About St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church · Canaseraga, New York
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in the Village of Canaseraga, Allegany County, in the Southern Tier of New York State, within the Diocese of Buffalo. Catholic life in the village dates to 1855, when Canaseraga was a mission of St. Mary's in Hornell; the community was organized as an independent parish in 1865 and worshiped in the present church built in 1877. Today St. Mary's is administered as part of the St. Patrick's Family of Churches, sharing a pastor and central office with St. Patrick in Belfast and St. Patrick in Fillmore. In 2025 the parish was merged into St. Patrick Parish in Belfast under the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Road to Renewal' initiative, but the North Street church building continues in use as a regular worship site.
- Established
- 1855
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. John Cullen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Mary's offers a small, traditional Catholic community in a quiet rural village, with weekend Masses on Saturday evening and Sunday morning and a weekly Friday Mass followed by a long stretch of Eucharistic Adoration and the opportunity for Confession. As part of the St. Patrick's Family of Churches with Belfast and Fillmore, the parish combines the warmth of a village church with the resources of a tri-parish family under the Diocese of Buffalo, welcoming visitors and seasonal residents passing through the Southern Tier.
Mass times at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (also listed 6:15 PM – 6:45 PM by some directories, during Adoration)
Adoration times
- Friday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
About St. Mary's Catholic Church, Canaseraga
St. Mary's is a small Catholic parish serving the Village of Canaseraga and the surrounding Town of Burns in northeastern Allegany County, in New York's Southern Tier. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Buffalo and, since 2025, is a worship site of St. Patrick Parish in Belfast under the 'Road to Renewal' realignment. Day-to-day pastoral care is shared with St. Patrick in Belfast and St. Patrick in Fillmore through the St. Patrick's Family of Churches.
- Diocese: Diocese of Buffalo
- Vicariate: Southern Tier East
- Parish family: St. Patrick's Family of Churches (Belfast, Fillmore, Canaseraga)
- Mailing address for the tri-parish office: P.O. Box 366, Belfast, NY 14711
Parish History
Catholic life in Canaseraga began in 1855, when the village's small Catholic population was served as a mission of St. Mary's Church in Hornell, then part of the Diocese of Buffalo (the Diocese of Rochester was not created until 1868). A formal parish was organized in 1865, and a rectory was established in 1905. The current church building on North Street was built in 1877 and has served the parish continuously ever since. Like many small rural Catholic communities in western New York, St. Mary's has long been administered jointly with neighboring parishes; today it shares a pastor with St. Patrick's in Belfast and Fillmore, and in 2025 was canonically merged into St. Patrick Parish, Belfast, while remaining an active worship site.
- 1855: Catholic mission of St. Mary's, Hornell, established in Canaseraga
- 1865: Parish formally organized
- 1877: Present church built on North Street
- 1905: Rectory established
- 2025: Merged into St. Patrick Parish, Belfast (Road to Renewal), with the Canaseraga church retained as a worship site
St. Patrick's Family of Churches
St. Mary's Canaseraga is part of the St. Patrick's Family of Churches, a tri-parish grouping of three Catholic communities in western New York's Southern Tier: St. Patrick in Belfast, St. Patrick in Fillmore, and St. Mary's in Canaseraga. The three share one pastor and one central administrative office. Following the 2025 Road to Renewal realignment, the family was reorganized under St. Patrick Parish in Belfast, with all three church buildings kept in regular use.
- St. Patrick Parish, Belfast (the canonical parish since 2025)
- St. Patrick, Fillmore (worship site)
- St. Mary's, Canaseraga (worship site)
- Tri-Parish Office: 18 East Hughes St., Belfast, NY 14711 (use side door)
- Tri-Parish Office phone: 585-365-1003
Parish Staff
Pastoral and administrative staff for the St. Patrick's Family of Churches, which includes St. Mary's Canaseraga, are listed on the family-of-churches contact page. The pastor, Rev. John Cullen, oversees all three sites; the tri-parish office is staffed by an Office Coordinator and a Bookkeeper.
- Pastor: Rev. John Cullen (cell phone listed on parish site)
- Office Coordinator: Jen Spoth
- Bookkeeper: Denise Simonetti
- Parish office phone: 585-365-1003
St. Mary's Cemetery
St. Mary's Cemetery lies on North Street in the Village of Canaseraga, adjacent to the parish property. It is listed in the Allegany County comprehensive plan as Cemetery #11.2 (lot 110) of the Town of Burns and is one of five historic burial grounds in the town. The parish continues to oversee the cemetery as part of its ministry to the local Catholic community.
- Cemetery code: #11.2 (Town of Burns)
- Location: North Street, Canaseraga
- Lot reference: 110
Canaseraga and the Town of Burns
Canaseraga is a small village in the Town of Burns in the northeast corner of Allegany County, about 66 miles south of Rochester, 79 miles southeast of Buffalo, and 73 miles east of Elmira. The name 'Canaseraga' is of Native American origin, interpreted as 'among the milkweeds' or 'among the elms.' Originally called Whitney Valley, the village was incorporated in 1892 and is known for its 19th-century railroad heritage. The arrival of the Erie Railroad in 1856 brought the wave of Catholic settlers that led to the founding of St. Mary's a year later.
- Allegany County, Southern Tier, New York
- Originally named Whitney Valley; incorporated 1892
- Erie Railroad arrived 1856
- Population (2010 Census): 550 in the village, 1,180 in the town of Burns
Contact & Visit
Parishioners, visitors, and those planning a funeral, wedding, or baptism are encouraged to contact the tri-parish office in Belfast, which serves St. Mary's Canaseraga along with the two St. Patrick parishes. The current parish website and email are managed centrally.
- Church address: 6 North Street, Canaseraga, NY 14822
- Parish office phone: (585) 365-1003
- Office email: [email protected]
- Parish website: https://stpatricksfamilyofchurches.org/