About St. Louis RC Church · Buffalo, New York
St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, located in downtown Buffalo at 780 Main Street (at Edward), is the oldest Catholic parish in Western New York and holds the title of "Mother Church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo." Founded on January 5, 1829 through the land gift of French nobleman Louis Stephen LeCouteulx de Caumont, it serves a diverse community of downtown residents, Western New Yorkers, and visitors drawn to its landmark Gothic Revival church. The parish celebrates a traditional liturgy enriched by a renowned volunteer choir and Kimball organ, and continues an active sacramental and faith-formation life nearly two centuries after its founding.
- Established
- 1829
- Patron
- St. Louis IX (King Louis IX of France)
- Rector
- Rev. Raymond Corbin
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Louis welcomes anyone seeking a traditional, sacramentally-centered Catholic experience in the heart of downtown Buffalo. As the Mother Church of the Diocese of Buffalo, it offers daily and weekend Masses with live streaming, an acclaimed volunteer choir leading worship, an extensive Pre-K through 10th-grade faith formation program, regular baptisms and weddings in a landmark setting, and a connected parish community organized around standing committees for parish life, faith formation, music/liturgy, visitation of the infirmed, and outreach. Visitors are warmly received and are invited—as founder LeCouteulx intended—to be part of a parish that is meant to be a spiritual home for all Catholics.
Mass times at St. Louis RC Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 3:15–3:45 PM
Our History
St. Louis parish was founded on January 5, 1829 through the beneficence of French nobleman Louis Stephen LeCouteulx de Caumont, who deeded land at Main and Edward to Bishop Jean Dubois for a church, cemetery, school, and priest house. Within two years, missionary priest Rev. John Nicolas Mertz had built a log church known as 'Lamb of God.' The brick church that replaced it in 1843 was destroyed by fire on March 25, 1885, and the present Gothic church was completed in 1889. The parish's website also publishes a complete list of former pastors from 1829 to the present.
- Founded January 5, 1829
- Founder: Louis Stephen LeCouteulx de Caumont (French nobleman, Holland Land Company agent)
- Log church (1831) → brick church (1843) → fire (1885) → present church (1889)
- 175th anniversary restoration and archives/museum created
- St. John Neumann served here in 1836
Architecture & Sacred Art
The present church is a local historic site and one of the finest examples of continental Gothic architecture in the country. Built in 1889 by Schickel & Ditmar of New York, the cruciform building is sheathed in Medina red sandstone and rises to a 245-foot open-laced spire — the highest of its kind in the United States. Stained glass was produced by the Royal Munich Art Institute (sanctuary windows) and the local Riester & Frohe firm (nave-clerestory windows); a Kimball organ was installed in 1903. An architectural self-guided tour brochure is available at the church doors.
- Continental Gothic, 1889, Schickel & Ditmar architects
- Medina red sandstone; 234 ft long × 134 ft wide; capacity ~2,000
- Highest open-laced spire in the U.S. (245 ft)
- 1903 Kimball organ
- Self-guided architectural tour brochures at the doors
Music & Liturgy
The St. Louis Choir is an all-volunteer ensemble of parish members whose repertoire spans nine centuries of sacred music and nearly every style of western composition. The choir rehearses weekly and leads the music at the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass, and in recent years has collaborated with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Ars Nova Chamber Musicians, Camerata di Sant'Antonio, Buffalo Master Chorale, Opera Sacra, and the Greater Buffalo Opera Company. A 1903 Kimball organ anchors the liturgical music program.
- Choir Master: John Beller
- Director of Music: Frank Scinta
- Cantor: Erin Peradotto-Tehaar
- 1903 Kimball organ
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Louis offers a Pre-K through 10th-grade Faith Formation program for parish children and their families, coordinated by Ashlee Campbell. The 2026–2027 program combines monthly family faith-formation sessions (alternating between Blessed Sacrament and St. Louis), monthly service projects, and at-home/virtual lessons using Formed, Alive in Christ, or My Catholic Faith Delivered. Children also have opportunities to serve at Mass as ushers, gift-bearers, and altar servers, with training provided. Sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Eucharist, Confirmation) is handled through the Faith Formation office.
