About St. Patrick. St. Joseph the Worker Parish. · Savannah, New York
St. Patrick Church, located on Grand Avenue in Savannah, NY, is one of three worship sites that together make up St. Joseph the Worker Parish in the Diocese of Rochester. The parish was created in March 2012 when three historic eastern Wayne County parishes — St. John the Evangelist in Clyde, St. Michael in Lyons, and St. Patrick in Savannah — were merged under one pastor. St. Joseph the Worker Parish itself became part of a larger Eastern Wayne County cluster in 2019, joining with St. Michael Parish in Newark and the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity (Wolcott, Red Creek, and Fair Haven) to form the Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County (CPEWC). Today the parish is served by a Parochial Administrator, two Parochial Vicars, and a Senior Deacon, with St. Patrick's Sunday evening Mass drawing worshippers from across the rural Savannah area.
- Established
- 1912 (approximately — St. Patrick Church established in the early 20th century; merged into St. Joseph the Worker Parish in 2012)
- Patron
- St. Patrick (of the Savannah worship site); parish-wide patron is St. Joseph the Worker
- Rector
- Rev. Felicjan Sierotowicz (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
St. Patrick's offers a Sunday evening Mass at 4:00 PM — the only Mass in the cluster scheduled for that hour — making it a convenient option for families and shift workers across Savannah and the surrounding countryside. As part of St. Joseph the Worker Parish within the Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County, the Savannah worship site shares in a wide range of ministries (Prayer Chain, Caring Calls/Notes, Martha funeral luncheon ministry, Bazaar group, Parish Life, and Fundraising) and sacramental preparation programs. Joining St. Patrick's means becoming part of a tight-knit, rural Catholic family that pools resources and clergy with its sister churches in Clyde, Lyons, Newark, Wolcott, Red Creek, and Fair Haven.
Mass times at St. Patrick. St. Joseph the Worker Parish.
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesdays, 5:20 PM – 5:50 PM, at St. John the Evangelist, Clyde (church library)
- Saturdays, 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM, at St. Michael's, Lyons (chapel)
Adoration times
- First Friday — Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament immediately following the 8:30 AM Mass at St. Michael's, Lyons, concluding with Benediction
About St. Patrick — A Worship Site of St. Joseph the Worker Parish
St. Patrick Church sits on Grand Avenue in the small hamlet of Savannah, NY, in the agricultural heart of Wayne County. Although it is no longer an independent parish, it remains an active worship site of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, sharing clergy, ministries, and sacramental preparation programs with sister churches in Clyde and Lyons. Its 4:00 PM Sunday Mass is the only evening Sunday Mass in the entire Eastern Wayne County cluster.
- Part of St. Joseph the Worker Parish (Clyde / Lyons / Savannah)
- Member of the Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County (CPEWC) cluster formed in 2019
- Sunday 4:00 PM Mass — the cluster's only Sunday evening service
History of the Savannah Worship Site and the 2012 Merger
St. Patrick Church in Savannah was established in the early twentieth century to serve the local Catholic farming community along the Seneca River. For most of its life it operated as a standalone parish of the Diocese of Rochester. In June 2010 Bishop Matthew H. Clark appointed Father Paul Chumo as sacramental minister to St. Michael's (Lyons), St. John the Evangelist (Clyde), and St. Patrick's (Savannah); he became their pastor in June 2011 and led the three parishes into formal merger in March 2012. The resulting St. Joseph the Worker Parish covers a roughly 30-mile radius of eastern Wayne County, with each of the three historic churches retained as a worship site.
- St. Patrick Church — early 20th-century foundation
- 2010 — Father Paul Chumo appointed sacramental minister to the three parishes
- 2011 — Chumo becomes pastor
- March 2012 — St. Joseph the Worker Parish formally created
The 2019 Eastern Wayne County Cluster
In October 2017 Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of the Diocese of Rochester asked the pastors of the five Wayne County parishes to form pastoral-planning teams in response to declining priest availability. After nearly two years of assessment and consultation, two new parish clusters took effect on June 25, 2019. St. Joseph the Worker Parish was grouped with St. Michael Parish in Newark and the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity (Wolcott, Red Creek, Fair Haven) to form the Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County (CPEWC) — seven worship sites under one pastoral team.
