About St. Joseph's Church · Dolgeville, New York
St. Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Dolgeville, New York, served as a mission church of Holy Family Parish in nearby Little Falls. Established in 1872 and located at 31 N. Helmer Avenue in Herkimer County, the parish shares a pastor and pastoral staff with Holy Family Parish and falls within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Mass is celebrated in English on Sunday mornings, with Wednesday Mass and Eucharistic Adoration during Lent, and the parish hosts a weekly hour of prayer for the sick, dying, and holy souls in Purgatory on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. The parish community is small but active, with a faith-formation program for children, an annual cemetery cleanup, and a weekly coffee hour after Mass.
- Established
- 1872
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Brian Slezak
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
St. Joseph's in Dolgeville offers the warmth of a small Catholic community with the resources of a larger parish network. Weekly Sunday Mass, Wednesday Lenten Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass, a weekly hour of prayer for the sick and dying, an annual Novena to St. Joseph, and a faith-formation program for children in grades 1–9 give families real ways to live and grow in their faith together. The parish also keeps alive the traditions of generations of Dolgeville Catholics through events like the annual St. Joseph Cemetery cleanup and the St. Joseph Coffee Hour.
Mass times at St. Joseph's Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 7:30 AM – 7:45 AM
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
About St. Joseph's Church, Dolgeville
St. Joseph's Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in the village of Dolgeville, Herkimer County, New York. Founded in 1872 and dedicated to St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the parish belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. It is now administered jointly with Holy Family Parish in nearby Little Falls and shares the same pastor, Fr. Brian Slezak.
Parish History
According to the diocesan-affiliated database GCatholic, St. Joseph's in Dolgeville was established in 1872 to serve the Catholic families of this rural mill town in southern Herkimer County. Over the decades the parish became a fixture of local Catholic life, marked especially by devotion to its patron, St. Joseph, whose feast day (March 19) is observed each year with a parish novena.
Connection to Holy Family Parish
St. Joseph's Dolgeville is paired with Holy Family Parish in Little Falls, which was itself formed in 1992 from the merger of St. Mary's (1833), Sacred Heart (1911), and St. Joseph's (1923) of Little Falls. The two parishes share a pastor, parish staff, faith-formation program, and many joint events. The main parish office and mailing address (763 E. Main Street, Little Falls, NY 13365) is at Holy Family; St. Joseph's in Dolgeville uses its own address, phone line, and email.
- Main parish office: 763 E. Main Street, Little Falls, NY 13365
- Parish office phone: (315) 823-3410
- St. Joseph's local phone: (315) 429-8338
- St. Joseph's email: [email protected]
Pastor and Clergy
St. Joseph's is served by the pastor of Holy Family Parish. Fr. Brian Slezak, a priest of the Diocese of Albany, was named pastor of Holy Family Parish and St. Joseph's effective March 14, 2020. Father Slezak was ordained on June 14, 2014, after studies at the University of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary, and previously served as parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament in Albany and as pastor of Holy Trinity in Cohoes.
- Fr. Brian Slezak – Pastor (since March 14, 2020)
- Parish contact for staff: Holy Family Parish Office at (315) 823-3410
Devotions and Special Services
St. Joseph's hosts a number of traditional Catholic devotions throughout the year. Of particular note is the weekly 'Hour of Prayer for the Sick, Dying, and Holy Souls in Purgatory' held at 4:00 PM each Wednesday at St. Joseph Church, using the prayer book 'Held Safely in Her Arms' and the Rosary.
- Weekly Hour of Prayer for the Sick, Dying, and Holy Souls – Wednesdays at 4:00 PM at St. Joseph Church
- Annual Novena to St. Joseph – March 11 through March 19
- St. Joseph Coffee Hour – after the 8:00 AM Sunday Mass
- St. Joseph Cemetery Cleanup – annual spring workday
- Candlemas blessing of candles on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
- Rosary said before Sunday Mass
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish operates a Faith Formation program for children in grades 1 through 9, open to all area Catholic children. Registration takes place at the Holy Family Parish Rectory (across from Benton Hall Academy Gym). Sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation is provided through this program and through OCIA for older youth and adults.
- Grades 1–9 Faith Formation (registration at Holy Family Parish Rectory)
- Cost: 1st Grade $20; grades 2–9 $40
- Contact: Mrs. Bridget Altner
- Children under 8 → Religious Education; ages 8–13 → age-appropriate OCIA track
Becoming Catholic (OCIA)
Adults interested in becoming Catholic, completing their Christian initiation, or receiving the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation follow the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), the parish's formation process. The program follows the four stages of Inquiry, Catechumenate, Sacraments (typically celebrated at the Easter Vigil), and Mystagogy.
- For unbaptized adults
- For Christians baptized in another denomination seeking full communion
- For baptized Catholics seeking Eucharist and/or Confirmation
- Contact: Holy Family Parish Office at (315) 823-3410
Sacraments Offered
In addition to the weekly Eucharist, the parish prepares parishioners for and celebrates the other six sacraments of the Catholic Church. The parish asks that families contact the parish office to begin sacramental preparation well in advance.
- Baptism (for infants and children under 8, contact the parish office)
- First Holy Communion (via Faith Formation)
- Confirmation (via OCIA for adults; Faith Formation for youth)
- Matrimony (contact the parish office to begin preparation)
- Anointing of the Sick (on request)
- Reconciliation – Sundays 7:30–7:45 AM
Parish Ministries and Community Life
Although small, the parish supports an active mix of liturgical, devotional, educational, and fellowship ministries. In addition to Mass and Adoration, these include Faith Formation, OCIA, the Wednesday Hour of Prayer for the Sick and Dying, the annual Novena to St. Joseph, the St. Joseph Coffee Hour, the St. Joseph Cemetery Cleanup, Lenten Bible Study, and the 'Grieving with Great Hope' bereavement program.
- Faith Formation (Grades 1–9)
- OCIA (Becoming Catholic)
- Hour of Prayer for the Sick, Dying & Holy Souls
- Novena to St. Joseph
- St. Joseph Coffee Hour
- Eucharistic Adoration
- Grieving with Great Hope (bereavement support)
- Lenten Bible Study on the Seven Sorrows
- St. Joseph Cemetery Cleanup
St. Joseph Cemetery
St. Joseph Cemetery is the parish's own Catholic cemetery in Dolgeville. Each spring the parish family gathers for a community cleanup day to care for the grounds — typically a Saturday morning in May, with parishioners asked to bring rakes, leaf blowers, weed whackers, and trimmers.
- Annual cleanup day in May (Saturday morning)
- Parishioners invited to bring rakes, leaf blowers, trimmers
Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Joseph's through its local phone line and email, or through the shared Holy Family Parish Office.
- St. Joseph's local phone: (315) 429-8338
- St. Joseph's email: [email protected]
- Holy Family Parish Office: (315) 823-3410
- Parish office email: [email protected]
- Website: https://holyfamilylittlefalls.org/