St. Margaret

Welcome to St. Margaret's Church

St. Margaret's is a small Roman Catholic mission parish servingq in the Adirondack hamlet of Wilmington, NY, set in the heart of the community along State Route 86 and surrounded by wilderness and mountains. It is the Wilmington mission of the Church of the Holy Name in Au Sable Forks, and the wider Catholic community links St. Margaret's with St. Matthew's in Black Brook. Together they form the 'Catholic Community of Holy Name and St. Matthew,' served by a single pastoral team.

Parish History

St. Margaret's was incorporated in August 1926, during the Coolidge administration, with John J. O'Leary and George Smith among its principal backers. That same fall, a severe windstorm knocked the original church off its foundation, and Mass moved to the O'Leary home while the parish rebuilt. In the anti-Catholic climate of 1920s Northern New York, the local KKK burned a cross on O'Leary's property to intimidate parishioners; the effort failed, the Klan disbanded, and the rebuilt church has served Wilmington continuously since. The Smith-Ott Pavilion was added in 2000 for parish celebrations, religious education, ministry, monthly films, and a 'Catholicism' Thursday series with lunch.

• Incorporated: August 1926
• Original church destroyed: fall 1926 windstorm
• Mass held at O'Leary home during rebuilding
• KKK cross burning on O'Leary property in 1920s
• Smith-Ott Pavilion added in 2000

Clergy & Pastoral Staff

St. Margaret's is currently served by Reverend Clement Rimonds, HGN, pastor, with Monsignor Dennis Duprey serving as Temporary Administrator of the Catholic Community of Holy Name and St. Matthew. The mission has historically also been supported by deacons and religious sisters assigned to the broader community of parishes, as was the case in 2014 when Father Kris C. Lauzon was pastor with the help of two deacons and Sister Yvonne Cusson. Deacon Jack M. Lukasiewicz is associated with the parish's current pastoral life.

• Monsignor Dennis Duprey — Temporary Administrator
• Reverend Clement Rimonds, HGN — Pastor
• Deacon Jack M. Lukasiewicz
• Reverend Kris C. Lauzon — former pastor (c. 2009–2014+)
• Sister Yvonne Cusson — former pastoral staff (c. 2014)

Mass & Worship Schedule

St. Margaret's holds Sunday Mass in its small church on State Route 86 in Wilmington. The community is small, and Mass times may shift with the priest's wider travel between Au Sable Forks, Black Brook, and Wilmington, so visitors are encouraged to confirm the current schedule by phone. As a mission of Holy Name, confession and other devotions are typically coordinated through the main parish office in Au Sable Forks.

• Sunday Mass at 7:30 AM (per 2014 parish profile)
• Mailing/office contact: 518-647-8225

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Religious education for St. Margaret's is held in the Smith-Ott Pavilion, which the parish built onto the church in 2000. The pavilion's flexible space also hosts a Thursday series on 'Catholicism' followed by lunch, and once a month a movie is shown for parishioners of all ages. As a small mission, religious education is coordinated with Holy Name and St. Matthew so that children and families across the three communities share resources and faith formation.

• Religious education in the Smith-Ott Pavilion
• Thursday 'Catholicism' video/discussion series with lunch
• Monthly family movie gatherings

Parish Facilities: The Smith-Ott Pavilion

The Smith-Ott Pavilion, completed in 2000, is the parish's main multi-use building. It hosts religious education, ministry meetings, parish celebrations, a once-a-month movie program, and the Thursday 'Catholicism' series with lunch. For a mission of about 75 families, the pavilion has been a vital extension of the church building, allowing the parish to host larger gatherings than the original church could accommodate.

• Built 2000 as an addition to the church
• Religious education and ministry space
• Parish celebrations and social events

Community Life & Outreach

St. Margaret's is more than a Sunday church — it is woven into the life of Wilmington, marking the great and small moments of parishioners' lives: baptisms, first communions, Christmas Eve Mass, May Crowning, weddings, and funerals. The parish joined the wider Catholic Community of Holy Name and St. Matthew in part so that a priest and deacons could continue to make home visits to elderly and homebound parishioners across the Adirondack communities, even as the number of available priests has shrunk.

• Christmas Eve Mass celebrated at St. Margaret's
• Annual May Crowning
• Home visits to parishioners across the linked parishes

Visiting Wilmington & St. Margaret's

Wilmington is a small Adirondack hamlet on State Route 86 between Lake Placid and Jay, just below Whiteface Mountain. Vacationers, skiers, and summer visitors to the Whiteface region are welcome at St. Margaret's; the church sits in close proximity to other Wilmington houses of worship, including the Wilmington Church of the Nazarene and the Whiteface Community United Methodist Church. Travelers are encouraged to call ahead, as Mass and service times may change with seasons, holy days, and priest travel between mission sites.

• Located on NY State Route 86 in Wilmington
• Near Whiteface Mountain ski area and the Adirondack High Peaks
• Office: 518-647-8225

Contact & Parish Information

St. Margaret's is administered together with the Church of the Holy Name in Au Sable Forks and St. Matthew's in Black Brook. The parish office uses the Au Sable Forks mailing address, and the parish website is the shared 'kawcatholics' site that covers the whole Catholic community of Holy Name and St. Matthew.

• Address: 5789 NY State Route 86, Wilmington, NY 12997
• Mailing: PO Box 719, Au Sable Forks, NY 12912
• Phone: 518-647-8225
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://kawcatholics.org/
• Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg