About St. Mark · Utica, New York
St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church is a parish in North Utica, New York, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. The parish was established in 1963 to serve Catholic families in the growing northern section of the city, and the present church building on Keyes Road was erected in 1964 at a cost of about $221,588. Worship is celebrated three times a week (Saturday evening, Sunday morning, and Monday morning), the Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered Saturday afternoons, and the parish runs a faith formation program for children in grades K through 10. St. Mark's is staffed by a pastor, parochial vicar, deacon/music director, faith formation catechetical leaders, cantors, and an office manager, and is supported by a full slate of lay ministries including lectors, extraordinary ministers, altar servers, ushers, a Men's Club, and the Altar Rosary Society.
- Established
- 1963
- Patron
- St. Mark the Evangelist
- Rector
- Rev. Thomas R. Servatius
- Diocese
- Diocese of Syracuse
Why belong here
St. Mark's offers a small, welcoming Catholic community in North Utica with three weekend/weekday Masses, Saturday afternoon confessions, and a full faith formation program for children in grades K–10 that includes sacramental preparation for First Penance, First Communion, and Confirmation. Lay involvement is at the heart of the parish, with active ministries for lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers, ushers/hospitality, cantors and a children's choir, the Altar Rosary Society, and a Men's Club — and parish leaders have spoken openly about a 'welcoming spirit' they hope will attract new and younger members.
Mass times at St. Mark
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday at 3:15 PM
About St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church
St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church is a parish in North Utica, New York, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. Founded in 1963 and housed in a church erected in 1964 on Keyes Road, the parish serves the Catholic families of the northern section of the city. The parish website (stmarkschurchutica.weebly.com) presents Mass times, contact information, a bulletin, faith formation registration, and links to parish giving and the Holy Cross merger decree.
History of St. Mark's
St. Mark's was established in 1963 to serve North Utica's growing Catholic population. Ground was broken for the new $221,588 church on Keyes Road that year under founding pastor the Rev. William M. Dwyer, and the building was erected in 1964 to serve about 400 families. Decades later, declining attendance and the priest shortage led Bishop Douglas J. Lucia to call in spring 2024 for St. Mark's to merge with neighboring St. Peter's (founded 1872 on Coventry Avenue). A Merger Steering Committee worked through 2024–2025, and in 2025 the two parishes canonically merged into Holy Cross Parish — taking its name from the early-19th-century Church of the Holy Cross founded in Deerfield in 1808. Holy Cross Church is now centered in the former St. Mark's building on Keyes Road.
- Founded 1963; church erected 1964 on Keyes Road.
- Founding pastor: Rev. William M. Dwyer.
- St. Peter's (1872, Coventry Avenue) was the merger partner.
- New combined parish named Holy Cross, after the 1808 Deerfield mission church (built 1838).
- Process accelerated in 2020 through Pastoral Care Area No. 6.
- Bishop Douglas J. Lucia formally called for the merger in spring 2024.
Clergy & Parish Staff
St. Mark's is served by a full pastoral team that includes a pastor, parochial vicar for the North Utica parishes, and a deacon who also directs music. Faith formation is led by two catechetical leaders, and the parish office is staffed by an office manager, with day-to-day maintenance handled by a maintenance coordinator.
- Pastor: Rev. Thomas R. Servatius ([email protected])
- Parochial Vicar for North Utica Parishes: Rev. Eduardo Pesigan III
- Deacon & Music Director: Dcn. Richard Prusko (315-797-4303 / 315-527-1710)
- Faith Formation, PreK–5: Mary Carville
- Faith Formation, Grades 6–10: Teale LaBarbera
- Office Manager: Liza Schultz (315-724-1645)
- Maintenance: Richard DiBuono
Music & Liturgy
Music at St. Mark's is coordinated by Deacon Richard Prusko, who serves as Music Director alongside cantors Peter Loftus and Jennifer Tebsherany. The parish also maintains a Children's Choir under Jennifer Tebsherany's direction. Liturgical roles such as lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and altar servers are filled by trained lay volunteers.
