About St. Teresa · Buffalo, New York
St. Teresa Roman Catholic Parish is a historic South Buffalo church at 1974 Seneca Street, founded in 1897 as the first Catholic parish in South Buffalo. The English Gothic Revival church, designed by architect Albert A. Post and built of Medina sandstone, was completed in 1899 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Church Complex. Today the parish is part of the Catholic Family of South Buffalo (Family #31 in the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal), led by Pastor Rev. William (Bill) Quinlivan alongside three deacons, offering weekend and weekday Mass, Saturday confessions, faith formation for children, and an active social-outreach ministry.
- Established
- 1897
- Patron
- St. Teresa of Ávila (patron of the parish; spelling 'Teresa' as used in original 1898 incorporation as 'St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Church Society of Buffalo, N.Y.')
- Rector
- Rev. William (Bill) Quinlivan
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Teresa's is a warm, historic South Buffalo parish where a small but devoted congregation of about 950 households gathers around weekend and weekday Mass in a 1898 Medina-sandstone Gothic Revival church. Parishioners can join a rich faith-formation program (Grades 1–8 Sundays at St. Teresa's Parish Center and monthly Confirmation classes for Grades 9–10), participate in an active outreach committee led by parishioners like Bonnie Szalda, and support the long-running 'Think Program' of weekly themed food and pantry collections distributed to local food pantries. As one of the four parishes of the Catholic Family of South Buffalo, it shares resources — a music director, a worship director, RCIA for adults, and pastoral staff — with neighboring St. Martin of Tours, Our Lady of Charity and St. Thomas Aquinas, all under Father Bill Quinlivan.
Mass times at St. Teresa
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 4:00–4:25 PM Saturday (before the 4:30 PM Vigil Mass)
Parish Identity & Worship
St. Teresa R.C. Parish describes itself as 'A friendly parish in South Buffalo.' Its current Mass schedule, posted on the official homepage, offers a Saturday Vigil at 4:30 PM and a Sunday Mass at 11:00 AM, with weekday Mass at 11:30 AM on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and a Saturday-morning daily Mass at 8:00 AM. Confessions are heard Saturdays from 4:00 to 4:25 PM, immediately before the Vigil Mass. The parish is one of four linked parishes of the Catholic Family of South Buffalo, sharing clergy, music staff, and faith-formation leadership.
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:30 PM
- Sunday Mass: 11:00 AM
- Weekday Mass: 11:30 AM Mon/Wed/Fri
- Saturday daily Mass: 8:00 AM
- Confessions: 4:00–4:25 PM Saturday
Parish Staff
St. Teresa is served by the Catholic Family of South Buffalo staff team. Pastor Rev. William (Bill) Quinlivan has led the family since November 2016 and was officially named pastor on August 1, 2022; he previously pastored Blessed Sacrament in Tonawanda for 11 years and served as parochial vicar at St. Mary of the Lake (Hamburg), St. Paul (Kenmore) and St. Gregory the Great (Williamsville). Three deacons — Daniel Deneke (since March 2019), Robert A. Dobmeier, and Timothy Maloney — minister across the parishes. Anne Fecio is the parish's administrative assistant; Cheryl McNerney directs faith formation and confirmation preparation (716-823-8575); Brian Meyer is CFSB Director of Worship; Laura Lawless is Director of Music; and a parochial vicar, Father Bob Hora, was named later in 2022.
- Pastor: Rev. William (Bill) Quinlivan
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Bob Hora
- Deacon Daniel Deneke
- Deacon Robert A. Dobmeier
- Deacon Tim Maloney
- Administrative Assistant: Anne Fecio
- Director of Faith Formation & Confirmation: Cheryl McNerney
- Director of Worship: Brian Meyer
- Director of Music: Laura Lawless
Founding & Early History (1897–1926)
St. Teresa's was founded in April 1897 by the Reverend Michael J. Kean at the appointment of Bishop James Edward Quigley to serve about one hundred Catholic families in South Buffalo. Father Kean held the first services in an abandoned public-school building on Cazenovia Street. In April 1898 the parish was incorporated as 'St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Church Society of Buffalo, N.Y.'; ground was broken for the new church in June 1898, the cornerstone laid July 24, 1898, and the first services held in the completed Medina sandstone Gothic Revival church on May 21, 1899. The parish built its school in 1907. After Father Kean's death on February 20, 1916, Rev. Edmund Gibbons was appointed pastor (he later became Bishop of Albany), and Rev. John F. Ryan succeeded in spring 1919, nearly doubling the church's seating capacity in 1925 and adding twelve classrooms to the school in 1926.
