About St. Isidore (St. Joseph Worship Site, Perry) · Perry, New York
St. Isidore Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Perry, New York (Wyoming County), in the Diocese of Buffalo. It is the canonical successor parish formed in 2008 by merging the former St. Joseph's in Bliss, Assumption in Portageville, St. Mary's in Silver Springs, and St. Joseph's in Perry under the Diocese's 'Journey in Faith and Grace' reorganization. The parish operates multiple worship sites, with its St. Joseph Church in Perry (71 Leicester Street) serving as one of those sites. It is part of 'Fields of Grace,' a family of Catholic parishes across rural Genesee and Wyoming counties that share ministries, clergy, and a common identity rooted in the agricultural landscape of western New York.
- Established
- 2008
- Patron
- St. Isidore the Farmer
- Rector
- Rev. F. Patrick Melfi (In Solidum/Moderator) and Rev. Denning Achidi (In Solidum)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Isidore Parish in Perry offers a faithful Catholic home in rural Wyoming County, with weekend and weekday Mass celebrated in historic English-language worship sites that have served this farming community for generations. As part of the 'Fields of Grace' family of parishes, members benefit from shared clergy and ministries spanning multiple worship sites across the region, ensuring regular Mass, sacraments, and pastoral care remain accessible. Visitors are welcomed to a community whose very name — taken from St. Isidore the Farmer — celebrates the rural, agricultural character of western New York and the everyday grace found in working the land.
Mass times at St. Isidore (St. Joseph Worship Site, Perry)
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Isidore Parish
St. Isidore Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Village of Perry, Wyoming County, New York, under the Diocese of Buffalo. Erected canonically in 2008, it is the successor parish of several earlier Wyoming County congregations brought together under the Diocese's pastoral planning initiative known as 'Journey in Faith and Grace.' The parish takes its name from St. Isidore the Farmer, the patron saint of farmers and rural laborers — a tribute to the agricultural community that has long defined this part of western New York. Today the parish operates as part of the 'Fields of Grace' family of parishes, sharing clergy and resources with neighboring Catholic communities across Genesee and Wyoming counties.
- Erected in 2008 under the Diocese of Buffalo
- Patron: St. Isidore the Farmer (feast day May 15)
- Member of the 'Fields of Grace' family of parishes
- Rite: Roman-Latin; primary language: English
History and Founding
St. Isidore Parish was created in 2008 through a canonical merger of four earlier Wyoming County parishes: St. Joseph's in Bliss, the Church of the Assumption in Portageville, St. Mary's in Silver Springs, and St. Joseph's in Perry. The merger was carried out under the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Journey in Faith and Grace' pastoral plan. As part of the resulting reorganization, the historic Polish-origin St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Perry — founded in 1910 to serve Polish workers at the Perry Knitting Mills — was closed; its campus was sold in July 2012.
- 2008: Parish erected by merging four Wyoming County parishes
- Predecessor churches: St. Joseph's Bliss, Assumption Portageville, St. Mary's Silver Springs, St. Joseph's Perry
- Polish-heritage St. Stanislaus Kostka, Perry (founded 1910) had been folded into the predecessor structure and closed
- St. Stanislaus campus sold July 2012
Fields of Grace Catholic Family
St. Isidore, Perry is a member parish of 'Fields of Grace,' a family of Catholic parishes in the rural Genesee–Wyoming County region. The name 'Fields of Grace' was chosen to evoke the faith, gratitude, and connection to the land that characterizes each parish in the family. In the Diocese of Buffalo's 2024 'Road to Renewal' reorganization, St. Isidore, Perry was placed in Family #14, the 'Eastern Rural RC Community,' alongside St. Michael, Warsaw and Mary Immaculate, East Bethany.
- Family of parishes: 'Fields of Grace'
- Family #14 'Eastern Rural RC Community'
- Sister parishes: St. Michael (Warsaw), Mary Immaculate (East Bethany)
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The St. Isidore / Eastern Rural RC Community family is served by priests assigned in solidum (sharing pastoral responsibility), with a moderator, and by an assigned permanent deacon. According to the Diocese of Buffalo's official Family of Parishes Assignment Listing, the priest assignments for the family are Rev. F. Patrick Melfi (In Solidum & Moderator) and Rev. Denning Achidi (In Solidum), with Deacon Mark Kehl serving as the active deacon for the family.
- Rev. F. Patrick Melfi — Pastor (In Solidum & Moderator)
- Rev. Denning Achidi — Priest (In Solidum)
- Deacon Mark Kehl — Active Deacon
Contact and Parish Office
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Isidore Parish by phone or email. The parish's mailing address is c/o the Warsaw family office at 16 North Street, Warsaw, NY 14569, even though worship takes place at the Perry and Silver Springs sites.
- Phone: (585) 786-2400
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://fieldsofgrace.family (formerly http://www.errcc.org)
- Mailing address: 16 North St., Warsaw, NY 14569
Road to Renewal: 2024 Reorganization
In June 2024, the Diocese of Buffalo announced final decisions in its 'Road to Renewal' pastoral reorganization, recommending that the St. Isidore, Perry worship site be merged with St. Michael, Warsaw, and that the St. Mary site in Silver Springs be closed and sold. The mergers across the Diocese were anticipated to be completed by June 2025. Sacred objects from closed sites are to be redistributed within the parish family, and sacramental records will be maintained by the central office of the new parish family.
- Diocese of Buffalo 'Road to Renewal' reorganization announced June 2024
- St. Isidore Perry site recommended to merge with St. Michael, Warsaw
- St. Mary, Silver Springs site recommended for closure and sale
- Sacred objects redistributed within the family; sacramental records transferred to the family central office