About St. Anne. St. Katharine Drexel Parsih. · Palmyra, New York
St. Anne's Church is one of three worship sites of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, a Roman Catholic community in the Wayne County Cluster of the Diocese of Rochester, New York. The parish unites St. Anne's in Palmyra, St. Patrick's in Macedon, and historically has collaborated with the neighboring St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish cluster (St. Mary's of the Lake in Ontario and the Church of the Epiphany in Sodus) under shared pastoral leadership. St. Anne's itself is one of the oldest Catholic congregations in Palmyra, with roots going back to 1848, and continues today as a Sunday-morning Mass site within this multi-parish family of faith in the Finger Lakes region.
- Established
- 1848 (organized); 1850 (parish/mission established); cornerstone of present church 1864; consecrated 1870
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Symon Peter Ntaiyia
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
St. Anne's offers a faithful, small-town Catholic community rooted in 175 years of worship in Palmyra and the wider Wayne County. As part of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, parishioners benefit from shared pastoral leadership, a coordinated faith-formation program for children and youth using the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies, a full Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA/RCIC) process for those seeking to join the Church, and weekday Mass available locally at St. Anne's on Thursday mornings. If you live in or are visiting Palmyra, joining St. Anne's means joining an active Catholic family that gathers under a historically significant Gothic Revival sanctuary on Church Street.
Mass times at St. Anne. St. Katharine Drexel Parsih.
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 5:30–6:30 PM at St. Patrick's Church, Macedon (parish-wide reconciliation)
- Reconciliation also available by appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday Adoration begins following the 8:00 AM Mass at St. Mary's of the Lake, with Benediction at 4:45 PM (cluster-wide devotion offered through the linked parishes)
About St. Anne's and St. Katharine Drexel Parish
St. Anne's Church on Church Street is one of three Catholic churches in the Wayne County village cluster that together form St. Katharine Drexel Parish, named for St. Katharine Drexel (1858–1955), the Philadelphia heiress who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and devoted her life to the spiritual and educational service of Native Americans and African Americans. The parish works in close pastoral collaboration with the neighboring St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish (St. Mary's of the Lake in Ontario and the Church of the Epiphany in Sodus); together the two parishes share priests, deacons, faith-formation staff, and a common website. St. Anne's is located in the village of Palmyra, the same Wayne County community celebrated for the Book of Mormon translation sites of the Latter-day Saints.
History of St. Anne's, Palmyra
Organized in 1848 and formally established as a mission parish in 1850, St. Anne's is the oldest Catholic congregation in Palmyra. Early Mass was celebrated in the old brick academy that stood between the Catholic and Presbyterian churches. The parish survived a serious episode of anti-Catholic violence in August 1854, when nativist agitator John Sayers Orr roused residents who vandalized the sanctuary; major repairs followed. The cornerstone of the present Gothic Revival-influenced church (about 63 by 40 feet) was laid in July 1864, and the building was consecrated in October 1870 by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid, the first Bishop of Rochester. The structure was expanded or rebuilt by 1898 and remains in active Catholic use.
- 1848 — parish organized; meets in the old brick academy
- 1850 — established as a Catholic mission/parish in Palmyra
- August 1854 — sanctuary vandalized during John Sayers Orr's anti-Catholic campaign
- July 1864 — cornerstone laid for the present church on Church Street
- October 1870 — consecrated by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid
- By 1898 — expanded or rebuilt to current footprint
- Today — operating as a Mass site of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Diocese of Rochester
Parish Staff and Clergy
St. Katharine Drexel Parish (including St. Anne's, Palmyra) is served by a shared pastoral team. The pastor is Rev. Symon Peter Ntaiyia; he is assisted by Rev. Steven B. Lewis, Parochial Vicar, and Deacon Marcelo DeRisio. Parish operations are supported by Bev Dulmage (secretary at the Macedon/Palmyra offices), Corey Ginett (Faith Formation Coordinator and Youth Minister for both St. Katharine Drexel and St. Maximilian Kolbe parishes), and Larry Prutzman (maintenance). Sacramental emergencies for St. Anne's parishioners are referred to Fr. Lewis at 315-791-2088.
