About St. Mark · Kendall, New York
St. Mark is a small Roman Catholic parish in the hamlet of Kendall, Orleans County, New York, part of the Diocese of Buffalo. It is a member of ONE Catholic (Family #11), a Family of Parishes grouping five worship communities in Orleans and eastern Niagara counties under one pastoral team led by Fr. Mark J. Noonan. In 2024 the Diocese of Buffalo announced a Road to Renewal plan to close St. Mark and merge it into St. Mary's in Holley; the church building closed in 2025 and was subsequently sold for $400,000 to a Christian nonprofit founded by musician Chris Wilson that focuses on music, arts and education. Until its closure, St. Mark offered Saturday evening Mass at 5:30 p.m. and Eucharistic Adoration on the third Monday of each month.
- Established
- 1984
- Patron
- St. Mark (the Evangelist)
- Rector
- Rev. Mark J. Noonan
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Mark was the Kendall worship site of ONE Catholic, a tight-knit Family of Parishes (Family #11) where one pastoral team — Fr. Mark Noonan and the parochial vicars — served five communities across Orleans County. Parishioners were welcomed into a small, family-sized community of about 141 registered families with a simple, consistent weekend rhythm of Saturday evening Mass and monthly Eucharistic Adoration on third Mondays. Through the parish families also had access to faith formation, a Director of Discipleship and Mission (Emily Kwiatkowski) and shared music ministry, as well as outreach supported by community events like the St. Rocco Festival that raised funds for both St. Mark's and St. Mary's.
Mass times at St. Mark
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration: 3rd Monday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
About ONE Catholic and St. Mark
St. Mark, Kendall, was the Kendall worship site of ONE Catholic, Family #11 in the Diocese of Buffalo's restructured Families of Parishes. The family groups five worship communities — Our Lady of the Lake (Barker), St. Mary's (Holley), St. Mark (Kendall), Holy Family (Albion) and Holy Trinity (Medina) — under a single pastoral team of priests in solidum led by Fr. Mark J. Noonan as moderator/pastor.
- Family #11 — ONE Catholic
- Diocese of Buffalo
- Diocesan website: buffalodiocese.org
History of the Parish
St. Mark was founded in 1984 as a small mission-style parish serving the hamlet of Kendall in Orleans County. From its early years it shared its pastor with St. Mary's, Holley, and (for a time) with the tiny St. Rocco oratory in Hulberton. In June 2024, as part of the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Road to Renewal,' Bishop Michael Fisher recommended that St. Mark close and merge into St. Mary's, Holley. The closure took effect in 2025, and the church building on Kenmore Road was sold later that year to musician Chris Wilson for use as a Christian music, arts and education nonprofit called One Hallelujah.
- Founded 1984
- Closely linked with St. Mary's, Holley, since inception
- 2024: Closure announced under Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal
- 2025: Church building sold for $400,000 to Chris Wilson for One Hallelujah nonprofit
Staff and Lay Ministry
Pastoral and administrative staff for St. Mark were based at the ONE Catholic central office in Holley. The team included a Director of Discipleship and Mission, a Pastoral Associate, music directors shared across the family of parishes, and a secretary who coordinated parish business.
- Emily Kwiatkowski — Director of Discipleship and Mission
- Jacqueline Nau — Pastoral Associate
- Aaron Grab — Director of Music (St. Mary's Holley and St. Mark Kendall)
- Katie Robinson — Director of Music, Holy Family; Organist, St. Mary's
- Jason Dash — Cemetery Director / Director of Maintenance
- Pat Swindon — Secretary
Community and Outreach
St. Mark and its sister parish St. Mary's, Holley, were long supported by the annual St. Rocco Festival in Hulberton. That festival raised funds to maintain the historic 1906 sandstone St. Rocco oratory and to support the work of St. Mary's and St. Mark's parishes. Through ONE Catholic, St. Mark parishioners also participated in a monthly speaker series on topics ranging from faith and culture to family life.
- Annual St. Rocco Festival (Hulberton) — fundraiser for St. Mary's, St. Mark's and St. Rocco oratory
- Monthly speaker series organized through ONE Catholic
Road to Renewal and Closure
In 2024 the Diocese of Buffalo announced its 'Road to Renewal' restructuring plan, citing declining Mass attendance, an aging priest shortage and ongoing financial pressures across the eight-county diocese. For Orleans and eastern Niagara counties the recommendation was to close St. Mark, Kendall, and merge it with St. Mary's, Holley, and to close St. Stephen, Middleport, and merge it with Holy Trinity, Medina. Parish families were invited to submit alternative proposals by July 15, 2024. In late 2024 Bishop Michael Fisher confirmed the recommendations as final. Fr. Mark Noonan told the community that the transitions would occur between October 1, 2024 and June 8, 2025, calling it 'painful to lose things that we have known, loved and treasured.' In 2025 the church building was sold to Chris Wilson for $400,000 for use as a music, arts and education nonprofit called One Hallelujah.
- Diocese of Buffalo 'Road to Renewal' announced June 2024
- Bishop Michael Fisher confirmed closures for Orleans/eastern Niagara
- Transition window: October 1, 2024 – June 8, 2025
- 2025: St. Mark building sold to Chris Wilson for $400,000
Visiting the Site Today
Because the parish was formally closed in 2025 and the church building sold, there are no longer regular Catholic Masses celebrated at 16789 Kenmore Road, Kendall. Parishioners from the Kendall area are served by the remaining ONE Catholic parishes, particularly St. Mary's, Holley (13 S. Main St., Holley, NY 14470, 585-638-6718). Anyone seeking information about the former parish's records, sacraments or continuing worship opportunities should contact the ONE Catholic central office at the Holley number.
- Parish closed 2025; church building sold
- Kendall-area Catholics served by St. Mary's, Holley (ONE Catholic)
- Central office: 13 S. Main St., Holley, NY 14470, (585) 638-6718
- Website: onecatholic.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph F. Kozlowski
Earlier pastor who oversaw the linked parishes of St. Mary's Holley, St. Mark Kendall and St. Rocco Hulberton.
- Rev. Mark J. Noonan
Pastor of ONE Catholic Family #11 at the time of the parish's closure in 2025; wrote a history of the St. Mary's parish and authored anniversary commemorations.