- Coordinator: Ashlee Campbell (443-744-0354, [email protected])
- Family sessions, service projects, and at-home/virtual lessons
- Shared with the Downtown Family of Parishes (Blessed Sacrament and St. Louis)
- Altar server, lector, usher, and gift-bearer training for children
- Faith formation fee: $35 one child / $50 family of 2+
Sacraments
- Baptism — Sundays during 11:00 AM Mass (~30/year); virtual pre-Baptismal class required
- Marriage — arrangements at least one year in advance (~67 weddings/year)
- First Eucharist and Confirmation — through the Faith Formation program
Parish Staff
St. Louis is served by a small parish staff led by Pastor Rev. Raymond Corbin, with Faith Formation, Music, and administrative support, and lay trustees providing financial and temporal oversight.
- Pastor: Rev. Raymond Corbin ([email protected])
- Coordinator of Faith Formation: Ashlee Campbell
- Director of Music: Frank Scinta
- Choir Master: John Beller
- Cantor: Erin Peradotto-Tehaar
- Trustees: James Mrozek and Erin P. Terhaar
- Trustee Emeritus: Rosemary Bloch
Parish Council & Standing Committees
Parish Council members are elected by parishioners and serve on standing committees that guide the spiritual growth and structured planning of the parish. Committees include Faith Formation/Religious Education (which also recruits Eucharistic ministers, lectors, ushers, and altar servers), Music/Liturgy, Parish Life (welcoming new parishioners, coffee hours, Christmas Party, Parish Picnic), Visitation (visits, cards, and calls to infirmed parishioners and home Communion), and Website.
- Faith Formation/Religious Education
- Music/Liturgy
- Parish Life
- Visitation
- Website
Parish Archives & Museum
As part of its 175th-anniversary restoration, St. Louis created a parish archives and museum housed in the church hall, curated by church archivist Michael A. Riester. Private tours of the museum and church can be arranged by appointment through the parish office; brochures detailing the church's architecture and history are also available at the doors.
- Archives and museum in the church hall
- Archivist: Michael A. Riester ([email protected])
- Architectural self-guided tour brochure at the church doors
Visiting St. Louis
St. Louis welcomes tourists and visitors to its landmark church. Visitors may attend any scheduled Mass, drop in before Masses to view the interior, or arrange private tours and museum visits through the parish office. Brochures detailing the architecture and history are available at the doors, and the parish emphasizes hospitality toward all who enter.
- Open to visitors before scheduled Masses
- Tours by appointment through the rectory
- Museum in the church hall accessible via parish office
Contact & Office
The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, at 780 Main Street (at Edward), Buffalo, NY 14202. The rectory mailing address is 35 Edward Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. General inquiries go to [email protected]; genealogy inquiries to [email protected].
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
- Phone: 716-852-6040
- Fax: 716-853-9225
- Email: [email protected]
- Genealogy: [email protected]
- Charitable giving / bequests: Mike Riester, 716-803-5773
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Nicholas Mertz1829–1836
First resident priest of Buffalo; built the original log 'Lamb of God' church.
- Rev. Alexander Pax1836–1843
Built the brick church dedicated to St. Louis IX on the site of the log church.
- Rev. Francis Guth1844–1850
- Rev. Joseph Raffeiner1850–1851
- Rev. William Deiters1855–1861
- Rev. J. E. Moshall1861–1862
- Rev. Francis Anthony Gerber1862–1863
- Rev. Sergus Schoulepnikoff1864–1867
- Rev. Joseph M. Sorg1867–1888
Healed parish after two Interdicts; buried in the Church Hall.
- Rt. Rev. Msgr. Dr. Paul Hoelscher1888–1916
Oversaw construction and 1889 opening of the present Gothic church.
- Rt. Rev. Msgr. Henry B. Laudenbach1917–1944
- Rev. Michael A. Anstett1944–1948
- Rev. Howard J. Schwartz1948–1964
- Rev. Clarence Ott1964–1965
- Rev. Alfred M. Mosack1965–1979
- Rev. Msgr. William A. Schwinger1979–1995
- Rev. Msgr. Robert A. Mack1995–2002
- Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham, D.D., J.C.L.2002–2004
Later Bishop of Syracuse.
- Rev. Msgr. Salvatore Manganello, S.T.L., J.C.L.2004–2023