About St. Gabriel. St. John Vianney Parish. · Hammondsport, New York
St. John Vianney Parish is a multi-site Roman Catholic parish in Steuben County, New York, formed in 2012 by the merger of two historic Steuben County congregations: St. Gabriel Church in Hammondsport and St. Mary Church in Bath (located about eight miles apart). The parish belongs to the Diocese of Rochester and is the only parish in the diocese named for St. John Vianney, the French priest who is the patron saint of all parish priests. It is pastored by Father James P. Jaeger, who also serves as Dean of the West Deanery, assisted by two permanent deacons and a small lay staff. Worship takes place at both church buildings, with St. Gabriel's hosting a Sunday morning Mass that draws a larger crowd in summer when visitors flock to Keuka Lake.
- Established
- 2012
- Patron
- St. John Vianney (patron of parish); St. Gabriel (patron of the Hammondsport church site, the Archangel Gabriel)
- Rector
- Fr. Hoan Dinh (current pastor per the parish website)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
St. John Vianney Parish offers the warmth of a small, two-site Catholic community where worshippers at St. Gabriel's in Hammondsport and St. Mary's in Bath are intentional about being 'fellow parishioners' across both churches. The parish runs an active sacramental and faith-formation program, hosts a parish book club and adult vacation Bible camp, and participates in the USCCB's Eucharistic Revival. With Father Jaeger as pastor and two permanent deacons, parishioners find accessible clergy, a Eucharistic focus, and a tradition that goes back to the 1800s in Steuben County.
Mass times at St. Gabriel. St. John Vianney Parish.
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm at St. Mary's Church, Bath
About St. John Vianney Parish
St. John Vianney Parish is a multi-site Roman Catholic parish in Steuben County, New York, formed in 2012 by uniting St. Gabriel Church in Hammondsport and St. Mary Church in Bath under the patronage of St. John Vianney, the French Cure of Ars who is the patron saint of all priests. It is the first parish in the Diocese of Rochester to bear his name. The parish serves Catholics across the Hammondsport–Bath corridor and welcomes the seasonal influx of summer visitors drawn to Keuka Lake.
- Parish formed: 2012
- Diocese: Rochester
- Two worship sites: St. Gabriel (Hammondsport) and St. Mary (Bath)
- Pastor: Fr. James P. Jaeger (Dean of the West Deanery)
Parish History
Catholic faith in this corner of Steuben County reaches back to the mid-1800s. St. Gabriel's Catholic Church of Hammondsport was incorporated on January 9, 1890, and St. Mary in Bath has served local Catholics for well over a century. In 1994 Sister Anne Michelle McGill, SSJ, became St. Gabriel's pastoral administrator — the first such role in the Diocese of Rochester. The two parishes were clustered in 2010 under Deacon David LaFortune, and in May 2012 Bishop Matthew H. Clark announced they would canonically merge into one parish named for St. John Vianney. Father James Jaeger, who had been sacramental minister since 2008, became the first resident pastor in 2019.
- 1890 — St. Gabriel's Catholic Church of Hammondsport incorporated
- 1994 — Sister Anne Michelle McGill, SSJ, first pastoral administrator in Rochester Diocese at St. Gabriel's
- 2003 — St. Mary assigned its first pastoral administrator
- 2008 — Fr. James Jaeger appointed sacramental minister
- 2009 — St. Gabriel's 100th anniversary Mass
- 2010 — St. Gabriel / St. Mary formally clustered under Deacon David LaFortune
- 2012 — Cluster canonically merged as St. John Vianney Parish
- 2019 — Fr. Jaeger named pastor upon Deacon LaFortune's retirement
Parish Clergy & Staff
The parish is served by a priest-pastor and two permanent deacons, with a small lay staff supporting liturgy, communications and administration out of the parish office in Bath.
- Fr. Hoan Dinh — Pastor (per parish website clergy page)
- Very Rev. James P. Jaeger — Pastor and Dean of the West Deanery (per Diocese of Rochester directory)
- Deacon Thomas Jack — Parish Deacon
- Deacon Bob Colomaio — Parish Deacon
- Betty Gerych — Choir Director
- Nicki Ignatz — Bulletin Editor
- Shelly Wood — Administrative Assistant
Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
The parish operates a Faith Formation program for children and adults across both worship sites, with dedicated Sacramental Preparation for Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation. The parish has also taken part in the USCCB's national Eucharistic Revival with initiatives such as a parish book club studying Scott Hahn's 'The Lamb's Supper' and an adult vacation Bible camp.
- Faith Formation (K–adult)
- Sacramental Preparation: Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation
- Parish Book Club (Eucharistic Revival)
- Adult Vacation Bible Camp
Music & Liturgy
Liturgical music is coordinated by parish Choir Director Betty Gerych. The combined-choir ministry supports Masses at both St. Gabriel's in Hammondsport and St. Mary's in Bath.
- Choir Director: Betty Gerych
- Bulletin Editor: Nicki Ignatz
Locations & Contact
The parish office and St. Mary's Church are in Bath, while St. Gabriel's Church is in Hammondsport on Shether Street. Both sites remain open for worship, and parishioners are encouraged to participate in Masses and activities at both churches.
- St. Mary's Church: 32 East Morris Street, Bath, NY 14810
- St. Gabriel's Church: 78 Shether Street, Hammondsport, NY 14840
- Parish phone: 607-776-3327
- Distance between sites: ~8 miles
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Deacon David LaFortune2010–2019
Pastoral administrator of the St. Gabriel/St. Mary cluster from 2010; oversaw the formation of St. John Vianney Parish in 2012; retired in 2019.
- Fr. James Jaeger2008–present
Sacramental minister of the cluster from 2008; became pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in 2019 upon Deacon LaFortune's retirement; also serves as Dean of the West Deanery.
- Sister Anne Michelle McGill, SSJ1994
First pastoral administrator in the history of the Diocese of Rochester, serving St. Gabriel's.