place, behind St. Agnes Church, classes were originally held in a former Baptist church building next to the current school, which was built by parishioners and opened in 1908. For many years the school was operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph. It now serves children from preschool through grade 5 (and in some years through grade 6), drawing students from a wide geographic area and from many surrounding parishes. The school celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2025 with Bishop Salvatore R. Matano presiding at liturgy on the feast of St. Agnes.
- Founded: 1875; current school building opened 1908
- Address: 60 Park Place, Avon, NY 14414
- Phone: (585) 226-8500
- Long operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph
- Programs: PreK3, PreK4, K–5 (and 6th in some years)
- Clubs include STEM, Spanish, chess, art and cooking
- Community-service projects include birthday bags for the Avon Food Pantry, annual Sept. 11, Veterans Day and Flag Day observances
- 150th anniversary celebrated in 2025
Liturgical Ministries
Parishioners serve at Mass in a variety of liturgical roles, all essential to the celebration of the Eucharist at St. Agnes and its cluster churches.
- Choir
- Lector
- Altar server
- Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist
Outreach, Social Justice and Fellowship
St. Agnes parish lives out the Gospel call to serve those in need through social-justice ministries, a parish food pantry housed in the basement of the parish center, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. There are also men's and women's groups, a Good Grief bereavement support ministry that meets at St. Paul of the Cross, and fellowship events such as the First Saturday dinner after the Vigil Mass and regular coffee hours.
- Parish Food Pantry (in the parish center basement)
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Visiting the homebound
- Men's and Women's groups
- Good Grief support group (Deacon Peter Dohr)
- First Saturday Fellowship — 5 PM at the Parish Office
- Coffee Hours — First Sundays at St. Rose (9 AM); Third Sundays at St. Paul of the Cross (10:45 AM)
- Annual Parish Bazaar
Parish Center, Cemetery and Facilities
The former rectory was renovated and unveiled as a parish center during the 150th anniversary celebration in August 2019. The center includes rooms full of historical documents and photos of parish history, and serves as a gathering place for meetings, Bible study and small Christian communities. Its basement houses the parish food pantry. The parish also maintains a cemetery, administered through the parish office.
- Parish Center (former rectory), opened 2019
- Food Pantry in the parish center basement
- Parish cemetery managed by Holly Murray
Visiting and Getting Involved
The parish encourages newcomers to come to Mass, take part in parish life, and consider joining one of the many ministries. Information is shared through the weekly bulletin, the parish e-newsletter, the parish calendar on the website, and the cluster's Facebook page. The parish invites anyone with an idea for a new ministry to contact the parish office.
- Weekly bulletin (printed; also linked from the website)
- Parish e-newsletter (sign-up via website)
- Online giving through the parish website
- Facebook: facebook.com/saintagnespaulrose.org
- Calendar of events on saintagnespaulrose.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael G. Fowler2015–present
Ordained June 20, 2015 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Rochester by Bishop Salvatore R. Matano; began as Parochial Vicar of the Avon/Honeoye Falls/Lima cluster, now serves as Pastor. A native of Tioga County (Blessed Trinity/St. Patrick parishes), he is a product of Catholic education and attended SUNY Geneseo. The parish center is named after his mother, whose name was Agnes.