About St. Mary Our Mother · Horseheads, New York
St. Mary Our Mother is a Roman Catholic parish in the Village of Horseheads, Chemung County, New York, in the Southern Tier, and belongs to the Diocese of Rochester. Founded in 1865 as a mission of SS. Peter and Paul Church in Elmira, it has grown into one of the larger parishes in the area, now home to more than 1,400 families. The parish operates a parish school, a faith formation program, a cemetery, an active music ministry, and a range of outreach groups. Worship takes place in a striking modern church dedicated in 1979, which sits between the parish school and the Administration-Rectory Center near the busy intersection of Routes 14 and 17.
- Established
- 1865
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title 'Our Mother'
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher E. Linsler
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
St. Mary Our Mother is a large, multigenerational parish of more than 1,400 families in the Horseheads area with a strong sacramental life, an on-site parish school, a faith formation program for children and youth, and a robust outreach and music ministry. The parish livestreams its Saturday evening Mass and welcomes visitors for daily and weekend worship in a church built in 1979 that still carries forward pieces — including the organ and a stained-glass window — of the parish's 1865 origins. Active groups include the Knights of Columbus, a Bereavement Support Group, the Community Kitchen Team, a Prayers and Squares quilting ministry, Respect Life, and a Social Ministry that channels parishioner support to the Horseheads Food Pantry.
Mass times at St. Mary Our Mother
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 3:30 PM
Adoration times
- Chapel open for private prayer Monday–Friday 8:00 AM–2:00 PM and Sunday 8:00 AM–12:00 noon
Parish History
The parish began in October 1865 as St. Mary's, a mission of SS. Peter and Paul Church in Elmira, with a small wooden church on Broad Street and about fifty members. It became an independent parish in 1869, built a second, larger church in 1903 at 408 West Broad Street, and outgrew it again by the mid-twentieth century. Under Father Francis Reilly the parish acquired an eight-acre campus between Westlake Street and Broad Street and opened St. Mary's School, staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Joseph's House. The Administration-Rectory Center and additions to the school came in 1961–1965, and Father Bartholomew O'Brien asked that the parish be renamed St. Mary Our Mother to mark the centennial. The present-day church was dedicated on November 10, 1979, completing a multi-decade building program.
- 1865 — St. Mary's mission founded on Broad Street in Horseheads.
- 1867 — Cemetery land purchased on the present site.
- 1869 — Mission elevated to parish status with a resident pastor.
- January 1903 — Second, larger St. Mary's Church opens at 408 West Broad Street.
- 1959 — St. Mary's School opens with the Sisters of St. Joseph.
- 1961 — Four classrooms, gymnasium, and parish chapel added to the school.
- 1965 — Administration-Rectory Center opens; parish renamed St. Mary Our Mother at the centennial.
- November 10, 1979 — Current church dedicated.
Architecture & Sacred Art
The parish describes its 1979 church as a 'beautiful circular structure,' connected to the school by an enclosed corridor for easy access to classrooms and meeting rooms. Its signature features are an eleven-foot, 400-pound steel cross above the roofline, a 3,000-pound solid carved-granite baptismal font, a century-old pipe organ donated by the University of Notre Dame, and a stained-glass window rescued from the 1903 church and set into the new Eucharistic Chapel.
- 400-lb steel cross, 11 feet above the peak
- 3,000-lb solid carved-granite baptismal font
- Notre Dame pipe organ (~100 years old, refurbished locally)
- Stained-glass window from the 1903 church in the Eucharistic Chapel
- O'Brien Hall — former school chapel, now a parish hall named for Father Bartholomew O'Brien
Clergy, Staff & Councils
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Christopher E. Linsler, with Rev. Peter T. Singano in residence. Music is directed by Cathy Peckham; the parish office is staffed by Parish Secretary Joyce Pirozzolo; the Religious Education Office (Faith Formation) is led by Lily Barr; and St. Mary Our Mother School is led by Principal Heather Bill with Administrative Assistant Adriana Enright. The Pastoral Council is chaired by Vincent Moschetti, with Richelle Riina as Recording Secretary. The parish bulletin also lists a Business Manager (Michelle Card), Office Assistant (Wendy Slater), Cemetery Manager (Doug Johnson), and Maintenance staff (Jenna Crandall and Roger Williams).
- Rev. Christopher E. Linsler — Pastor
- Rev. Peter T. Singano — In Residence
- Cathy Peckham — Director of Music
- Joyce Pirozzolo — Parish Secretary
- Lily Barr — Faith Formation Coordinator
- Heather Bill — School Principal
- Adriana Enright — School Administrative Assistant
- Vincent Moschetti — Pastoral Council Chairperson
- Richelle Riina — Pastoral Council Recording Secretary
St. Mary Our Mother School
The parish school, located at 811 Westlake Street, opened in 1959 and is currently led by Principal Heather Bill. It serves PreK-3 through grade 6 with classroom teachers, teaching assistants, and dedicated staff for Art, Music, Physical Education, Technology, and a school nurse. Students participate in faith traditions such as the Living Stations of the Cross, presented each year by the 6th-grade class for the parish and school community. The school's own website lists faculty and staff contact information, and the school shares the parish campus adjacent to the 1979 church.
