About St. Alphonsus-Holy Name of Jesus Parish · Tupper Lake, New York
St. Alphonsus-Holy Name of Jesus Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Tupper Lake, New York, in the Adirondack foothills of Franklin County. It is the merged parish of two historic Tupper Lake worship sites — St. Alphonsus (1890) and Holy Name of Jesus (1904) — now administered together under one pastor and two deacons. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Ogdensburg and its Catholic life centers on St. Alphonsus Church at 48 Wawbeek Avenue, with daily Mass celebrated in the on-site Holy Ghost Chapel.
- Established
- 1890 (St. Alphonsus); 1904 (Holy Name of Jesus); merged in the early 2000s
- Patron
- St. Alphonsus Liguori and the Holy Name of Jesus
- Rector
- Reverend Severinus Torwoe
- Diocese
- Diocese of Ogdensburg (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Alphonsus-Holy Name of Jesus Parish is the spiritual home of the Tupper Lake Catholic community, drawing together generations of Franco-American Catholic families with a deep heritage of priestly and religious vocations. It offers a complete weekly Mass schedule in English across three worship sites, an active religious education program for students from kindergarten through tenth grade, and is pastored by a resident priest supported by two deacons. Beyond the parish itself, it also serves Catholic mission communities in Long Lake and Newcomb, making it the center of Catholic life across a wide stretch of the southern Adirondacks.
Mass times at St. Alphonsus-Holy Name of Jesus Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:15 PM – 3:30 PM at St. Alphonsus
- Sunday: 8:00 AM – 8:10 AM at St. Alphonsus
Parish History
St. Alphonsus-Holy Name of Jesus Parish is the product of two of Tupper Lake's earliest Catholic congregations. St. Alphonsus was established in 1890 to serve the growing Franco-American Catholic population that had come to work in the area's logging and tanning industries; fourteen years later, in 1904, the cornerstone of Holy Name of Jesus Church was laid at Tupper Lake Junction, with the Bishop of Ogdensburg, Henry Gabriels, presiding. The two parishes each had their own resident pastors, schools, and vibrant parish life. After Holy Ghost Academy closed in 2001 and as vocations and population declined, the two were restructured into a single combined parish under one pastor with two deacons. The Holy Ghost Academy building was repurposed as the new parish center, where offices and the parish religious education program are still housed today.
- St. Alphonsus founded in 1890
- Holy Name of Jesus founded in 1904; cornerstone laid by Bishop Henry Gabriels
- Holy Ghost Academy closed in 2001; building repurposed as parish center
- Six priestly vocations, three deacons, and twenty-five professed religious sisters from the community
Preserving Holy Name's Heritage at St. Alphonsus
When the merger of the two parishes was finalized, parishioners took care to save two of Holy Name of Jesus Church's most distinctive features. The 1924 Rosary Society stained-glass rose window — noted for its intense German-made glass — was carefully removed and re-installed prominently inside St. Alphonsus Church. The bell tower from Holy Name was likewise salvaged before the older church on Main Street was sold. These elements now serve as a visible link between the merged parish's two founding communities.
- 1924 German-made rose window from Holy Name now displayed at St. Alphonsus
- Holy Name's bell tower preserved and relocated to St. Alphonsus
Our Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently served by a resident pastor and two permanent deacons, in keeping with the combined-parish model adopted after the merger. In addition to the pastor and deacons, parish religious education is coordinated by lay staff including Jill Bujold and Lisa Reed.
- Pastor: Reverend Severinus Torwoe
- Deacon: James T. Ellis
- Deacon: Gerald H. Savage
- Faith Formation contacts: Jill Bujold and Lisa Reed (359-3405)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish runs an active religious education program housed in the Holy Ghost Academy Parish Center, enrolling children from kindergarten through tenth grade. Curriculum follows the rhythms of the Liturgical Year, with second graders prepared for First Communion and seventh- and eighth-grade students using the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Faith Formation Program (Venture). The parish also supports Confirmation preparation and various age-appropriate devotional activities, including Shadow Stations of the Cross and Epiphany skits.
- Religious education for grades K–10 at Holy Ghost Academy Parish Center
- Second Grade: First Communion preparation (Pflaum)
- Seventh and Eighth Grade: Venture program from Pflaum Gospel Weeklies
- Confirmation preparation
- Annual First Communion, Confirmation, Shadow Stations of the Cross, Epiphany Skit
Sacramental Life
Parish sacramental life centers on regular Sunday and weekday Mass, Reconciliation before weekend Masses, and the two great sacraments of initiation celebrated annually with the parish's children — First Communion and Confirmation. Parents interested in enrolling a child in sacramental preparation can contact the parish religious education staff.
- First Communion (Second Grade)
- Confirmation
- Reconciliation before weekend Masses
Parish Campus and Facilities
The parish's principal worship site is St. Alphonsus Church at 48 Wawbeek Avenue in Tupper Lake, which now also displays the salvaged historic rose window and bell tower from the former Holy Name of Jesus Church. Daily Mass is celebrated at Holy Ghost Chapel, located on the parish campus. The former Holy Ghost Academy building, closed as a school in 2001, now serves as the parish center with ten classrooms and offices for administration and religious education.
- St. Alphonsus Church — 48 Wawbeek Avenue, Tupper Lake
- Holy Ghost Chapel — site of daily Mass on the parish campus
- Holy Ghost Academy Parish Center — parish offices and religious education (40 Marion Street)
- Former Holy Name of Jesus Church — on Main Street, sold after the merger
Mission Parishes
Beyond Tupper Lake itself, the parish serves two mission communities in the southern Adirondacks, with regular weekend and weekday Masses celebrated at each site.
- St. Henry's Parish, Long Lake — 1188 Main Street, Long Lake
- St. Therese Parish, Newcomb — 18 Adams Lane, Newcomb
Diocese of Ogdensburg
St. Alphonsus-Holy Name of Jesus Parish is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, which covers the northern and central parts of New York State. The Diocesan offices can be reached at (315) 393-2920.
- Diocese of Ogdensburg
- Diocesan offices: (315) 393-2920
- Parish listed at www.rcdony.org/parish/tupper-lake
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone or email, and mail may be sent to the Marion Street address. Weekend Mass is the best opportunity for visitors to experience the parish community and worship alongside Tupper Lake Catholics.
- Telephone: (518) 359-3405
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing address: 40 Marion Street, Tupper Lake, NY 12986
- Website: http://tupperlakecatholics.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Anthime Constantineaucirca 1900–1904
Helped bring women religious to Tupper Lake for Catholic education; coincided with the 1904 cornerstone laying of Holy Name of Jesus.
- Reverend Douglas Deckerearly 2000s
Pastored the combined parish; oversaw the merger of the two Tupper Lake parishes and the preservation of Holy Name's rose window and bell.
- Reverend Severinus Torwoecurrent
Current pastor per the Diocese of Ogdensburg parish listing.