About St. Patrick. Our Lady of the Snow Parish. · Cato, New York
St. Patrick Church in Cato, New York is one of two worship sites of Our Lady of the Snow Parish, a Roman Catholic community in the Diocese of Rochester serving the northern Cayuga County villages of Cato and Weedsport. Built by Irish immigrants who had come to work on the Erie Canal and the New York Central Railroad, St. Patrick was incorporated as a parish on March 5, 1874, and the white frame church was dedicated by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid in 1875. In 1986 it clustered with St. Joseph (Weedsport) and St. John (Port Byron) as the Northern Cayuga Catholic Community, and on July 7, 2005 the three were formally merged into the incorporated Our Lady of the Snow Parish. Following the 2020 closure of St. John in Port Byron, the parish now operates as a two-site community sharing one pastor and one pastoral staff with St. Mary's and Ss. Mary and Martha parishes in Auburn under Father Frank E. Lioi, VF, Dean of the East Region.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Very Rev. Frank E. Lioi, VF
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
St. Patrick's is a small, historic white-frame church where generations of northern Cayuga County families have worshipped, and parishioners speak openly of its hallmark 'welcoming spirit.' It is the Sunday-morning home of Our Lady of the Snow Parish, offering a 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass and a Wednesday morning Mass with confessions — a simple, faithful rhythm that has held the village together through more than 150 years. The parish also shares one pastor and a full pastoral staff (including faith formation, youth ministry, music, baptismal and wedding preparation) across the Auburn and northern Cayuga cluster, so members of St. Patrick's can draw on the broader community's ministries and sacramental life while keeping their own intimate Cato worship site.
Mass times at St. Patrick. Our Lady of the Snow Parish.
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 8:30 AM (at St. Patrick's, Cato)
About Our Lady of the Snow Parish
Our Lady of the Snow Parish is the merged Roman Catholic community of St. Patrick Church in Cato and St. Joseph Church in Weedsport, in the Diocese of Rochester. The parish shares one pastor — Very Rev. Frank E. Lioi, VF, who also serves as Dean of the East Region — and is clustered for pastoral planning with St. Mary's Parish and Ss. Mary and Martha Parish in Auburn, forming the Catholic Parishes of Auburn & Northern Cayuga. The parish office address is c/o 15 Clark Street, Auburn, NY 13021, and the parish phone is 315-834-6266. Visitors are welcomed with the line 'You Are Welcome at Our Lady of the Snow!' on the parish website.
History of Our Lady of the Snow
The Catholic history of Weedsport, Cato, Port Byron and Montezuma stretches back to 1853, when the resident pastor of St. Alphonsus in Auburn was charged with the care of Catholics across northern Cayuga County. St. Joseph in Weedsport was founded as a mission in 1854 (its current church rebuilt on the same site in the 1950s), and the pastor of St. Joseph's in turn cared for the Catholics of Cato, Red Creek, Port Byron, and Montezuma, with Masses often said in private homes. St. Patrick's in Cato was incorporated on March 5, 1874 and its church was dedicated by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid in 1875; St. Michael's in Montezuma was started by 14 families in 1865; and St. John in Port Byron began as a missionary church to St. Joseph's in 1858 and was incorporated on July 6, 1899. In the mid-1980s diocesan Planning Groups encouraged clusters, and in 1985 the last Mass was celebrated at St. Michael's, Montezuma, whose parishioners merged with those of St. John in Port Byron. In 1986, St. Joseph's, St. John's and St. Patrick's formed the Northern Cayuga Catholic Community. On July 7, 2005 the three churches were formally merged and incorporated as Our Lady of the Snow Parish. After St. John Church in Port Byron closed in June 2020, the parish consolidated to its current two worship sites — St. Joseph in Weedsport and St. Patrick in Cato — and in late 2020 entered a cluster with Auburn's St. Mary's and Ss. Mary and Martha parishes, sharing one pastor and one pastoral staff.
- 1853 — St. Alphonsus pastor in Auburn given care of Weedsport Catholics
- 1854 — St. Joseph, Weedsport founded as a mission
- 1855 — First church built in Weedsport
- 1858 — New Weedsport church built; current church replaced it on the same site in the 1950s
- 1860 — Cato Catholics purchase land on Mechanic Street for a future church
- 1865 — St. Michael's, Montezuma begun by 14 families
- 1869 — St. Joseph, Weedsport incorporated (Aug. 6)
- 1874 — St. Patrick, Cato incorporated (March 5) and church construction begins
- 1875 — St. Patrick Church dedicated by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid
- 1899 — St. John, Port Byron incorporated (July 6)
- 1985 — Last Mass at St. Michael's, Montezuma
- 1986 — Northern Cayuga Catholic Community formed
- 2005 — St. Joseph, St. John and St. Patrick merged as Our Lady of the Snow Parish (July 7)
- 2020 — St. John, Port Byron closes; parish becomes two-site community
- 2020 — Cluster formed with St. Mary's and Ss. Mary & Martha parishes in Auburn
- 2024 — 150th anniversary of St. Patrick's dedication celebrated with Bishop Matano
St. Patrick Church, Cato
St. Patrick Church is the historic white-frame church at 2576 East Mechanic Street in the village of Cato, Cayuga County, New York. It was built by Irish immigrants who had come to work on the Erie Canal and the New York Central Railroad, and has served as a place of worship continuously since its dedication by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid in 1875. The parish completed a $400,000 expansion in the early 2000s, funded largely by parishioner contributions; the names of contributors are inscribed on the gold leaves of a decorative tree on one of the interior walls. Today St. Patrick's is the Sunday-morning worship site of Our Lady of the Snow Parish, hosting an 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass and a Wednesday morning Mass with confessions, and it remains a testament to the faith of Catholics in the diocese's northeastern corner.