- April 1897: parish founded by Rev. Michael J. Kean at Bishop Quigley's appointment
- April 1898: incorporated as St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Church Society of Buffalo, N.Y.
- June 1898: ground broken; July 24, 1898: cornerstone laid by Bishop Quigley
- May 21, 1899: first services in the new Medina sandstone church
- 1907: parish school constructed
- Feb. 20, 1916: death of Father Kean
- 1916–1919: Rev. Edmund Gibbons (later Bishop of Albany)
- Spring 1919: Rev. John F. Ryan arrives; church seating nearly doubled (1925); twelve-classroom school addition completed (Sept. 1926)
20th-Century Growth & the Johnson Organ
Throughout the twentieth century St. Teresa remained the spiritual anchor of the Irish Catholic community of South Buffalo. A 1946 parish publication listed several active organizations including the Youth Council (an affiliate of the Junior Holy Name Society), the Ladies of Charity, and other devotional and charitable groups. The Parent Teacher Association was established in 1947 and supported the school by remodeling the principal's office, furnishing a first-aid room, buying library books, and providing visual-aid equipment. Under Msgr. S. Theodore Berg (pastor 1987–2003), the parish raised $850,000 to restore the Johnson pipe organ in 1995, with a computer-controlled system that allows the console to be moved onto the church floor and pipes rearranged in the choir loft for more room.
- 1946 active groups: Youth Council, Ladies of Charity
- 1947: PTA founded
- 1987–2003: Msgr. S. Theodore Berg as pastor
- 1995: $850,000 Johnson organ restoration
Renovations & Historic Preservation
Over several decades the parish complex was carefully maintained and updated. Exterior work included slate-roof repairs, repointing and cleaning of the Medina sandstone, restoration of the rectory, and redesigning the front doors. Interior work cleaned, refinished and repositioned the pews for easier entry and exit, restored furnishings and details, redesigned a 'crying room' for children, and improved the lighting and sound systems. A new wing on the church added handicap access. The church, rectory and former school were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Church Complex, with the school closing in 2007 but the complex remaining in active parish use into the twenty-first century.
- Exterior: slate roof repair, repointing/cleaning sandstone, front-door redesign, rectory restoration
- Interior: pews refinished and repositioned, 'crying room' added, lighting/sound upgrades
- Handicap-access wing added to the church
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Church Complex
Catholic Family of South Buffalo
In August 2022 St. Teresa became part of the Catholic Family of South Buffalo, one of six pilot 'Family of Parishes' groupings launched as part of the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal. The family brings together four parishes — Our Lady of Charity (with St. Ambrose and Holy Family worship sites), St. Martin of Tours, St. Teresa, and St. Thomas Aquinas — under one pastor, Father Bill Quinlivan, with a parochial vicar and three deacons serving the individual parishes. A shared central office at 260 Okell Street, Buffalo, NY 14220, coordinates administration, faith formation, worship, music, outreach, stewardship, and forming disciples across the family. The parishes also work together on shared events such as an outdoor Stations of the Cross for Lent and a Eucharistic Holy Hour.
- Family #31 in the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal
- Four parishes: Our Lady of Charity, St. Martin of Tours, St. Teresa, St. Thomas Aquinas
- Pastor: Rev. William (Bill) Quinlivan (officially Aug. 1, 2022)
- Central Office: 260 Okell St., Buffalo, NY 14220 (Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
- Three deacons: Robert A. Dobmeier, Daniel Deneke, Timothy Maloney
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The Catholic Family of South Buffalo's Faith Formation program, directed by Cheryl McNerney, serves children in Grades 1–8 with Sunday-morning religious-education classes held from 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM at St. Teresa's Parish Center. Confirmation preparation is offered monthly for students in Grades 9 and 10. Adult RCIA ('Becoming Catholic') is also coordinated through the family. The program emphasizes prayer, the sacraments, Catholic teaching, and a life of service.