- Initiated by Bishop Salvatore R. Matano in October 2017
- Two new Wayne County clusters took effect June 25, 2019
- Seven worship sites in CPEWC: St. Michael's Newark, St. John the Evangelist Clyde, St. Patrick's Savannah, St. Michael's Lyons, St. Mary Magdalene Wolcott, St. Thomas Red Creek, St. Jude Fair Haven
Parish Staff and Clergy
Pastoral leadership is currently provided by a Parochial Administrator and two Parochial Vicars, with a Senior Deacon assisting across the parish. Cluster-wide parish staff includes a Parish Secretary and musicians at each of the principal worship sites.
- Rev. Felicjan Sierotowicz — Parochial Administrator
- Rev. Jeff Chichester — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Sylvester Bioh — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Gregory Kiley — Senior Deacon
- Kathy Schrader — Parish Secretary (parish office at 43 W. DeZeng St., Clyde)
- Nancy Bryan — Musician, St. John the Evangelist, Clyde
- Lawrence Dapolito — Musician, St. Michael's, Lyons
Parish Ministries and Outreach
Parish ministries fall under five areas of service — Worship, Faith Formation, Pastoral Care, Evangelization/Outreach, and Stewardship — and span the entire St. Joseph the Worker community. From a prayer chain that lifts up confidential intentions to a Martha Ministry that prepares funeral luncheons across three counties, the volunteer network is the lifeblood of this rural parish.
- Prayer Chain — confidential prayer requests (parish office: 315-902-4130)
- Caring Calls Team — monthly check-ins with homebound parishioners
- Caring Notes Team — greeting cards for baptisms, First Communion, anniversaries, sympathy, graduates
- Martha Ministry — funeral luncheons at Newark, Clyde, and Wolcott
- SJTW Bazaar Group — annual Mini-Bazaar each November
- Parish Life Committee — parish dinners and events
- Fundraising Committee
- Altar Servers & Lay Ministers (Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors)
- Lyons Inter-Church Council
- Hispanic Ministry
- Jail Ministry
Sacramental Preparation and Faith Formation
The parish prepares Catholics of every age for the sacraments through a coordinated program that serves the three worship sites. Parents bring infants for Baptism, children prepare for First Eucharist and Confirmation, engaged couples complete Marriage preparation, and adults seeking to enter the Church are welcomed through the parish's RCIA process.
- Baptism — infant baptism preparation
- First Eucharist / First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation
- Marriage preparation (six months' notice recommended)
- Anointing of the Sick and Visitation to the Sick
- RCIA — "How Do I Become Catholic?" for unbaptized and uncatechized adults
- Religious Education program for school-age children
- Safe Environment (CASE) training for adults working with minors
Cemetery, Facilities, and Practical Information
Parish operations are coordinated from the parish office at 43 W. DeZeng Street in Clyde, with the Savannah worship site at 1583 Grand Avenue serving as the local church for the community. The parish maintains St. John Cemetery under published rules and regulations, and accepts hall rental bookings for community events.
- Parish office — 43 W. DeZeng St., Clyde, NY 14433 — phone (315) 902-4130
- Office hours — Monday–Thursday, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- St. John Cemetery — with published rules and regulations
- Hall Rental available — contact the parish office
- Parish Registration Form available for new parishioners
- Weekly Bulletin published online (linked from saintjoetheworker.org)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Paul Chumo2010–2012
Appointed sacramental minister of the three Wayne County parishes in June 2010, became their pastor in June 2011, and led the merger that created St. Joseph the Worker Parish in March 2012.