About St. Paul · Norwich, New York
St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church is a historic parish in Norwich, Chenango County, New York, serving Catholics in the area since 1851 when Bishop of Albany formally recognized the local Catholic community (originally named St. Patrick's). The parish belongs to the Diocese of Syracuse and is now canonically linked with nearby St. Bartholomew's under the Catholic Communities of Norwich, sharing one pastor with two worship sites. Located at 30 Pleasant Street, St. Paul's offers daily and weekend Mass, perpetual-style Eucharistic adoration, a Miraculous Medal Novena, the Rosary, full faith formation (K-10) and sacramental preparation, RCIA, music ministry, a parish school (Holy Family), outreach to the homebound, and chaplaincy of the New York State Correctional Facility for Youth at Camp Pharsalia. It is led by its 17th pastor, Father Daniel M. Caughey, with Father Tony Matthew serving as parochial vicar.
- Established
- 1851
- Patron
- St. Paul (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel M. Caughey
- Diocese
- Diocese of Syracuse
Why belong here
St. Paul's offers a full Catholic life in a small-town setting: weekend and daily Mass in the Roman-Latin rite, weekly Eucharistic adoration (Fridays in the Marian Chapel, 9:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m.), the Miraculous Medal Novena and Rosary each Monday, and a long tradition of music ministry (Senior Choir plus a Folk Group that leads the Saturday evening liturgy). Families can send children to Holy Family School (PreK through grade 6) on the parish campus, continue religious education K-10, and walk their teens through Confirmation alongside peers from sister parish St. Bartholomew's. The parish also lives its faith outwardly — through pastoral care for the homebound and residents of local nursing homes, the chaplaincy at Camp Pharsalia, and decades of service to the broader Norwich community.
Mass times at St. Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:30 AM – 10:50 AM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Friday 9:30 AM – 8:00 PM — Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Marian Chapel (parishioners sign up for an hour time slot)
Parish History
St. Paul's traces its roots to 1826, when the first Catholic settlers arrived in Chenango County, then part of the Diocese of Albany. In 1851 the Bishop of Albany formally recognized the Norwich Catholic community as the parish of St. Patrick's; Father Charles Brady took up residence in 1857, and Cardinal McCloskey laid the cornerstone of the Miller Hill church in 1859. The defining moment came in 1888, when Father John Hart arrived as the first resident pastor and the church promptly burned to the ground. Within sixteen weeks the Bishop of Syracuse returned to lay the cornerstone of a new church, which he named St. Paul's — the name the parish still bears. From 1903 (a Knights of Columbus bell) and 1912 (mortgage burning) through the 1920 founding of St. Paul's Parochial School and the 1954 dedication of a new school, the parish grew steadily. The parish's 100th anniversary in 1988 saw the original cornerstone opened and a new one set in place in 1989. In 2007-08 the parish withstood a diocesan-wide downsizing review and was allowed to remain open alongside St. Bartholomew's, forming today's Catholic Communities of Norwich.
- 1826 — first Catholics settle Chenango County
- 1851 — recognized as parish of St. Patrick's by Bishop of Albany
- 1859 — Cardinal McCloskey lays cornerstone of St. Patrick's on Miller Hill
- 1888 — fire destroys St. Patrick's; Bishop of Syracuse names rebuilt church St. Paul's
- 1903 — Knights of Columbus present parish bell (replaced 1985)
- 1920 — St. Paul's Parochial School founded; Dominican Nuns arrive 1922
- 1954 — new school dedicated; 1964 — major addition (gym, auditorium, cafeteria, Manley Memorial Library)
- 1973 — St. Paul's assumes chaplaincy of Camp Pharsalia (NY State Correctional Facility for Youth)
- 1987 — confirmation classes combined with St. Bartholomew's
- 1988 — 100th anniversary; cornerstone opened
- 2007-08 — survives diocesan downsizing; forms Catholic Communities of Norwich with St. Bartholomew's
Devotions
Beyond the Mass schedule, St. Paul's sustains several traditional Marian and Eucharistic devotions, mostly centered in the parish's Marian Chapel. The Monday evening Rosary and Miraculous Medal Novena is a longstanding lay-led gathering with hymns; the Friday Adoration runs all day and into the evening; and lay presiders bring Communion to the homebound, hospital, and nursing-home residents when Mass cannot be celebrated among them.
