About St. Andrew Kim [Korean] · Tonawanda, New York
St. Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Church of Western New York (버팔로 성 김대건 성당) is a Korean-language Roman Catholic mission serving the Korean Catholic community of the Buffalo-Niagara region from its home at 9 O'Hara Road in Tonawanda, New York, within the Diocese of Buffalo. All Masses are celebrated in Korean, with Sunday morning and Wednesday evening liturgies at the Tonawanda church and satellite Masses extending its reach to Rochester and Syracuse, making it the spiritual center for Korean Catholics across upstate New York. The parish is also sometimes referenced as a 'chapel' or 'Korean Mission' in diocese materials, reflecting its status as a personal/linguistic parish rather than a territorial one.
- Established
- 2000
- Patron
- St. Andrew Kim Taegŏn (Andrew Kim Dae-geon), protomartyr of Korea and co-patron of the Korean Catholic Church
- Rector
- Rev. Beda Park In-yong (박인용 베다 신부), listed as 주임신부 (pastor) in the Korean Catholic directory, sharing ministry with Rochester and Syracuse
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Andrew Kim is the spiritual home for Korean Catholics across the Buffalo-Niagara region and beyond, offering Korean-language Mass every Sunday at 11:00 AM and on Wednesday evenings at 8:00 PM, with the parish priest also traveling to serve Korean Catholics in Rochester and Syracuse on a rotating Saturday schedule. The community is small but close-knit — about 200 attendees per Sunday — and gathers not only for liturgy but also for feasts like the annual September 20 commemoration of St. Andrew Kim and the Korean Martyrs at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston. For Korean Catholics in western New York, this parish is the place to worship in one's own language, sustain cultural traditions within the wider Diocese of Buffalo, and pass the faith to the next generation.
Mass times at St. Andrew Kim [Korean]
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Church
St. Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Church of Western New York (버팔로 성 김대건 성당) is the Korean-language Catholic mission of the Diocese of Buffalo. From its home at 9 O'Hara Road in Tonawanda, the parish serves Korean Catholics across the entire Buffalo-Niagara region and reaches out through satellite Masses to Rochester and Syracuse. The parish is named for St. Andrew Kim Taegŏn (김대건), the first Korean priest and protomartyr of Korea, whose feast day — shared with the other Korean martyrs — is celebrated each year on September 20.
History
Korean Catholics in the Buffalo Diocese spent more than 25 years worshipping in borrowed parishes before establishing their own church. After 26 years of moving between host parishes, the community purchased a former convent next to Cardinal O'Hara High School in the Town of Tonawanda and built the present church, which opened in 2001. The Buffalo News reported on April 8, 2001 that 'Korean Catholics in the Buffalo Diocese finally have a church to call their own.'
- Pre-1975: Korean Catholics in the Buffalo Diocese begin gathering for liturgy.
- 1975–2000: 26 years of borrowed-church worship at host parishes throughout the diocese.
- 2000: Korean community purchases a former convent and builds the church next to Cardinal O'Hara High School, Town of Tonawanda.
- 2001: Church building completed and dedicated; parish enters its era as the regional Korean Catholic center.
- 2024: Diocese's 'Come to the Table of the Lord' plan recommends St. Andrew Kim merge with St. Leo the Great (Amherst); Korean community permitted to remain through September 2025.
- 2024 (December): Diocesan Asian Commission formed with Korean, Vietnamese, and Burmese members.
- 2025 (September 20): 50th anniversary of St. Andrew Kim's Feast Day celebrated at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Lewiston.
Korean Catholic Community & Outreach
The parish draws Korean Catholics from across western and central New York, including about 200 attendees at the Sunday Mass in Tonawanda. Beyond its own church, it functions as a regional hub through the Rochester and Syracuse satellite Masses and the annual September 20 Korean Martyrs' celebration at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston.
- Regional Korean Catholic ministry across the Buffalo-Niagara area
- Satellite Mass outreach in Rochester and Syracuse
- Annual Feast Day pilgrimage to Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Lewiston
- Participation in the Diocesan Asian Commission (since December 2024)
Feast Day & Diocesan Celebrations
Each year on September 20 the Korean Catholic community of the Diocese of Buffalo gathers to honor St. Andrew Kim Taegŏn and the other Korean Martyrs. The 50th-anniversary celebration in 2025 was held at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston, with Rosary prayer at 11:30 AM, Anniversary Mass at 12:30 PM, and a free lunch in the cafeteria at 1:30 PM. Special guest was Rev. Paul Kung Lee, pastor of St. Andrew Kim Church in New Jersey.
- Rosary Prayer — 11:30 AM
- Anniversary Mass — 12:30 PM
- Lunch — 1:30 PM (free of charge, in the cafeteria)
- Contact: Richardo Beomsu Kim — 716-213-7093
Diocesan Restructuring Context
In 2024 the Diocese of Buffalo released its 'Come to the Table of the Lord' pastoral plan, recommending that St. Andrew Kim Korean Mission merge with St. Leo the Great Parish in Amherst (Family #16) and close as a separate corporate entity. The Korean community was granted permission to remain at the Tonawanda location at least through its 25th anniversary in September 2025, while the diocesan Office of Cultural Diversity expanded into a new Asian Commission to address pastoral and spiritual concerns of Korean, Vietnamese, and Burmese Catholics in the diocese.
- St. Andrew Kim recommended for merger with St. Leo the Great (Amherst)
- Permission granted to remain at Tonawanda through September 2025 anniversary
- New Diocesan Asian Commission formed December 2024 (2 Vietnamese, 3 Korean, 3 Burmese members)
Contact & Location
St. Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Church of Western New York is located in the Town of Tonawanda next to Cardinal O'Hara High School. The parish can be reached by phone or email, and a community Facebook group exists for parish communication.
- Address: 9 O'Hara Road, Tonawanda, NY 14150
- Phone: (716) 693-1600
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://bukoca.org
- Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/150885151639810
- Diocese: Diocese of Buffalo
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Various priests from South Koreapre-2000 – present
Over the years, priests would come from South Korea for a few years at a time to serve the mission.
- Rev. Paul Sae-Wan Ohuntil Feb 28, 2025
Chaplain of St. Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Mission; priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha who retired and returned there.
- Rev. Beda Park In-yongcurrent
Listed as pastor (주임신부) in the Korean Catholic directory; currently shares a priest with Syracuse and Rochester to celebrate Mass.