About St. Cecilia · Warrensburg, New York
St. Cecilia's Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in the hamlet of Warrensburg, New York, in Warren County at the edge of the Adirondacks. The parish is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and is served by Very Rev. Joseph G. Busch, Pastor and Vicar of the Adirondack Vicariate. St. Cecilia's gathers for Sunday Mass at 10:00 am and operates its own parish cemetery, staffed by a tight team of lay employees, trustees, and pastoral and finance councils.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- St. Cecilia (patron saint of music)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Joseph G. Busch
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
St. Cecilia's is the long-standing Catholic presence in Warrensburg, dating back to the wave of Irish and other Catholic mill and tannery workers of the 1870s, and it continues to serve as the spiritual home for Catholics across the southern Adirondacks. A single Sunday Mass anchors a close-knit, small-parish community supported by an active Pastoral Council, a Finance Council, elected trustees, and parish staff who also maintain the parish cemetery. As part of the Diocese of Albany it provides sacramental ministry (including Reconciliation by appointment) and outreach ministries connecting the parish to those in need locally and through the Diocesan Appeal.
Mass times at St. Cecilia
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Reconciliation by appointment only (call 518-623-3021)
Parish Identity and Diocese
St. Cecilia's Catholic Church (also styled St. Cecilia's in Warrensburg) is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, located at 3802 Main Street in Warrensburg, Warren County, New York. It is one of the older parishes in the southern Adirondack region and is currently part of the Adirondack Vicariate of the Diocese of Albany.
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
- Vicariate: Adirondack Vicariate
- Pastor & Vicar of the Adirondack Vicariate: Very Rev. Joseph G. Busch
History
Catholic settlers in 19th-century Warrensburg worshipped in private homes — Mass was said in the parlor of the Ryan family on Main Street by a visiting priest — before Bishop McNierney sent Father James A. Kelly to organize a Catholic parish. Father Kelly oversaw construction of the present church; the cornerstone was laid July 23, 1875, the bell was cast at the Meneely Foundry in West Troy, and the dedication followed on September 5, 1877. The parish was a mission of the Lake George church until 1948.
- 1874 — Bishop McNierney sends Fr. James A. Kelly to Warrensburg
- July 23, 1875 — Cornerstone laid (building cost ~$6,000; furnishings ~$2,000)
- Sept. 5, 1877 — Church dedicated
- First Catholic church outside of Glens Falls
- Meneely Foundry bell, ~1,000 lb
- Mission church of Lake George until 1948
Architecture and Interior
The building has a simple white exterior that opens into an ornate interior centered on a free-standing altar. A large stained-glass window of Christ on the Cross rises behind the altar; the left-front altar is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and a statue of St. Cecilia stands to the right. Stations of the Cross, additional stained-glass windows, a statue of St. Patrick and a long polished wood altar table complete the devotional furnishings, with red carpet, lantern-style lighting, a modern front door and an electronic organ.
- Free-standing altar
- Stained-glass Christ-on-the-Cross window
- Altar to the Blessed Virgin / statue of St. Cecilia
- Stations of the Cross
- Statue of St. Patrick
- Polished wood altar table
- Red carpet, lantern lighting, electronic organ
Mass and Sacraments
St. Cecilia's follows a single-Sunday-Mass schedule at 10:00 am, with a 9:00 am Mass on Holy Days. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered by appointment (call 518-623-3021). Mass intentions may be requested through the office for a $15 stipend; mass cards are prepared Mondays and Tuesdays and can be mailed or picked up.
- Sunday Mass — 10:00 am
- Holy Day Mass — 9:00 am
- Reconciliation — by appointment only
- Mass intentions — $15 per intention
- Mass cards available Monday/Tuesday
Parish Staff
Pastoral leadership rests with Very Rev. Joseph G. Busch, who also serves as Vicar of the Adirondack Vicariate. Barb Carlozzi works as the Pastoral Associate of Administration (mostly remote, from Chestertown). Day-to-day parish operations are handled by the bookkeeper Richelene Morey, secretary Dariyn Oehler, and Kevin Belanger (snow and ice removal). Two elected trustees — Mary Carpenter and Laura Paniccia — oversee the fiscal and physical operations of the church alongside the pastor.
- Pastor & Vicar of the Adirondack Vicariate — Very Rev. Joseph G. Busch
- Pastoral Associate of Administration — Barb Carlozzi
- Bookkeeper — Richelene Morey (also Sacramental Registers, funeral planning, cemetery)
- Secretary — Dariyn Oehler
- Snow Removal — Kevin Belanger
- Trustees — Mary Carpenter, Laura Paniccia
Parish Councils
Two advisory bodies support the pastor: the Pastoral Council, which advises on how to evangelize the parish, and the Finance Council, which assists with parish financial decisions. Both currently include Fr. Busch.
- Pastoral Council members: Fr. Busch, Barb Carlozzi, Danielle Robichaud, Shiela Satterlee, Laura Paniccia, Mary Carpenter, Michelle Moore, Richelene Morey
- Finance Council members: Fr. Busch, Michelle Moore (Chairperson), trustees Laura Paniccia and Mary Carpenter, Barb Carlozzi
Parish Cemetery
St. Cecilia's maintains its own parish cemetery. Cemetery questions and transactions — sale of lots, ordering and installing cornerstones, digging burial holes, and maintaining records — are handled through the parish office, primarily by bookkeeper Richelene Morey (518-623-3021; or 518-623-2616 at home, leave a message).
- Sale of cemetery lots
- Cornerstone ordering and installation
- Burial preparation
- Cemetery records maintained by the parish office
Outreach and Diocesan Appeal
The parish lists Outreach Ministries on its homepage, supporting those in need locally and through the Diocesan Appeal of the Diocese of Albany. The site's outreach page invites parishioners and visitors to learn ways to help those in need and provides contact information for getting involved.
- Diocesan Appeal participation
- Outreach Ministries for those in need
- Contact via parish office for involvement
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James A. Kelly1874–
Pioneer clergyman sent by Bishop McNierney to found the parish; oversaw construction of the church, cornerstone laid July 23, 1875, dedicated September 5, 1877.
- Rev. Vincent B. Jaracz
Oversaw extensive interior renovations that produced the current ornate décor (red carpet, lantern lighting, electronic organ, modern front door).