- Monday 5:30 PM — 6:15 PM: Miraculous Medal Novena, Rosary, and hymns (Marian Chapel)
- Friday 9:30 AM — 8:00 PM: Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Marian Chapel)
- Communion Services at Preston Manor, Chenango Valley Home, Norwich Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Valley View Manor Nursing Home, and the local hospital
- Lay Presiders lead Communion Services where Mass cannot be celebrated
Liturgical Ministries
St. Paul's liturgical ministries are open to parishioners who wish to serve at the altar, proclaim the Word, or warmly welcome the assembly. Training is offered at various times during the year, and Eucharistic Ministers may be invited by the pastor to bring Communion to those who are homebound, in the hospital, or in local nursing homes.
- Altar Servers — boys and girls from public school or Holy Family School who have made First Holy Communion
- Eucharistic Ministers — distribute Holy Communion at Mass and to the homebound (by invitation of the Pastor)
- Lectors — proclaim the Word of God at Mass and other liturgies (must have received Confirmation)
- Greeters — extend a warm welcome to the Faithful as they gather for worship
- Gift Bearers — bring forward the gifts at Mass
- Lay Presiders — lead Communion Services at nursing homes and the hospital (must already be a trained Lector and Eucharistic Minister)
Music Ministry
St. Paul's runs two distinct music ensembles: the Senior Choir, which sings at principal Sunday and liturgical Masses, and the Folk Group, a guitar-led group of teenagers through adults who lead worship at the Saturday evening Mass. Both choirs rehearse weekly and arrive early for warm-ups; to paraphrase St. Augustine, the parish notes that 'those who sing, pray twice.'
- Senior Choir — weekly rehearsal; arrives 30 minutes before Mass for warm-ups
- Folk Group — rehearses before Mass on Saturday in the Marian Chapel; leads the Saturday evening Mass with guitars
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish's formal Religious Education program supplements faith formation in the home, where parents are recognized as the primary religious educators. Students in Grades K through 10 meet weekly on Sundays from 9:30 to 10:45 AM at Holy Family School, with registration beginning in August and classes generally following the school calendar.
- Grades K–10 Religious Education — Sundays 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM at Holy Family School
- Baptism Preparation — contact the parish office (607-337-2216)
- First Penance — preparation begins 1st grade; sacrament celebrated in 2nd grade (December)
- First Eucharist — preparation begins 2nd grade after First Penance, continues through April
- Confirmation — preparation in upper grades; combined with St. Bartholomew's since 1987
- RCIA — weekly meetings from early September through Pentecost; candidates choose a practicing-Catholic sponsor; contact Religious Education Office at 607-337-2201
Holy Family School
Holy Family School, located on the parish campus at 17 Prospect Street (telephone 607-337-2207), is the parish's PreK-Grade 6 Catholic school — a direct descendant of St. Paul's Parochial School (founded 1920) and the 1954 school dedicated under Msgr. Contois. The school is a safe, secure, and caring environment that fosters responsibility, self-discipline, and spiritual and academic excellence, and it welcomes students of other faiths who participate fully in religion classes and liturgical celebrations.
- Address: 17 Prospect Street, Norwich, NY 13815
- Phone: 607-337-2207; Fax: 607-337-2210
- Programs: 3-year-old program, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten through Grade 6
- School day 8:00 AM – 2:35 PM (homeroom from 7:45 AM); KidsZone before-school care from 6:45 AM
- Monthly School Masses (usually First Friday) and Holy Days — Grades 2-6 and faculty plan the liturgy in rotation
- FACTS tuition management; limited diocesan tuition assistance available
- Pastor: Rev. Ralph Bove (as listed in the parent/student handbook)
Pastoral Care & Outreach
Pastoral Care Ministry volunteers at St. Paul's serve the homebound, those in hospitals, and parishioners in residential health-care facilities. Ministries include bringing Communion, personal visits, and phone contact. The parish also coordinates transportation for the sick and shut-ins, and trains lay presiders to lead Communion Services at Preston Manor, the Chenango Valley Home, Norwich Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Valley View Manor Nursing Home, and the hospital when Mass cannot be celebrated.