- Music Director / Deacon: Dcn. Richard Prusko
- Cantors: Peter Loftus, Jennifer Tebsherany
- Children's Choir Director: Jennifer Tebsherany
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion coordinator: Fran Connors
- Lectors coordinator: Gloria Kasprowicz
- Altar Servers coordinator: Todd Carville
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Mark's runs a parish-based faith formation program for children in Pre-K through Grade 10, with separate catechetical leaders for the younger (PreK–5) and older (Grades 6–10) groups. Classes typically meet Sunday mornings from 10:45 to 11:30 or 11:45 AM following the 10:00 AM Mass. The program includes sacramental preparation for First Penance (typically in January), First Communion (in the spring, celebrated during the 10:00 Mass), and Confirmation, along with retreats and a Rite of Enrollment Mass for Confirmation candidates and their sponsors.
- Grades K–1 and 3–5 class time: 10:45 – 11:30 AM
- Grades 6–8 class time: 10:45 – 11:30 AM
- Grades 2, 9, 10 class time: 10:45 – 11:45 AM
- Catechetical Sunday commissioning at 10:00 Mass in September
- All Saints' Pageant at the 10:00 Mass in October
- Faith Formation Nativity Pageant (Pre-K–10) at the 10:00 Mass in December
- First Penance Retreat and Rite of Enrollment for 9th-grade Confirmation candidates in January
- 1st Eucharist celebrated during the 10:00 Mass in April
- Confirmation Retreat and Direct Prep in late spring
Parish Ministries, Groups & Organizations
Lay ministry is a strong part of parish life at St. Mark's. In addition to liturgical roles (altar servers, lectors, extraordinary ministers, ushers/hospitality), the parish supports social and devotional groups including the Men's Club, the Altar Rosary Society, and a church decoration committee. Trustees and a Parish Council provide parish governance, and a Parish Council president leads lay leadership.
- Trustees: Fred Valenti and Richard Wilk
- Parish Council President: Todd Carville
- Men's Club: Dominick Trotta, Fred Valenti
- Altar Rosary Society: Siosiana Merz
- Church Decoration: Dominick Trotta
- Ushers / Hospitality: Joe Madeira
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation at St. Mark's is coordinated through the parish office and the faith formation program. Baptisms, weddings, and other sacramental requests can be submitted by phone or email and are checked daily; the parish office notes that Mass intentions can be emailed, phoned in, or placed in the collection at Mass.
- First Penance preparation (typically January, with retreat)
- First Communion preparation (celebrated during the 10:00 Mass in April)
- Confirmation preparation (with Rite of Enrollment and Confirmation Retreat)
- Requests for Baptism, Marriage, and Mass intentions handled through the parish office
Giving, Bulletin & Communications
The parish publishes a weekly bulletin hosted on ParishesOnline.com and offers online giving through a 'Parish Giving' link on the website. The website is built on Weebly and hosts Mass and confession times, the bulletin, faith formation registration, and a link to the Holy Cross Decree documenting the merger with St. Peter's.
- Weekly bulletin: parishesonline.com/find/st-mark-church-13502
- Parish Giving: on-line contributions via the parish website
- Holy Cross Decree posted on the parish website
- Website: stmarkschurchutica.weebly.com
Visit Us — Location & Contact
St. Mark's is located on Keyes Road in North Utica, north of NY-5 (Herkimer Road). The parish can be reached by phone or email any day, with in-person office hours on Monday mornings. The mailing address and contact details appear on the parish website and in the Diocese of Syracuse parish directory.
- Address: 440 Keyes Road, Utica, NY 13502
- Phone: (315) 724-1645
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Located north of NY-5/Herkimer Road on Keyes Road
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. William M. Dwyercirca 1963
Founding pastor who broke ground for the new church on Keyes Road