St. Lucy

History of St. Lucy's Parish

St. Lucy's was founded in 1872 when a new parish was carved out to serve Roman Catholics west of Onondaga Creek in Syracuse. The first pastor, the Rev. John J. Kennedy, came from St. Mary's Parish in Albany and had been nearly blind; he had vowed to dedicate a church to St. Lucy, patroness of the blind, if his sight was restored. After recovery he kept that promise by naming the new parish in her honor. Some 10,000 people attended the laying of the cornerstone on June 21, 1873, and the architect Archimedes Russell designed the building in the decorative English Gothic style for $40,000. The basement chapel hosted its first Mass on November 1, 1873, and the finished church opened on Christmas Day 1875, with seating for about 1,400 and a founding congregation of roughly 1,000 families.

• 1872 — New parish authorized west of Onondaga Creek; Fr. John J. Kennedy appointed first pastor
• June 21, 1873 — Cornerstone laid; an estimated 10,000 people attend
• November 1, 1873 — First Mass celebrated in the church basement (Feast of All Saints)
• December 25, 1875 — First Mass in the completed church (Christmas Day)
• 1891 — St. Lucy's Academy (parish school) opens
• 1950s — Nearby public housing built; parish focus shifts to neighborhood social needs
• 1998 — Labor Day storm destroys the church's steeple and bell tower
• 2002 — St. Lucy's Academy closes
• 2008 — Merger with St. Andrew the Apostle parish
• 1990–present — Fr. James 'Jim' Mathews serves as pastor

Pastor: Fr. James Mathews ('Father Jim')

Father Jim Mathews was born in Solvay, attended Christian Brothers Academy, and credits the Rev. A. Robert Casey with guiding him toward the priesthood. He studied at Holy Cross College and completed seminary at St. Bernard's before returning to Central New York. After serving suburban parishes he sought a ministry in the heart of Syracuse and was assigned to St. Lucy's in 1990, where he has remained. As the Post-Standard noted in 2012, 'another guy might have retired long ago to his beloved golf; but Mathews is still rolling at St. Lucy's.'

• Studied at Holy Cross College; completed seminary at St. Bernard's
• Has served at seven churches across the Diocese of Syracuse
• Pastor of St. Lucy's since 1990
• Organized the conversations that became the Near Westside Initiative

Outreach Ministries

St. Lucy's is widely known across the Diocese of Syracuse for its network of social-justice and direct-service outreach programs, all run by parish volunteers and largely serving the Near Westside neighborhood.

Faith Formation & Youth

Faith Formation is the parish's religious education program for children from preschool through 8th grade, with weekly classes held on Sunday mornings from 10:30 to 11:15, September through May. The Youth Ministry gathers teens to socialize and to explore matters of faith and spirituality.

• Faith Formation — preschool through 8th grade, Sundays 10:30–11:15 (Sept.–May)
• Coordinator: Julia Gordon — [email protected]
• Youth Ministry — contact Julia Gordon — [email protected]

Liturgical & Pastoral Ministries

Parishioners serve in Music Ministry (choir), as Liturgical Servers (altar servers), in Hospitality (Sunday coffee hour), and as Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers. A pastoral-care team assists in the work of the church through neighborhood walks, visits with residents, and taking Holy Communion to those unable to attend Mass.

• Music Ministry (choir)
• Liturgical Servers
• Hospitality (Sunday coffee hour)
• Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers
• Pastoral Care / Communion to the sick and homebound

Parish Committees & Social-Justice Work

St. Lucy's has several standing committees that shape the parish's life and outreach. The Parish Council assists Father Jim in managing parish affairs, strategic planning, and resource allocation. The Justice and Peace Committee meets monthly to further peace and justice locally and globally. The Liturgy Committee plans and carries out liturgical celebrations. The Kateri Tekakwitha Committee promotes understanding and respect for the contributions of the Iroquois Confederacy nations, meeting at 11:00 (after the Sunday coffee hour) on the second Sunday of each month. ACTS (Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse) is a faith-based alliance that responds to issues confronting the city, and Sacred Seeds implements ideas to care for God's creation in a way that promotes peace and justice.

• Parish Council — contacts Jill Hurst-Wahl and Kathy Lunetta
• Justice and Peace — contact Corinne Driscoll
• Liturgy Committee — contact Margot Grobsmith
• Kateri Tekakwitha — contact Beth Kazel; meets 2nd Sunday at 11:00
• ACTS — contact Pete Sarver
• Sacred Seeds — contact Debbie Gibson Jaworski

Sister Parish: Sweet Name of Jesus, Nicaragua

Through the 2008 merger with St. Andrew the Apostle parish, St. Lucy's inherited a sister-community relationship with the Sweet Name of Jesus parish in Nicaragua, begun under Fr. Joe Kane. The Dorothy Day Dinner, an annual award program for achievement in social justice also founded at St. Andrew's, continues at St. Lucy's.

• Sweet Name of Jesus parish — sister community in Nicaragua
• Dorothy Day Dinner — annual social-justice award

Parish Staff & Office

Day-to-day parish life is supported by a small staff and lay leadership.

• Pastor — Rev. James Mathews (Father Jim)
• Pastoral Associate — Margo Grobsmith
• Office Manager — Elias (Eli) Foulkes
• Office Assistant — Mary Fitzgerald
• Faith Formation Coordinator — Julia Gordon
• Parish Council President — Corey Driscoll Dunham