- Visits to homebound, hospital, and nursing-home residents
- Bringing Communion to the sick and homebound
- Transportation for the Sick and Shut-Ins (call parish office: 607-337-2216)
- Lay Presiders — Communion Services at five area facilities when Mass is not possible
- Chaplaincy of the NY State Correctional Facility for Youth at Camp Pharsalia (since 1973)
Catholic Communities of Norwich
St. Paul's and St. Bartholomew's in Norwich are canonically merged as the Catholic Communities of Norwich, served by one pastor with two worship sites and a combined parish office at St. Paul's (30 Pleasant Street). After more than a year of uncertainty under Bishop James M. Moynihan's 2007 diocesan-wide downsizing announcement, the diocese confirmed in mid-2008 that both churches would remain open, operate independently, and continue to share a priest — the arrangement that continues today.
- Two worship sites: St. Paul's (30 Pleasant St.) and St. Bartholomew's
- Combined parish office at 30 Pleasant St., Norwich, NY 13815
- Served by one pastor (currently Fr. Daniel M. Caughey) with parochial vicar Fr. Tony Matthew
- Combined Confirmation program (since 1987)
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish team is led by the pastor with a parochial vicar and a religious sister serving as Business Administrator. Trustees, Parish Council co-presidents, Religious Education leadership, the cemetery sexton, and other staff round out the leadership team.
- Pastor: Rev. Daniel M. Caughey — 607-337-2204
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Tony Matthew, HGN — 607-337-2201
- Business Administrator: Sister Bartholomew Biviano — 607-337-2200
- Trustee / Religious Education: Donna Frank — 607-337-2216
- Parish Council Co-Presidents: Emily Goehner and Tony Capaccio
- Staff: Travis Spencer — 607-337-0211
- Cemetery Sexton: John DeSarro
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Paul's mission statement, prominently displayed on the parish website, frames the community as a family joined together to live as the Body of Christ — nurturing its relationship with God through prayer, reflection, liturgy, and the sacraments; embracing parishioners, visitors, and the wider community with Christ-like hospitality; ministering to one another and to those around them through parish programs and community outreach; and sharing their God-given blessings of time, talent, and treasure.
- Identity: 'We, the parishioners of the Church of St. Paul, are joined as a Family to live as the Body of Christ'
- Four pillars: prayer, hospitality, ministry/outreach, stewardship of time/talent/treasure
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Hart1888
First resident pastor of St. Patrick's/Norwich; arrived just months before the church burned; Bishop of Syracuse named the rebuilt church St. Paul's sixteen weeks later.
- Rev. Edward R. Pendergast1907
Second pastor of St. Paul's.
- Rev. Joseph S. Tiernan1916
Third pastor; established St. Bartholomew's Chapel (1919) and St. Paul's Parochial School (1920).
- Rev. Charles M. Coveney1932
Fourth pastor.
- Msgr. Henry L. Contois1951
Fifth pastor; jointly planned a new school with Msgr. Festa (dedicated 1954); introduced parish BINGO in 1957.
- Rev. Theodore Shannon1957
Sixth pastor.
- Rev. Robert F. Coombs1962
Seventh pastor; oversaw dedication of the 1964 school addition (gym, auditorium, cafeteria, 9th-grade classroom, Manley Memorial Library).
- Rev. Thomas F. Kiernan1969
Eighth pastor; Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet arrived to staff the school in 1971.
- Rev. Thomas J. McGrath1976
Ninth pastor; assumed chaplaincy of Camp Pharsalia (NY State Correctional Facility for Youth) in 1973.
- Rev. Thomas E. Neary1980
Tenth pastor.
- Rev. Donald H. Karlen1984
Eleventh pastor.
- Rev. Francis Young1988
Twelfth pastor; at the parish's 100th anniversary the cornerstone was opened and original documents (mostly decayed) examined.
- Rev. Thomas Sterner1992
Thirteenth pastor.
- Rev. John Flanagan1993
Fourteenth pastor.
- Rev. Douglas Cunningham1994
Fifteenth pastor; shepherded the parish through the 2007-08 diocesan downsizing review.
- Rev. Ralph A. Bove2009
Sixteenth pastor.
- Rev. Daniel M. Caughey2025
Seventeenth and current pastor.