St. Patrick-St. Brigid

About St. Patrick's & St. Brigid's Parish

St. Patrick's & St. Brigid's is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Syracuse that serves the historic Tipperary Hill neighborhood on Syracuse's west side. Canonically linked in 2012, the two parishes share a single pastor (currently Rev. Kevin P. Maloney) while retaining their own identities, histories and worship sites. The parish's mission statement calls it 'a welcoming community dedicated to spreading the Word of the Lord through worship, education, outreach and service.' The parish office and rectory are at 216 N. Lowell Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13204; the rectory phone is 315-475-2185 and the office email is [email protected].

• Pastor: Rev. Kevin P. Maloney
• Deacons: Robert (Bob) Connelly and Anthony (Tony) Paratore
• Office Administrator / Sacristan: Michael Goodnough
• Bookkeeper: Sarah Fisher
• Head of Finance: Nick Masterpole
• Facilities Manager: Michael Foody
• Organist: Stephanie DeVito

History of St. Patrick's Church

St. Patrick's traces its roots to 1825, when Irish families who had come to work on the Erie Canal settled on the hill west of Syracuse, an area that became known as Tipperary Hill. The first Mass was celebrated on July 31, 1870 by Rev. Hugh Shields, the parish's first pastor, in Cool's Hall at 101 Hamilton Street on the canal's banks. The church was dedicated on September 15, 1872 by Bishop Francis McNerny of the Albany Diocese. Over the late 19th and 20th centuries, the parish became the spiritual and social center of the Irish Catholic neighborhood, with a parochial school staffed largely by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) and an extraordinary record of priestly and religious vocations under the long pastorate of Msgr. Thomas Driscoll. The parochial school, which once ran K–12, closed in 2006. St. Patrick's marked its 150th anniversary in 2020, with Bishop Douglas J. Lucia concelebrating Mass alongside Father Maloney. The roof had been renovated in 2017 and the church interior was refreshed between January and August 2020 in preparation for the sesquicentennial.

• First Mass: July 31, 1870 (Rev. Hugh Shields, Cool's Hall, 101 Hamilton St.)
• Church dedicated: September 15, 1872 (Bishop Francis McNerny, Albany Diocese)
• Legacy of 10 priests, 1 Brother, 25 CSJ nuns, 6 Franciscan sisters, 4 Daughters of Charity
• Parochial school closed 2006; Faith Formation continues K–10

History of St. Brigid's Church

St. Brigid's was established in May 1926 by Bishop Daniel Curley to ease the burden on the growing St. Patrick's. Property at Willis Avenue and Herkimer Street was bought from James Haydoe, and Rev. William McCormich was named first pastor on June 25, 1926. The new parish initially used the third floor of St. Patrick's school. Excavation for a combination church-and-school began July 25, 1926; the first Mass in the school was offered August 21, 1926, and school opened September 6, 1927 with four Sisters of St. Joseph. A second pastor, Rev. William Brennan, set in motion the building of a permanent church, which was dedicated on November 14, 1956 under the third pastor, Rev. James Bannon, with Bishop Walter Foery having blessed the ground on September 18, 1955. In 1964 St. Joseph's French Church was merged with St. Brigid's under Rev. David Norcott, creating the combined 'St. Brigid & St. Joseph' community; the parish's Father Norcott Room (a renovated basement meeting and dining area with kitchen) is named for him. After Rev. James McCloskey (1980–1995) and Rev. Laurence Kennedy (1995–retirement), St. Brigid & St. Joseph was linked with St. Patrick's in 2012 under Rev. John Fenlon, and then joined the current pastorate of Rev. Kevin P. Maloney in October 2013.

• Parish established May 1926 by Bishop Daniel Curley
• First pastor: Rev. William McCormich (appointed June 25, 1926)
• School opened September 6, 1927 (four Sisters of St. Joseph)
• Permanent church dedicated November 14, 1956 (third pastor, Rev. James Bannon)
• St. Joseph's French Church merged in September 1964 under Rev. David Norcott
• Basement renovation / Father Norcott Room under Rev. James McCloskey (1980–1995)

150th Anniversary (2020)

St. Patrick's marked its sesquicentennial in 2020 with a liturgy celebrated by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia of the Diocese of Syracuse, joined in the sanctuary by Father Kevin P. Maloney, Father Thomas J. Ryan (a Tipp Hill native and son of the parish who went on to become pastor of Immaculate Conception in Fayetteville), and Deacon Anthony J. Paratore. The anniversary followed a roof renovation completed in 2017 and an interior renovation that ran from January to August 2020, according to parish council member and Irish Festival chairman Tim Gaughan. The celebration honored generations of families who built the parish from 'nothing' and reaffirmed the parish's commitment to Tipp Hill for the next 150 years, summed up in Father Maloney's Gaelic greeting: 'Cead Míle Fáilte' — a thousand welcomes.

