About St. Patrick · Fillmore, New York
St. Patrick is a Catholic parish in Fillmore, New York, rooted in the farming and small-town communities of western Allegany County. It is one of three worship sites of the St. Patrick's Family of Parishes (alongside St. Patrick in Belfast and St. Mary in Canaseraga), served by a single pastor under the Diocese of Buffalo. The parish traces its origins to 1881, when Catholic families in the Fillmore area began gathering for Mass in this rural stretch of the Southern Tier. Today the parish shares a tri-parish office in Belfast, broadcasts weekend Mass on YouTube and Facebook, and runs a small but active calendar of devotions, potlucks, and outreach such as the Prayer Shawl ministry.
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. John J. Cullen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Patrick's is a welcoming rural parish in the heart of Allegany County where Mass is celebrated in the traditional Roman rite and the congregation knows one another by name. The parish offers a weekly Sunday Mass plus a Wednesday evening Mass, regular Confession, a Prayer Shawl ministry that brings comfort to the sick and grieving, and a calendar of simple parish socials (potlucks, donut Sundays, coffee hours) that knit the community together. Because it is part of the St. Patrick's Family of Parishes, parishioners also have access to liturgies and devotions at the sister churches in Belfast and Canaseraga — a true small-town Catholic family.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 12:30 PM (after Sunday Mass) — St. Patrick's, Fillmore
St. Patrick's Family of Parishes
St. Patrick's of Fillmore no longer stands alone. As part of the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Road to Renewal' initiative in 2025, it was merged with St. Patrick's in Belfast (the lead parish) and St. Mary in Canaseraga to form the St. Patrick's Family of Parishes. All three church buildings continue to be used for regular worship, and the family is served by a single pastor — Rev. John J. Cullen — with a shared tri-parish office in Belfast. The family's joint website is stpatsbelfastfillmore.org (also reachable at stpatricksfamilyofchurches.org).
- St. Patrick, Belfast (lead parish, 18 East Hughes St.)
- St. Mary, Canaseraga
- St. Patrick, Fillmore (109 W. Main St.)
- Pastor: Rev. John J. Cullen
Live-Streamed Masses
Because many parishioners live in outlying areas or cannot easily travel in winter, the family of parishes broadcasts Mass and the Rosary online. Weekend live streams include a Saturday Rosary at 3:30 PM, the Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 PM, and the Sunday 8:30 AM Mass; a daily Mass is streamed on Thursdays at 12 Noon. The streams are available on the parish's YouTube channel and Facebook page under the 'NW Allegany Catholic' name.
- Saturday 3:30 PM — Rosary
- Saturday 4:00 PM — Vigil Mass
- Sunday 8:30 AM — Mass
- Thursday 12:00 Noon — Daily Mass
Prayer Shawl Ministry
The Prayer Shawl ministry knits and distributes prayer shawls to those in need of comfort — the sick, the grieving, the homebound, and anyone going through a difficult season. Each shawl is prayed over by the makers before being given. The parish's Fillmore coordinator is Joan Tavernier, who can be reached before or after Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's, Fillmore. Coordinators in the sister parishes are Wendi Kish and Sharon Bushnell (Cuba) and Joy Hunt (Belfast).
- Fillmore contact: Joan Tavernier (before or after Sunday Mass)
- Cuba Saturday Mass contact: Wendi Kish, 585-208-0826
- Cuba Sunday Mass contact: Sharon Bushnell
- Belfast contact: Joy Hunt, [email protected]
Parish Socials and Community Life
The parish keeps a steady, simple calendar of social events that build community across the three church sites. Recent and recurring events have included a Craft Club at Our Lady of the Angels in Cuba that ties blankets for Genesis House, 'Donut Sunday' at St. Patrick's Belfast, parish potlucks, and coffee-and-donut Sundays hosted by volunteer parishioners. The family also takes part in wider community events, including the Belfast Bicentennial held August 9–11.
- Craft Club — Our Lady of the Angels, Cuba (ties blankets for Genesis House)
- Donut Sunday — St. Patrick's, Belfast
- Parish potluck — Our Lady of the Angels, Cuba
- Coffee & Donuts Sundays hosted by parishioner volunteers
Clergy and Parish Staff
The St. Patrick's Family of Parishes is led by a single pastor with shared lay staff at the tri-parish office. The office is located at 18 East Hughes Street in Belfast (use the side door entrance), with a mailing address of P.O. Box 366, Belfast, NY 14711.
- Pastor: Rev. John J. Cullen — phone 585-245-2356
- Office Coordinator: Jen Spoth — email [email protected]
- Bookkeeper: Denise Simonetti — email [email protected]
- Tri-parish office phone: 585-365-1003
Diocese and Catholic Identity
St. Patrick's, Fillmore belongs to the Diocese of Buffalo, the Latin-rite Roman Catholic diocese that covers the eight counties of Western New York, including Allegany County. The parish is registered with the diocese under its family-of-parishes structure and is served in the Roman (Latin) Rite. The Diocese of Buffalo's Family of Parishes Assignment Listing identifies the St. Patrick's family as 'Family #2' in the diocesan restructuring.
- Diocese of Buffalo
- Roman (Latin) Rite
- Listed as Family #2 in the Diocese of Buffalo's Family of Parishes roster
Contact and Visiting
Visitors and parishioners are warmly welcomed at any of the three worship sites. The Fillmore church is located at 109 West Main Street in the village of Fillmore. Day-to-day communication is handled through the tri-parish office in Belfast, and the parish can be reached by phone or email for sacramental inquiries, prayer requests, or to arrange a visit.
- Fillmore church: 109 W. Main St., Fillmore, NY 14735
- Tri-parish mailing address: P.O. Box 366, Belfast, NY 14711
- Tri-parish office (in person): 18 East Hughes St., Belfast, NY 14711 — side door entrance
- Phone: 585-365-1003
- Email: [email protected]