About St. Patrick. · Mount Morris, New York
St. Patrick Church is a historic Roman Catholic church located at 46 Stanley Street in the village of Mount Morris, New York, just two miles from the northern entrance to Letchworth State Park and adjacent to the Genesee River. Originally founded as an independent parish in the mid-19th century to serve Irish immigrant Catholics in western Livingston County, it has been part of the multi-site St. Luke the Evangelist Parish since July 1, 2006, sharing priests and resources with sister churches in Geneseo, Nunda, Retsof, and Leicester. Today St. Patrick offers Sunday Mass at 8:30 am, a Tuesday 8:00 am weekday Mass, and a monthly communal Holy Hour, and the parish also ministers to residents of the Livingston County Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.
- Established
- 1850
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel L. White (Parochial Administrator, St. Luke the Evangelist Parish)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
St. Patrick offers a centuries-old Catholic home in the heart of Mount Morris, with weekly Sunday Mass, a Tuesday morning weekday Mass, and a beloved monthly communal Holy Hour on the third Thursday that combines Eucharistic Adoration with the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. As part of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish, St. Patrick connects worshippers to a wider Catholic community that also ministers at the Livingston County Jail, Groveland and Livingston Correctional Facilities, the Livingston County Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and SUNY Geneseo. It's a welcoming country parish where Irish Catholic roots, Letchworth-area scenery, and shared multi-site ministry come together.
Mass times at St. Patrick.
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15-3:45 pm at St. Lucy's (Retsof)
- Anytime by appointment — call or email the parish office
Adoration times
- Third Thursday of the month, 9:00-10:00 am (Communal Holy Hour with Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet) at St. Patrick's
St. Patrick Church in Mount Morris
St. Patrick Church is the historic Catholic parish of Mount Morris, New York, a brick structure located at 46 Stanley Street along the Genesee River and near the northern entrance to Letchworth State Park. Originally established by Irish Catholic settlers in the 1830s-1850s, the parish today is one of five worship sites of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in western Livingston County.
- Address: 46 Stanley St. (parish site), Mt. Morris, NY 14510
- Within St. Luke the Evangelist Parish (formed July 1, 2006)
- Adjacent to the Genesee River and two miles from Letchworth State Park
- Listed as a 'Church in the Path of Totality' for the 2024 solar eclipse
Parish History
The roots of Catholic life in Mount Morris go back to the late 1830s, when priests traveling by horse and buggy celebrated Mass in private homes for scattered Irish Catholic families. With workers arriving to build the Genesee Valley Canal, a small church was erected in nearby Tuscarora (Brushville); when canal construction ended in 1842, families dispersed, that church closed, and the Mount Morris faithful resumed gathering in homes. The first St. Patrick Church was built in 1850, and the present-day brick church was dedicated in December 1873 by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid, the inaugural bishop of the newly created Diocese of Rochester. A parish cemetery on Murray Street was dedicated in 1886, a Sisters of St. Joseph school opened in 1911 and closed in 1974, and in 2006 St. Patrick merged with four neighboring parishes to become part of St. Luke the Evangelist.
- 1830s — First Masses celebrated in private homes
- c. 1842 — Early church in Tuscarora/Brushville closes with canal work ending
- 1850 — First St. Patrick Church built in Mount Morris
- December 1873 — Current brick church dedicated by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid
- 1886 — Parish cemetery dedicated on Murray Street
- 1911 — Parish school opens, staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph
- 1974 — Parish school closes
- July 1, 2006 — Joins St. Luke the Evangelist Parish with parishes in Geneseo, Nunda, Retsof, and Leicester
Ministry to Institutions and the Wider Community
Through St. Luke the Evangelist, Catholic ministry from St. Patrick's extends to the Livingston County Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Mount Morris, the Livingston County Jail in Geneseo, Groveland and Livingston Correctional Facilities, and the Newman Community at SUNY Geneseo. The parish notes a long-standing presence at the former tuberculosis hospital in Mount Morris and continues to serve vulnerable neighbors in collaboration with Catholic Charities of Livingston County, whose office is adjacent to the church.
- Livingston County Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation (Mt. Morris)
- Livingston County Jail (Geneseo)
- Groveland Correctional Facility (Sonyea)
- Livingston Correctional Facility
- Morgan Estates Assisted Living (Geneseo)
- Newman Community at SUNY Geneseo
- Catholic Charities of Livingston County office on site
Parish Staff and Clergy
St. Patrick's is shepherded as part of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish by Fr. Daniel L. White, Parochial Administrator, assisted by Fr. Hoan Dinh, Parochial Vicar, and Fr. Jeff Chichester. Parish staff includes Faith Formation Pastoral Minister Leslie Nieves, secretary Cathy Meyer, Finance Director Annette Syracusa, regional finance manager Laurie A. Baverstock, and Cemetery Manager Andy DiFulvio.
- Rev. Daniel L. White — Parochial Administrator
- Rev. Hoan Dinh — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Jeff Chichester — ordained in the Diocese of Rochester, 2018
- Leslie Nieves — Faith Formation Pastoral Minister
- Cathy Meyer — Parish Secretary
- Andy DiFulvio — Cemetery Manager
- Annette Syracusa — Finance Director
- Laurie A. Baverstock — Regional Assistant Finance Manager
Vacations and Vocations from St. Patrick's
A region-wide appendix in the parish history notes vocations to the priesthood and religious life from St. Patrick's over more than a century, including priests ordained for the Diocese of Rochester and others, and several Sisters of St. Joseph.
- Rev. Alfred J. Horr — ordained by Bishop James E. Kearney, May 18, 1940
- Rev. William Larkin — ordained in Syracuse May 15, 1947 (later incardinated in the Diocese of Miami, Florida)
- Robert J. Keating — studied for the priesthood but died before ordination
- Sisters of St. Joseph who served the parish: Sisters M. Dafrosa (1918), M. Bernice (1924), M. Euphemia (1934), Josephine Ignatia (1943), and M. Gonzaga (1953)
Visiting and Directions
Travelers coming from the Interstate can reach St. Patrick's by way of I-390 exit 7: take Route 408, turn left onto Main Street, then right onto 408 (Chapel Street) until reaching the corner of Chapel and Stanley. The parish office phone is 585-243-1100.
- I-390 exit 7, then Rt. 408
- Left onto Main St.
- Right onto 408 / Chapel St.
- Corner of Chapel and Stanley streets
- Parish phone: (585) 243-1100
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Alfred J. Horr
Ordained by Bishop James E. Kearney on May 18, 1940; served St. Patrick's.
- Rev. William Larkin
Ordained in Syracuse by Bishop Walter A. Foery on May 15, 1947 for the Diocese of Miami, Florida; served St. Patrick's.
- Robert J. Keating
Studied for the priesthood but died before being ordained.