- 2576 East Mechanic Street, Cato, NY 13033
- White-frame church built 1874–1875
- Dedicated by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid in 1875
- 150th anniversary celebrated March 16, 2024 with Bishop Salvatore R. Matano
St. Joseph Church, Weedsport
St. Joseph Church at 8831 South Seneca Street, Weedsport, NY 13166 is the second worship site of Our Lady of the Snow Parish and the oldest of the three original faith communities. It hosts the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass and is part of the same parish family as St. Patrick's, Cato.
- 8831 South Seneca Street, Weedsport, NY 13166
- 10:30 AM Sunday Mass
Parish Staff & Clergy
Our Lady of the Snow is part of the Catholic Parishes of Auburn & Northern Cayuga, sharing one pastor and one pastoral staff across St. Mary's, Ss. Mary and Martha, and Our Lady of the Snow. The pastor is Very Rev. Frank E. Lioi, VF, who also serves as Dean of the East Region of the Diocese of Rochester, assisted by Rev. Joseph J. Martuscello, Parochial Vicar and Youth Minister, and Deacon Dennis Donahue, New Evangelization Coordinator. Cluster staff also include Jon Robson (Faith Formation/Sacramental Preparation), Chelsea Bosnar (Music Director), Diane Gove (Baptismal Preparation, Pastoral Minister, Wedding Coordinator), Kathy Lipfert (Funeral Preparations), Sr. Anne Marie Saphara (Archivist), Shawn Gillen-Caryl (Regional Finance Director), Donna Malinowski and Delia Westmiller (Office Staff), and Greg Lawson and Dan Preuss (Facilities).
- Very Rev. Frank E. Lioi, VF — Pastor and Dean of the East Region
- Rev. Joseph J. Martuscello — Parochial Vicar / Youth Ministry
- Deacon Dennis Donahue — New Evangelization Coordinator
- Jon Robson — Faith Formation / Sacramental Preparation
- Chelsea Bosnar — Music Director
- Diane Gove — Baptismal Preparation, Pastoral Minister & Wedding Coordinator
- Kathy Lipfert — Funeral Preparations
- Sr. Anne Marie Saphara — Archivist
- Shawn Gillen-Caryl — Regional Finance Director
- Donna Malinowski — Office Staff
- Delia Westmiller — Office Staff
- Greg Lawson — Facilities
- Dan Preuss — Facilities
Sacraments & Liturgical Life
Sacramental preparation across the cluster is coordinated centrally: Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation by Jon Robson, Baptismal Preparation and Wedding Coordination by Diane Gove, and Funeral Preparations by Kathy Lipfert. The Music Director is Chelsea Bosnar, and weekly TV and livestream Masses from St. Mary's, Auburn supplement the in-person Masses at the parish's worship sites.
- Baptism — Diane Gove
- Marriage — Diane Gove (Wedding Coordinator)
- Funerals — Kathy Lipfert
- Sacramental Preparation — Jon Robson
- Music — Chelsea Bosnar
Ministries & Organizations
The parish participates in cluster-wide ministries including faith formation for children and families, youth ministry led by the parochial vicar, a music program, baptismal and marriage preparation, and Knights of Columbus activity. The Knights of Columbus Fr. Albert Shamon Assembly meets on the first Tuesday of the month at St. Mary's in Auburn and is open to Catholic men of the parishes. At-home family faith and prayer resources are made available through the parish website.
- Faith Formation
- Youth Ministry
- Music Ministry
- New Evangelization
- Knights of Columbus Fr. Albert Shamon Assembly
Joining the Parish
New parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed at Our Lady of the Snow. Those wishing to register can download a parish registration form from the parish website and return it to the parish office. Visitors are invited to attend Mass at either worship site — St. Patrick's, Cato (Sundays 8:30 AM, Wednesdays 9:00 AM) or St. Joseph's, Weedsport (Sundays 10:30 AM) — and to introduce themselves to the priests and staff after Mass.
- Parish registration form available online at stmaryauburn.org
- Office: 15 Clark Street, Auburn, NY 13021
- Phone: 315-834-6266
Visiting & Contact
The parish office is reached c/o 15 Clark Street, Auburn, NY 13021; the parish phone is 315-834-6266. Email contacts for individual staff members are listed on the contact page of stmaryauburn.org, with general inquiries directed through the website. Saturday-evening Mass from St. Mary's, Auburn is livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person.
- Parish office: c/o 15 Clark Street, Auburn, NY 13021
- Phone: 315-834-6266
- Cluster livestream: Saturday 5:30 PM on YouTube
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Henry Koenig1876–1877
First resident pastor of St. Patrick's, also serving St. Thomas, Red Creek, with residence in Red Creek.
- Rev. John Codyre1877–1878
Succeeded Father Koenig on August 26, 1877.
- Rev. D. M. O'Donoghue1878–1881
Greatly reduced the church indebtedness; later appointed pastor of St. Joseph's, Weedsport.
- Rev. Dennis Curran1881–1882
Brief pastorate ending in early 1882.
- Rev. James Day1882–1884
During his pastorate the parochial residence was moved from Red Creek to Cato.
- Rev. William Morin1884–1891
Beloved pastor who continued the work of his predecessors.
- Rev. Joseph Ruby1891–c.1907
Sixteen-year pastorate; expanded church properties and remodeled the Philo Rockwell house into the rectory.
- Rev. Thomas F. O'Connorc.1907–c.1913
Continued Father Ruby's work for about six years.
- Rev. Patrick Smith1913–1915
Came from St. Mary's, Auburn; effected remarkable improvements during his two-year administration.
- Rev. Thomas Lochren1915–c.1925
Ten-year pastorate remembered for zeal and broad human sympathy.