Ministries & Outreach

The parish runs a year-round Food Pantry — most recently at 501 Avery Avenue — that distributes food monthly to between 80 and 100 families from the surrounding area. The Music Ministry adult choir is open to anyone willing to share their musical gifts, supports the weekend liturgy, and provides music for weddings and funerals. Eucharistic Ministers, lectors, ushers, greeters, and altar servers are commissioned and trained by the parish; new volunteers are welcomed. The parish also organizes annual outreach traditions such as the Christmas 'ornament gift tag' program for families in need and the assembly of holiday gift bags for homebound and nursing-home parishioners, coordinated by parishioner Kathy Satalin.

• Food Pantry (501 Avery Ave; ~80–100 families per month; phone 315-679-6825)
• Music Ministry / Adult Choir
• Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Ushers, Greeters
• Altar Servers (training by Sacristan Michael Goodnough)
• Christmas gift-tag program and homebound gift-bag ministry

Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation

Faith Formation classes are held on Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:15 AM, September through April, for children in grades 1 through 8, with separate First Penance and First Communion preparation. A Confirmation Program for students in grades 9 and 10 is also offered on Sundays. The parish runs a Baptismal Preparation program led by Deacon Bob Connelly, usually scheduled on an as-needed basis, and a full RCIA process for adults seeking Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, or full communion with the Catholic Church. Catechists and substitutes are always needed; the parish is supported in Faith Formation by the linked St. Charles – St. Ann staff (grades K–8 coordinator and a 9–10 coordinator).

• Faith Formation (grades 1–8, Sundays 9:15–10:15 AM, Sept.–Apr.)
• First Penance / First Communion preparation
• Confirmation Program (grades 9–10)
• Baptismal Preparation (Deacon Bob Connelly)
• Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

Sacraments

Baptisms are usually scheduled on Sunday during or after Mass, with parents meeting the pastor and attending a Baptismal Preparation session — many parents attend during pregnancy rather than after the birth. Marriage preparation requires that couples be registered parishioners and meet with the pastor at least six months before the desired wedding date, with participation in a Pre-Cana conference. The parish brings the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion to those in the hospital and arranges frequent Communion visitations to the homebound and to parishioners in nursing homes, with the help of lay Eucharistic Ministers who borrow pyxes from the church for home visits.

• Baptism (Sunday, after parent prep)
• Marriage (6-month notice; Pre-Cana required)
• Anointing of the Sick & hospital visitation
• Homebound Communion visits
• First Communion, Confirmation, RCIA

Parish Staff & Clergy

The parish is led by pastor Rev. Kevin P. Maloney, who has served the linked St. Patrick's and St. Brigid's communities since October 2013. He is assisted by two deacons, Robert (Bob) Connelly and Anthony (Tony) Paratore. Lay staff include Michael Goodnough (Office Administrator and Sacristan), Sarah Fisher (Bookkeeper), Michael Foody (Facilities Manager), Nick Masterpole (Head of Finance), and Stephanie DeVito (Organist). Parish bulletins are produced and linked across the four-parish group (St. Charles – St. Ann, St. Patrick – St. Brigid), with shared Faith Formation staff and offices on Syracuse's west side.

• Rev. Kevin P. Maloney — Pastor
• Deacon Robert (Bob) Connelly
• Deacon Anthony (Tony) Paratore
• Michael Goodnough — Office Administrator / Sacristan
• Sarah Fisher — Bookkeeper
• Michael Foody — Facilities Manager
• Nick Masterpole — Head of Finance
• Stephanie DeVito — Organist

Tipperary Hill & Parish Heritage

Tipperary Hill — known locally as Tipp Hill — is a Syracuse neighborhood settled largely by Irish immigrants, especially from County Tipperary, who arrived in the 1820s to dig the Erie Canal. The neighborhood is best known for the 'green over red' traffic light at Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue, where Irish youths reportedly stoned the original signal until the city agreed to invert the lenses, and where a green shamrock is repainted beneath the light every St. Patrick's eve. St. Patrick's Church, with its distinctive shamrock window above the main altar, has been the spiritual center of Tipp Hill since 1872, and the parish's annual Irish Festival — held every July and founded in part by the Gaughan family — keeps the heritage alive with music, dance, food and drink.

• Irish settlement dates to the 1820s (Erie Canal construction)
• Green-over-red traffic signal at Tompkins & Milton
• Tipperary Hill Memorial Park & Heritage Memorial (Dexter Benedict, 1997)
• Annual Irish Festival each July (music, dance, food, beverages)

Diocese of Syracuse & Linked Parishes

St. Patrick's & St. Brigid's is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. In the Diocese's 2022 pastoral planning, the parish is grouped in Vicariate 2 / Pastoral Care Area 2 (Syracuse West Side) and is currently canonically linked with the neighboring St. Charles – St. Ann parishes, which together form a four-parish grouping sharing bulletin production, Faith Formation staff, and pastoral coordination. Father Kevin Maloney is listed among the priests serving this vicariate, which also includes the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Marianne Cope Parish on the Syracuse west side.

• Diocese of Syracuse
• Vicariate 2 / PCA 2 (Syracuse West Side)
• Linked with St. Charles – St. Ann (Syracuse)
• Bishop (at 150th anniversary, 2020): Douglas J. Lucia