About St. Francis Xavier · Marcellus, New York
St. Francis Xavier Parish is a Roman Catholic community in the Village of Marcellus, New York (Onondaga County), part of the Diocese of Syracuse. Founded in 1854 by roughly twenty immigrant Irish Catholic families, the parish grew from a mission gathering into an independent parish with about 2,000 members across 650 families today. Worship is centered in the historic church on the corner of West Main Street, dedicated in 1868, with daily and Sunday Masses, a robust faith formation program for children, and a wide range of liturgical, prayer, and outreach ministries serving the Village of Marcellus and surrounding town.
- Established
- 1854
- Patron
- St. Francis Xavier
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel C. Muscalino
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
Why belong here
St. Francis Xavier offers a complete Catholic life in a small-village setting: weekday and Sunday Masses, regular Reconciliation, First Friday Eucharistic Adoration, a Thursday evening Rosary, and a Monday-evening Lectio Divina group, all alongside a graded faith formation program for children and a two-year Confirmation program for high-schoolers. Parishioners serve as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers, cantors, catechists, prayer-team members, trustees, and social-service coordinators, and the parish supports outreach such as food drives for the Durgee Food Pantry and the St. Peregrine novena for the sick. With twelve resident pastors across 170 years and about 2,000 members from 650 families, it is a rooted, multigenerational faith family.
Mass times at St. Francis Xavier
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 5:30 PM
- Saturday 3:30 PM
Adoration times
- First Friday (one hour of adoration)
Parish History
St. Francis Xavier was founded in April 1854 by about twenty Irish immigrant families and grew from a mission of St. Joseph's, Camillus into a parish of roughly 2,000 members across 650 families. The first Catholic services in Marcellus were held in 1849 in the home of John McNally by circuit-riding Fr. Michael Haes (Hayes); the young congregation then worshipped for more than a dozen years on the second floor of a tavern built by Deacon Rice. That tavern was torn down and the present church was completed on the same site, dedicated in December 1868. Marcellus became an independent parish on February 4, 1873, and twelve resident pastors have since served the community. The parish's story, written for the parish's 160th anniversary in 2014 by historian John P. Curtin, draws heavily on the 1973 SFX Church History by Kathryn C. Heffernan.
- Parish founded April 1854
- Church building dedicated December 1868
- Independent parish February 4, 1873
- Rectory completed 1912; St. Francis Hall 1924; parking lot 1935; Instructional Center 1970
- Parish cemetery acquired 1862 (additions 1926)
- 160th anniversary celebrated in 2014
Pastoral Staff & Parish Leadership
Pastoral leadership is shared among the pastor, two deacons, and a team of lay staff and volunteers. The Faith Formation Director and Confirmation Coordinator oversee religious education, the Music Director leads liturgical music, and Social Service Coordinators organize outreach. Trustees, the Parish Council, and the Finance Committee share governance of the parish's temporal affairs.
- Pastor: Rev. Daniel C. Muscalino
- Deacon: John J. Falge (also Pastoral Associate)
- Deacon: Jeffrey Dixe
- Faith Formation Director: Laura Carver (Grades 1–8, Penance & Eucharist)
- Confirmation Coordinators: Laura Carver & Laurie LeFever
- Music Director: Chrissy Camuglia
- Parish Secretary: Katherine Boos
- Social Service Coordinators: Rosalie Durand & Patty White
- Buildings and Grounds: Ron Schneider
- Housekeeper: Kathy Welsh
- Trustees: Diane Foster and Joseph E. Durand
- Parish Council includes Jay Austin, Terry Hall, Penny Anderson, Beth Cusick, Roxanne Taylor, Kim Flood, Marty McClusky, Terry Kotlarz, Carter Austin, John Ketterer, Patty Gooden
- Finance Committee Chair: Rick Reagan
Devotions & Prayer Life
Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish gathers regularly for communal prayer: a Thursday evening Rosary, a Monday-evening Lectio Divina, and a Prayer Ministry of intercession teams who remain in the church after weekend Masses to pray with parishioners for special intentions. A novena to St. Peregrine, patron saint of cancer patients, is offered through a parish statue that rotates to the homes of families who wish to pray it for a loved one.
- Rosary – Thursday evenings, 7:00 PM, church
- Lectio Divina – Monday evenings, 6:30 PM
- Prayer Ministry – intercession teams after weekend Masses
- St. Peregrine Novena – statue rotates among parishioner homes for nine days of prayer
- First Friday Adoration
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Francis Xavier is directed by Laura Carver and serves children and youth from Grade 1 through high-school Confirmation. Classes meet on Sunday mornings (9:00–11:00 AM) and Monday evenings (5:30–7:30 PM) at the Religious Education Center at 53 North Street, 2½ blocks from the church. The curriculum follows the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the National Catechetical Directory, and Diocesan guidelines, with grade-appropriate Pflaum Gospel Weeklies.