- Rev. Symon Peter Ntaiyia — Pastor
- Rev. Steven B. Lewis — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Marcelo DeRisio
- Bev Dulmage — Secretary, St. Katharine Drexel
- Corey Ginett — Faith Formation Coordinator & Youth Minister
- Larry Prutzman — Maintenance
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
St. Katharine Drexel Parish runs a Faith Formation program for parish children and youth that typically runs November through May/June. The 2024–25 curriculum uses Pflaum Gospel Weeklies, the only liturgically-based catechetical program in the Catholic market that walks preschool through Grade 7 students through each week's Sunday Gospel and the Catholic doctrine that flows from it. Families register by contacting the parish office; Faith Formation Coordinator and Youth Minister Corey Ginett walks families through enrollment. Separate programming exists for high-school youth. Registration is by phone at (315) 524-2611 ext. 12 or by email at [email protected].
- Children's Faith Formation (preschool–Grade 7) using Pflaum Gospel Weeklies
- High School / Youth faith programs
- Family-based weekly Gospel reflection model
- Registration by calling the parish office or contacting Corey Ginett
RCIA and RCIC — Becoming Catholic
The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) assists adults and children over the age of 10 in obtaining full membership and participation in the Catholic Church. Candidates are typically non-Catholics or baptized Catholics who have not yet received Confirmation or First Communion. Classes begin in the fall and continue weekly until Holy Saturday, when catechumens receive the sacraments and are brought into full communion with the Church. A parallel RCIC (Rite of Christian Initiation for Children) program is offered for children aged seven and up.
- RCIA — for unbaptized adults, baptized Christians seeking full communion, and baptized Catholics seeking Confirmation/Eucharist
- RCIC — for children age 7 and up
- Inquiry stage — no-strings-attached conversation about the Catholic faith; contact parish secretary at (315) 524-2611 ext. 26 or [email protected]
- Classes begin each fall and continue weekly until Easter Vigil
Sacraments
The seven Catholic sacraments are celebrated throughout the parish family. Parents register children for Baptism and First Communion through the parish office. Confirmation preparation is integrated with the Faith Formation and youth ministry tracks. Couples seeking Marriage contact the parish office to begin preparation. The Anointing of the Sick is available for the homebound and hospitalized; in sacramental emergencies, Fr. Steven B. Lewis can be reached at 315-791-2088. Adults who have not yet received all three sacraments of initiation can complete them through the RCIA process.
- Baptism — register through parish office
- First Communion / Confirmation — through Faith Formation
- Marriage — contact the parish office for preparation
- Anointing of the Sick — by request
- RCIA / RCIC — for adults and older children not yet fully initiated
Music and Liturgy
Music ministry is shared across the cluster of linked parishes. Music Directors and parish cantors support the weekend Masses at St. Anne's in Palmyra, St. Patrick's in Macedon, St. Mary's of the Lake in Ontario, and the Church of the Epiphany in Sodus, alongside seasonal celebrations of holy days, First Friday devotions, Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter.
- Music ministry serving all four worship sites of the cluster
- Parish choir and cantors for Sunday and holy-day liturgies
Wayne County Cluster and St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish
St. Katharine Drexel Parish collaborates with the neighboring St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, sharing pastors, parochial vicar, deacon, faith-formation staff, and office infrastructure. The combined cluster covers four Catholic churches across Wayne County: St. Patrick's (Macedon), St. Anne's (Palmyra), St. Mary's of the Lake (Ontario), and the Church of the Epiphany (Sodus). The shared website at catholicparisheswwc.org hosts Mass times, bulletins, and contact information for the entire cluster, allowing parishioners to attend whichever Mass site is most convenient.
- Cluster parishes: St. Katharine Drexel (Macedon–Palmyra) and St. Maximilian Kolbe (Ontario–Sodus)
- Shared website: catholicparisheswwc.org
- Shared priests: Fr. Symon Peter Ntaiyia, Fr. Steven B. Lewis, Deacon Marcelo DeRisio
Getting Involved and Contact
Newcomers to St. Anne's are invited to connect with the parish office by phone, mail, or email. The parish office for St. Katharine Drexel is located at 52 Main St., Macedon, NY 14502 and is staffed Monday and Wednesday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM; the parish secretary is Bev Dulmage. Parents who wish to enroll children in Faith Formation may call (315) 524-2611 ext. 12 or email [email protected]. Inquirers about the Catholic faith may contact the parish office to begin an RCIA Inquiry conversation.
- Parish mailing address: 52 Main St., Macedon, NY 14502
- Phone: 315-538-8242
- Office hours: Monday & Wednesday, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Faith Formation contact: Corey Ginett — [email protected], (315) 524-2611 ext. 12
- RCIA inquiries: [email protected], (315) 524-2611 ext. 26