About St. Bartholomew's Church · Old Forge, New York
St. Bartholomew's Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Old Forge, New York, in the heart of the southern Adirondacks. It is one of the oldest Catholic communities in the region, founded in 1897 by Father John G. Fitzgerald, the first resident priest of Old Forge, and is today served jointly with St. Anthony of Padua in Inlet and St. William's Oratory in Raquette Lake under a single pastorate (the 'Fulton Chain Catholics'). The parish belongs to the Diocese of Ogdensburg and is currently led by Reverend Thomas E. Kornmeyer, VF. Its present church building at 103 Crosby Boulevard — a modern brick and glue-laminated structure whose cornerstone is dated May 3, 1991 — replaced an ornate Queen Anne-style wooden church that had stood on the site since 1899.
- Established
- 1897
- Patron
- St. Bartholomew the Apostle
- Rector
- Reverend Thomas E. Kornmeyer, VF
- Diocese
- Diocese of Ogdensburg
Why belong here
St. Bartholomew's is a year-round Catholic home for residents and seasonal visitors across the Fulton Chain of lakes, including Old Forge, Inlet, and Raquette Lake — a tight-knit mission community whose parish staff personally coordinate faith formation, music, and sacramental life for both St. Bartholomew's and its sister church, St. Anthony of Padua in Inlet. With weekday and weekend Masses, regular Saturday confession, a no-cost K-8 religious education and sacramental preparation program (First Communion and Confirmation), and the natural beauty of the southern Adirondacks as its setting, it offers a warm, traditional Latin-rite parish life to anyone seeking a faithful community in the central Adirondack region.
Mass times at St. Bartholomew's Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM at St. Bartholomew's Church, Old Forge
- Before Sunday Mass at St. Bartholomew's Church
- By appointment at St. Bartholomew's Church, Old Forge
About St. Bartholomew's Parish
St. Bartholomew's Church serves the village of Old Forge and the surrounding Adirondack communities as part of the Diocese of Ogdensburg. The parish shares its pastor, staff, and worship life with St. Anthony of Padua in Inlet and St. William's Oratory in Raquette Lake, a grouping the parish refers to as 'Fulton Chain Catholics.' Weekend and weekday Masses, the Sacrament of Penance, faith formation for children, and pastoral care for residents and visitors are all coordinated from the parish office at 103 Crosby Boulevard.
- Name: St. Bartholomew's Church
- Diocese: Diocese of Ogdensburg
- Parish grouping: St. Bartholomew's (Old Forge), St. Anthony of Padua (Inlet), St. William's Oratory (Raquette Lake)
- Rite: Roman-Latin
History of St. Bartholomew's
Founded in 1897 by pioneering missionary Father John G. Fitzgerald — the first resident priest of Old Forge — the parish grew from a single log-cabin Christmas Mass in 1896 into the spiritual center for Catholics across the Fulton Chain. Fitzgerald and his successors built not only St. Bartholomew's but also a constellation of mission churches and wilderness stations that served loggers, guides, and resort visitors across the western Adirondacks. The original 1899 wooden church was replaced by the present brick and glue-lam building whose cornerstone is dated May 3, 1991.
- December 1896: Father John G. Fitzgerald becomes first resident priest of Old Forge
- Christmas Day 1896: First Mass celebrated in a log cabin (eight attendees)
- September 3, 1897: Parish canonically established
- August 27, 1899: First church dedicated by Bishop Henry Gabriels of Ogdensburg
- March 3, 1925: Father Fitzgerald dies in the Old Forge rectory; buried in Riverview Cemetery
- May 3, 1991: Cornerstone laid for the present-day church building
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by a small, dedicated staff who coordinate worship, formation, and administration across the three linked communities.
- Pastor: Reverend Thomas E. Kornmeyer, VF
- Office Manager: Jeanne Candee
- Faith Formation Director: Debra McCoy
- Music / Organist: Brother Edward Bick
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish runs a year-round Faith Formation program for children in Kindergarten through 8th grade, including sacramental preparation for First Holy Communion (typically in grade 2) and Confirmation (typically in grade 8). Registration forms are available as a downloadable PDF on the parish website. The parish notes that no program fee is collected for religious education classes, and parents acknowledge their role as the primary educators of their children and the importance of weekly Sunday Mass attendance.
- Levels offered: K–5, First Communion (usually grade 2), Grades 6–8, Confirmation preparation
- Faith Formation Director: Debra McCoy
- Registration deadline: September 15 each year
- No program fee charged for Religious Education classes
- Forms available for download at fultonchaincatholics.org
Music & Liturgy
Liturgical music at St. Bartholomew's is coordinated by Brother Edward Bick, who serves as parish organist. Music is part of the shared worship life of the three linked communities (St. Bartholomew's, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. William's Oratory), and supports the regular weekend and holy-day Mass schedule.
- Organist: Brother Edward Bick
- Music supports Masses at St. Bartholomew's and sister churches
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the seven sacraments in cooperation with the Diocese of Ogdensburg, with confession available at regular Saturday times and other sacraments arranged through the parish office.
- Baptism — contact parish office
- First Holy Communion — preparation through Religious Education program
- Confirmation — preparation through Religious Education program (grades 6–8)
- Penance / Confession — Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM at St. Bartholomew's, before Sunday Mass, and by appointment
- Matrimony — contact parish office to arrange preparation
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment; please notify the parish for hospitalized or homebound parishioners
Our Sister Churches: St. Anthony of Padua & St. William's
St. Bartholomew's shares its pastor and staff with two mission churches that together form one pastoral unit serving the Fulton Chain of lakes. Weekend Mass and confession schedules across the three communities are coordinated from the Old Forge parish office.
- St. Anthony of Padua — Inlet, NY (parish church for the Inlet community)
- St. William's Oratory — 183 North Route 28, Raquette Lake, NY (seasonal mission chapel)
- Combined weekend schedule listed on fultonchaincatholics.org
Visit, Contact & Location
The parish welcomes both year-round residents and seasonal visitors to the Adirondacks. The parish office is located at the church on Crosby Boulevard, and the rectory is a short distance away on Park Avenue. Office hours and bulletin information are posted on the parish website.
- Church address: 103 Crosby Boulevard, Old Forge, NY 13420
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 236, Old Forge, NY 13420
- Rectory: 189 Park Avenue, Old Forge, NY
- Parish office phone: (315) 369-3554
- Fax: (315) 369-2049
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: fultonchaincatholics.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John G. Fitzgerald1896–1925
English-born missionary and first resident priest of Old Forge; purchased the rectory lots in 1896, celebrated his first Mass on Christmas Day 1896 in a log cabin, canonically established the parish on September 3, 1897, and saw the first church dedicated by Bishop Henry Gabriels on August 27, 1899. Founded or sustained numerous Adirondack missions (Holy Rosary Big Moose, St. William's Raquette Lake, St. Mary's Piseco, etc.); died of heart failure in the Old Forge rectory on March 3, 1925, and was buried in Riverview Cemetery.