St. Mary

About the Parish

St. Mary's Church is the Catholic parish serving the village of Constableville in Lewis County, New York. It belongs to the Catholic Parishes of Southern Lewis County, a four-church cluster that includes St. Mary's Nativity in West Leyden, St. Martin's in Port Leyden, and St. John's in Lyons Falls. The cluster is led by a single pastor, Father Daniel L. Chapin, with the assistance of two permanent deacons.

History of St. Mary's

Construction of the original St. Mary's Church began in 1845 and was completed in 1847. Its first resident pastor was Father William Howard of Ohio, who served a Catholic community of 780 members. The parish was incorporated on April 28, 1874, and grew steadily through the second half of the 19th century. Two successive fires destroyed earlier church buildings, and the present Gothic-style church was completed in 1889 and rededicated by Bishop Wadhams on August 14, 1890. The parish has weathered lightning strikes, fire, and the long decline in priestly vocations by joining with neighboring parishes in a shared cluster model.

• 1845 — construction of the original church begins
• 1847 — original church completed; Father William Howard of Ohio becomes first resident pastor (780 members)
• April 28, 1874 — parish incorporated
• May 11, 1879 — original church destroyed by fire
• 1887 — second church destroyed by fire
• 1889 — present church completed
• August 14, 1890 — church rededicated by Bishop Wadhams
• April 25, 1993, 7:58 a.m. — lightning strikes the steeple during 8:00 a.m. Mass; no one injured

Architecture & Setting

St. Mary's is a Gothic-style Catholic church that visually dominates James Street in the village of Constableville. The current building dates from 1889, after two earlier churches on or near the site were lost to fire. The structure is a contributing feature of the Constableville Village Historic District, whose main intersection is anchored by St. Mary's and its parish house across from a small green and gazebo.

• Gothic style
• Completed 1889 on James Street
• Contributing structure within the Constableville Village Historic District
• Steeple (struck by lightning in 1993)

Clergy & Staff

The Catholic Parishes of Southern Lewis County share a single pastoral team that serves all four churches. The pastor, Father Daniel L. Chapin, is assisted by two permanent deacons: Deacon James W. Chaufty and Deacon Michael A. Lieber, Jr. The deacons assist at Mass, lead devotions such as Eucharistic Processions, and help carry out the sacraments and pastoral care across the cluster.

• Pastor: Reverend Daniel L. Chapin
• Deacon: James W. Chaufty
• Deacon: Michael A. Lieber, Jr.

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Religious Education / Faith Formation is offered cluster-wide for the children of the Catholic Parishes of Southern Lewis County. Families register online through a Microsoft Form on the parish website, and lessons are coordinated through the parish office at 315-348-6104. The parish also joyfully celebrates First Holy Communion each year.

• Cluster-wide Religious Education / Faith Formation program
• Online registration via Microsoft Form on catholicparishesofslc.weebly.com
• Annual First Holy Communion celebration

Parish Life, Fundraisers & Council

Parish life at St. Mary's is sustained by an active Parish Council and several beloved annual traditions. The cluster's signature fundraiser is the afghan raffle, with a hand-crafted afghan made by a Parish Council member and drawn at the Chinese auction. A Lenten Creation Raffle features hand-built wood pieces such as rustic sofa tables, benches, and wooden wall quilts. Parishioners also gather for an annual Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession, with the Blessed Sacrament carried in a monstrance by the deacon and Benediction concluding the day.

• Parish Council members: Vince Migliori, Joan Klingbail, Jane Allen, Audrey Houghtaling, Diane Markham, Joy Nellenback, Jeff Nellenback, Karen Williamson, Christine Stinebrickner
• Annual afghan raffle and Chinese auction
• Lenten Creation Raffle (rustic furniture / wooden wall quilt)
• Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession and Benediction

The Catholic Parishes of Southern Lewis County

Because of the shortage of priests in the region, the four parishes of Southern Lewis County are now administered together under Father Daniel L. Chapin, sharing Mass schedules, confessions, faith formation, and parish staff. The partner churches are St. Mary's Nativity (West Leyden), St. Martin's (Port Leyden), and St. John's (Lyons Falls). Offerings may be made through the parish office, online via Tithely, or by mail to the parish's P.O. Box.

• St. Mary's — 5905 James Street, Constableville
• St. Mary's Nativity — 1183 State Route 26, West Leyden
• St. Martin's — 7108 North Street, Port Leyden
• St. John's — 5838 McAlpine Street, Lyons Falls
• Mailing address for all: P.O. Box 431, Port Leyden, NY 13433

Contact & Giving

Parishioners and visitors can reach the Catholic Parishes of Southern Lewis County office by phone, email, or mail. Offerings can be made online via Tithely (linked from the parish website) or mailed to the parish P.O. Box; donors are asked to note which church the offering should be applied to.

• Telephone: 315-348-6104
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: catholicparishesofslc.weebly.com
• Diocese site: rcdony.org/parish/constableville
• Mailing address: P.O. Box 431, Port Leyden, NY 13433
• Online giving via Tithely on the parish website