About St. Katharine Drexel · Buffalo, New York
St. Katharine Drexel Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Lovejoy neighborhood of East Buffalo, New York, within the Diocese of Buffalo. It was formed in October 2007 under the Diocese's 'Journey in Faith and Grace' consolidation program, by merging the former St. Agnes, St. Francis of Assisi, and Visitation parishes into one worshipping community that continues to use the former St. Francis of Assisi church building on North Ogden Street. Today the parish is part of the Greater East Buffalo Family of Parishes (Family #30) and serves roughly 267 households with regular Sunday Mass, daily weekday Masses, devotions, and a Children's Liturgy program.
- Established
- 2007
- Patron
- St. Katharine Drexel
- Rector
- Rev. Cole T. Webster
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Katharine Drexel is a warmly multi-ethnic Catholic community in Buffalo's Lovejoy neighborhood with a rich Italian, German, and Irish heritage stretching back more than a century — now gathered under one roof in a spacious 1960 church seating 800. With daily weekday Masses, a Sunday liturgy, First Friday Adoration, Centering Prayer, and a Children's Liturgy program, the parish is a manageable, devotional size where parishioners actually know one another. As part of the Greater East Buffalo Family of Parishes it shares resources with Corpus Christi, St. Stanislaus, St. John Kanty, and St. John Gualbert, giving worshippers a wider network of ministries while keeping the parish an intimate neighborhood church.
Mass times at St. Katharine Drexel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Anytime or by appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 9:00–10:30 AM
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (in conjunction with Greater East Buffalo Family of Parishes)
Parish Identity & Heritage
St. Katharine Drexel Parish was created in October 2007 by the Diocese of Buffalo under its 'Journey in Faith and Grace' consolidation program, merging St. Agnes (German), Visitation (Irish), and St. Francis of Assisi (Italian) — the three historic Catholic parishes of the Lovejoy neighborhood. The new parish took the name of St. Katharine Drexel, the recently canonized Philadelphia heiress (1858–1955) who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and devoted her fortune to missionary work among Native Americans and African Americans. The parish remains a Roman Rite community of roughly 267 families in the Diocese of Buffalo.
- Formed October 2007
- Patron: St. Katharine Drexel (1858–1955)
- Roman Rite, Diocese of Buffalo
History of the Lovejoy Catholic Community
Italian families began settling in East Lovejoy around 1900, drawn by work in the nearby railroad yards. They initially worshipped at the German parish of St. Agnes on Ludington Street. By the summer of 1908 their numbers had grown enough that Bishop Charles Colton appointed Rev. R. Barsotti to oversee their spiritual care; Rev. J. Tomei took over the work on 23 September 1908 and erected a modest frame combination church-and-school building. Growth was slow because of the three existing Catholic parishes. By the late 1940s the original frame building was beyond economical repair; in 1949 the parish built a new school and worshipped in its basement while planning a new church. Ground was broken on 6 April 1959 for the present 800-seat house of worship, designed by architect Albert A. Rumschick and completed the following year at a cost of about $400,000.
- 1908 — Bishop Charles Colton appoints Rev. R. Barsotti; Rev. J. Tomei takes over 23 September 1908
- 1949 — New school built; basement used for worship
- 6 April 1959 — Ground broken for the present church
- 1960 — 800-seat church completed (~$400,000)
- Architect: Albert A. Rumschick
Greater East Buffalo Family of Parishes (Family #30)
St. Katharine Drexel is one of five worship sites in the Greater East Buffalo Family of Parishes (Diocesan Family #30), working collaboratively with neighboring parishes to share clergy, staff, and ministry resources across the East Buffalo community.
- Corpus Christi, Buffalo
- St. Stanislaus, Buffalo
- St. John Kanty (with St. Adalbert), Buffalo
- St. John Gualbert, Cheektowaga
- St. Katherine Drexel, Buffalo
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by its current pastor and supported by a parochial vicar and lay staff, both locally and across the Family of Parishes.
- Rev. Cole T. Webster — Pastor
- Rev. Marek Kreis, OSPPE — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. James M. Monaco — Founding Pastor
- Kelly Ann Kowalski — Children's Liturgy Coordinator
Sacraments & Devotions
Confessions are available anytime or by appointment, and the parish shares a rich devotional life with the rest of the Greater East Buffalo Family of Parishes.
- Confession: anytime or by appointment
- First Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 9:00–10:30 AM
- Centering Prayer
- Stations of the Cross during Lent
- May Devotions (Mary)
- Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June
- Gorzkie Żale (The Lamentations) during Lent
Faith Formation & Children's Liturgy
The parish runs a Children's Liturgy of the Word program for its youngest parishioners, coordinated by Kelly Ann Kowalski. As part of the Greater East Buffalo Family, faith formation and sacramental preparation are also supported collaboratively with neighboring parishes.
- Children's Liturgy of the Word — Coordinator Kelly Ann Kowalski
- Family #30 collaborative faith formation across East Buffalo parishes
Parish Identity & Contact
The parish rectory is located at 118 Schiller Street, with the church itself at 133–135 N. Ogden Street, in Buffalo's 14206 ZIP code on the East Side. Inquiries are handled by the parish office.
- Rectory: 118 Schiller St., Buffalo, NY 14206-1499
- Church: 133–135 N. Ogden St., Buffalo, NY 14206
- Phone: (716) 895-6813
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stkatharinedrexel.net
- Family of Parishes website: eastbuffalocatholic.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James M. Monaco2007–present (as founding pastor)
First pastor of St. Katharine Drexel Parish at its 2007 founding from the merger of St. Agnes, St. Francis of Assisi and Visitation.
- Rev. Cole T. Webstercurrent (Greater East Buffalo Family era)
Current pastor; serves across Family #30 (Greater East Buffalo Family of Parishes).