- Address: 811 Westlake Street, Horseheads, NY 14845
- Phone: (607) 739-9157 — Email: [email protected]
- Website: stmaryourmotherschool.org
- Opened 1959, staffed originally by the Sisters of St. Joseph
- Principal: Heather Bill; Administrative Assistant: Adriana Enright
- Programs: PreK-3, PreK-4, Kindergarten, Grades 1–6
- Specials: Art, Music, Physical Education, Technology
- Living Stations of the Cross — annual tradition presented by 6th graders
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
Faith Formation at St. Mary Our Mother is open to all registered parish families and is led by Coordinator Lily Barr. The office is located at 816 West Broad Street (phone 607-739-8214) and is open Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM–3:00 PM. Programs include Tuesday classes, sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation/First Eucharist (typically in 2nd grade) and Confirmation (with a two-year cycle for 8th and 9th graders), a Home Study option, RCIA for adults, the Order of Christian Initiation of Children, a Youth Group, and Vacation Bible School. The parish also lists volunteer opportunities through CASE (Community And Service Engagement), including food-bank shifts and parish supply drives.
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Lily Barr — [email protected] — (607) 739-8214
- Sacramental Preparation: First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation
- RCIA and Order of Christian Initiation of Children
- Youth Group and Vacation Bible School
- CASE volunteer opportunities and food-bank partnership with the Horseheads Food Pantry
Music & Liturgical Ministries
Music ministry is directed by Cathy Peckham and is anchored by the century-old Notre Dame pipe organ housed in the 1979 church. The parish livestreams the Saturday 5:00 PM Mass and posts recordings online, making the parish's liturgical life accessible beyond the building. A folk group is being formed — a parishioner with a folk-group background is recruiting acoustic guitar players and singers to launch a new ensemble; interested musicians are asked to call the parish office.
- Director of Music: Cathy Peckham
- Century-old Notre Dame pipe organ (refurbished locally)
- Saturday 5:00 PM Mass livestreamed on YouTube
- Folk Group in formation (recruiting acoustic guitarists and singers)
Parish Life, Outreach & Service
Parish Life at St. Mary Our Mother centers on a strong network of service and outreach groups. The Knights of Columbus, Bereavement Support Group, Community Kitchen Team, Nursing Home and Visitation Ministry, Prayers and Squares (a quilters' ministry), Respect Life, and Social Ministry all meet and serve under the parish umbrella. Social Ministry works closely with the Horseheads Food Pantry, including a long-running bottle-and-can redemption program in which parishioners drop off clean deposit containers at the parish office and the parish redeems them for the pantry.
- Knights of Columbus
- Bereavement Support Group
- Community Kitchen Team
- Nursing Home and Visitation Ministry
- Prayers and Squares (Quilters)
- Respect Life
- Social Ministry — Horseheads Food Pantry partnership & bottle/can redemption program
Cemetery
The parish maintains a cemetery on the original land purchased in 1867 on the present-day parish site. Cemetery Manager Doug Johnson is listed in the parish bulletin, and information about the cemetery is linked from the parish website's main navigation.
- Cemetery land purchased in 1867
- Cemetery Manager: Doug Johnson
- Cemetery page linked from the parish website's main menu
Visit, Contact & Giving
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed. The parish office at 816 West Broad Street is open Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM–3:00 PM and closed Friday (phone 607-739-3817, email [email protected]). The chapel is open for private prayer Monday–Friday 8:00 AM–2:00 PM and Sunday 8:00 AM–12:00 noon. Financial contributions can be mailed to the parish office, dropped in the church vestibule box, or made through the parish's online giving page.
- Parish Office: 816 West Broad Street, Horseheads, NY 14845
- Phone: (607) 739-3817 — Fax: (607) 739-5628 — Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM–3:00 PM (closed Friday)
- Chapel Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–2:00 PM; Sun 8:00 AM–12:00 PM
- Online giving available through the parish website
- Weekly bulletins and calendar linked from the parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bartholomew O'Brien
Pastor at the centennial in 1965; at his request the parish name was changed from St. Mary's to St. Mary Our Mother; the school chapel was later rededicated as O'Brien Hall in his honor.
- Father Francis Reilly
Pastor who led the capital campaign that purchased the eight-acre campus between Westlake Street and Broad Street and opened St. Mary's School.