- Grades 1–8: Sundays 9:30–10:45 AM at St. Teresa's Parish Center
- Confirmation (Grades 9–10): monthly
- RCIA for adults: 'Becoming Catholic'
- Director: Cheryl McNerney — 716-823-8575
Music & Liturgy
Music ministry across the family is led by Director of Music Laura Lawless (a Buffalo State / SUNY Fredonia-trained musician and longtime cantor, trumpeter, pianist/organist, and choir director at St. Thomas Aquinas). Brian Meyer serves as CFSB Director of Worship. The 1995-restored Johnson pipe organ is a centerpiece of Sunday liturgy at St. Teresa's. The CP Choir rehearses regularly and supports the Vigil and Sunday Masses.
- Director of Music: Laura Lawless
- Director of Worship: Brian Meyer
- Johnson pipe organ (restored 1995) — computer-controlled, movable console
Outreach & Social Ministry
St. Teresa's has a long tradition of social outreach led by parishioners such as Bonnie Szalda, who chairs outreach on the family level. The 'Think Program' — adopted from St. John the Evangelist after the 2008 merger — uses a weekly theme (e.g., broth one week, laundry products another) to collect food and pantry staples that are distributed to local food pantries. The parish also supports the Genesis House and other ministries to those in need. Outreach is one of six pillars of the Catholic Family of South Buffalo, alongside Liturgy, Spiritual Life, Forming Disciples, Stewardship, and Administration.
- 'Think Program' weekly themed food/pantry drive
- Genesis House support
- Parish Outreach/Inreach Committee (Bonnie Szalda, St. Teresa representative)
- Distribution to local food pantries
Sacraments & Pastoral Services
Parishioners are encouraged to contact the central office for Baptisms, Weddings, Funeral preparations, Communion to the Sick/Homebound, Letters of Recommendation, Mass Intentions, Parish Registration, and room reservations. Faith formation and the children's sacraments (First Communion, Confirmation) are coordinated by Cheryl McNerney. RCIA for adults is offered for those inquiring about becoming Catholic. Schedules for weddings and baptisms, as well as funeral planning, are arranged through the parish administrative assistant Anne Fecio and the central CFSB office.
- Baptisms — contact parish office
- Weddings — schedule through parish office
- Funeral preparation — central CFSB office
- Communion to the Sick / Homebound
- Letters of Recommendation
- Mass Intentions and Tabernacle candle offerings
- RCIA for adults (Becoming Catholic)
Getting Involved
Parishioners can register through the parish office, join the choir or music ministry, volunteer with the Outreach/Inreach committee or the Think Program, serve as lectors or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, or help with faith formation. The CFSB central office can connect newcomers to small groups, devotional opportunities, and the family-wide calendar of events including outdoor Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic Holy Hours, and the Labor Day Parade.
- Parish registration via Anne Fecio
- Outreach committee and Think Program volunteering
- Choir / music ministry
- Lectors and liturgical roles
- Faith-formation catechists
Visiting & Practical Information
St. Teresa's is at 1974 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY 14210. Parishioners and visitors can worship at the Saturday Vigil (4:30 PM) or Sunday Mass (11:00 AM), or stop by during the week for 11:30 AM Mass on Monday, Wednesday or Friday. Confessions are heard Saturdays 4:00–4:25 PM. The phone number is (716) 822-0608 and the parish email is [email protected]. The central administrative office of the Catholic Family of South Buffalo is at 260 Okell Street, Buffalo, NY 14220 (open Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM). A new wing of the church provides handicap access, and the parish posts bulletin, online-giving and Facebook links from its homepage.
- Address: 1974 Seneca St., Buffalo, NY 14210
- Phone: (716) 822-0608
- Email: [email protected]
- Central CFSB office: 260 Okell St., Buffalo, NY 14220 (Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
- Handicap-access wing on the church
- Bulletin, Online Giving, and Facebook linked from stteresabuffalo.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael J. Kean1897–1916
Founding pastor; appointed by Bishop Quigley April 1897; held first Mass in an abandoned public school on Cazenovia Street; oversaw construction of the Medina sandstone Gothic Revival church (1898–99) and the original parish school (1907). Died February 20, 1916.
- Rev. Edmund Gibbons1916–1919
Succeeded Father Kean; planned school and church expansions but was appointed Bishop of Albany before completing them.
- Rev. John F. Ryan1919–
Arrived spring 1919; nearly doubled the church's seating capacity in 1925; built a large school addition with twelve new classrooms, completed September 1926.
- Msgr. S. Theodore Berg1987–2003
Led the parish's $850,000 restoration of the Johnson pipe organ in 1995; oversaw interior and exterior renovations of the historic complex.