- Grades 1–3: Promise and Good News series (Pflaum)
- Grades 7–8 Jr. High: Visions lectionary-based series (Pflaum Gospel Weeklies)
- Children's Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) – Grades K–3
- First Penance and First Holy Communion preparation
- High School Confirmation (two-year program) – Coordinators Laura Carver & Laurie LeFever
- Safe-environment 'Circles of Care' training (Diocese of Syracuse)
Sacramental Preparation
Sacramental preparation is coordinated through the rectory and the Faith Formation office. First Penance and First Communion are arranged through Father Muscalino; Confirmation (high school) is coordinated by Laura Carver and Laurie LeFever. Reconciliation is offered weekly on Tuesday evening and Saturday afternoon, in addition to by-appointment confession.
- First Penance / First Communion – contact Father Muscalino (315) 673-2531
- Confirmation – contact Laura Carver or Laurie LeFever ([email protected], 315-673-4107)
- Baptism and Marriage – contact the rectory
- Anointing of the Sick and pastoral visitation by request
Outreach & Social Justice
Faith-in-Action outreach is built into every grade level of faith formation, with children collecting food for the Durgee Food Pantry at Thanksgiving and Easter, donating new mittens and gloves through 'Mittens for Jesus,' and contributing gently-used story books through 'Rainbows of Reading' to area hospitals, clinics, schools, and agencies. Adult social-service efforts are coordinated by Rosalie Durand and Patty White, and the parish also promotes the St. Peregrine novena for those suffering from cancer.
- Durgee Food Pantry canned-good drives (Thanksgiving and Easter)
- 'Mittens for Jesus' glove and mitten collection (Grades 1–6)
- 'Rainbows of Reading' gently-used book donations (Grade 3)
- St. Peregrine Novena for cancer patients
- Social Service Coordinators: Rosalie Durand & Patty White
Liturgical Ministries
Parishioners serve the parish as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers, and cantors at every Mass, with assignments published in a regular ministry schedule. Music is led by Music Director Chrissy Camuglia. The Prayer Ministry's intercession teams remain after weekend Masses to pray with anyone who has a special intention.
- Lectors
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Altar Servers
- Cantors (Music Director: Chrissy Camuglia)
- Prayer Ministry (intercession teams after weekend Masses)
Evangelization & Adult Faith Formation
The parish promotes adult faith formation through the SYMBOLON video series, which explores how the different aspects of the Catholic Faith fit together and what difference they make for daily life. A weekly E-bulletin, parish videos, and a parish 'Listening Session' participation worksheet also support parishioners' ongoing formation and engagement.
- SYMBOLON Catholic faith video series
- Weekly E-bulletin
- Parish videos and pictures
- Parish Listening Session participation worksheet
Parish Cemetery
St. Francis Xavier maintains a parish cemetery acquired in 1862, with additions to the property made in 1926. More than 3,000 people have been interred there across the parish's history, and burial records are kept at the rectory.
- Cemetery acquired in 1862
- Additions made in 1926
- Over 3,000 interments on record
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael Heas (Hayes)1849–1852
Circuit-riding priest who celebrated the first Catholic services in Marcellus in the home of John McNally.
- Rev. William McCallion1852–1864
Camillus pastor who oversaw Marcellus as a mission.
- Rev. Joseph Butler, O.M.C.1864–1865
Camillus pastor.
- Rev. Francis J. Purcell1865–1873
Skaneateles pastor with Marcellus as a mission.
- Rev. John J. Hayden1873–1874
1st Resident Pastor; first rectory purchased on Main Street.
- Rev. Bernard J. McDonough1874–1878
2nd Resident Pastor.
- Rev. Michael P. Renehan1878–1879
3rd Resident Pastor.
- Rev. James J. Renehan1879–1925
4th Resident Pastor; longest tenure on record.
- Rev. Thomas J. Driscoll1925–1933
5th Resident Pastor.
- Rev. Daniel C. Hartnett1933–1967
6th Resident Pastor; long-serving pastor.
- Rev. J. Robert Quigley1967–1972
7th Resident Pastor.
- Rev. James E. Nicholson1972–1986
8th Resident Pastor.
- Rev. Robert F. Lavin1986–1990
9th Resident Pastor.
- Rev. Peter M. Creed1990–1995
10th Resident Pastor.
- Rev. J. Michael Donovan1995–2011
11th Resident Pastor.
- Rev. Daniel C. Muscalino2011–present
12th Resident Pastor; previously administrator in 2011, pastor since 2012. Ordained May 13, 1978; also teaches religion, Latin, and Greek at Bishop Ludden Jr./Sr. High School.