St. Patrick

About St. Patrick Parish

St. Patrick's is a Catholic parish in the village of Belfast, Allegany County, New York. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and has served Catholic families in the northwestern corner of the county since 1859. The parish is currently the lead parish of a tri-parish 'family' that also includes St. Patrick's, Fillmore and the secondary worship site of St. Mary's, Canaseraga. It carries on the rural Irish-Catholic tradition of the Genesee River valley through regular Sunday Mass, First Friday Adoration, religious education, prayer-shawl outreach, and livestreamed services.

Parish History

The parish was founded in 1859 to minister to Irish Catholic families who had settled the hill country of northwestern Allegany County. From its earliest decades it shared clergy with neighboring St. Patrick's in Fillmore, and the two parishes became the Catholic center of life in the Belfast–Fillmore–Cuba–Rushford region. Through the twentieth century the parish family expanded to include Our Lady of the Angels, Cuba, St. Mark's Oratory in Rushford, a campus ministry at Houghton College, and pastoral visits to Cuba Memorial Hospital. Under the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal the parish was placed in 'Family #2' with Our Lady of the Angels Cuba and St. Patrick's Fillmore, with Father John Cullen appointed pastor in February 2023; in 2024 Belfast was further designated as the lead parish when St. Mary's Canaseraga and St. Patrick's Fillmore were merged into it.

• 1859 — Parish founded
• Pre-2023 — Long pastorate of Father Dennis J. Mancuso
• February 2023 — Father John Cullen appointed pastor of Family #2
• 2024 — St. Mary's Canaseraga and St. Patrick's Fillmore merged into St. Patrick's Belfast

Clergy and Staff

The parish family is led by Father John Cullen, who was appointed pastor in February 2023 under the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal. He is assisted by a lay Tri-Parish Office: Jen Spoth serves as Office Coordinator and Denise Simonetti as Bookkeeper. Together they handle sacramental scheduling, sacramental records, bulletin publication, and the day-to-day pastoral care of the three parishes.

• Rev. John Cullen — Pastor
• Jen Spoth — Office Coordinator
• Denise Simonetti — Bookkeeper

Sacraments

The parish prepares Catholics of all ages for the sacraments of Christian initiation and supports them through marriage, anointing and last rites. Baptisms are scheduled directly with the pastor; marriage preparation requires a minimum six-month conversation with the priest; the Anointing of the Sick is offered before surgery or upon hospitalization; and sacramental records are maintained at the Tri-Parish Office in Belfast.

• Baptism — contact the pastor to schedule
• Marriage — at least six months advance notice
• Anointing of the Sick — notify pastor prior to surgery or hospital stay
• First Communion & Confirmation — through Religious Education
• Letters of Recommendation for sacramental sponsors
• Sacramental Records — request by mail or email

Religious Education and Campus Ministry

Faith formation for children is offered in each of the three parish communities: Belfast (Rose Fleming), Cuba (Sue Scott) and Fillmore (Jennifer Austin). The parish family also maintains a Catholic Campus Ministry at Houghton College staffed by Debbie and Dan Fitzgerald, providing Sunday worship, faith formation and pastoral care to the Catholic student body at the local Christian college.

• Religious Education — Belfast, Cuba, Fillmore
• Campus Ministry at Houghton College

Outreach and Pastoral Care

The parish family has a deep tradition of outreach to the homebound, the hospitalized, and the broader community. Coordinators in each village visit and bring Communion to shut-ins, while the Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and distributes shawls to anyone in need — coordinated through Joy Hunt in Belfast, Wendi Kish and Sharon Bushnell in Cuba, and Joan Tavernier in Fillmore.

• Ministry to the Homebound (Belfast, Cuba, Fillmore, Rushford, Friendship)
• Cuba Memorial Hospital Pastoral Visits
• Prayer Shawl Ministry
• Friendship (community outreach)

Contact and Visiting

Visitors are warmly welcomed at the Tri-Parish Office, located at 18 East Hughes Street, Belfast, NY 14711 (please use the side-door entrance). The mailing address is PO Box 366, Belfast, NY 14711. Phone the office at 585-365-1003 or reach the pastor directly at 585-245-2356; general email is [email protected]. Livestreamed Masses are available through the parish's Facebook and YouTube pages.

• Tri-Parish Office — 18 East Hughes Street, Belfast, NY 14711
• Mailing — PO Box 366, Belfast, NY 14711
• Phone — 585-365-1003
• Pastor — Rev. John Cullen, 585-245-2356