About St. Thomas the Apostle.Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity · Red Creek, New York
St. Thomas the Apostle is a historic Catholic mission church in Red Creek, New York, serving the village and surrounding rural community in Wayne County. Founded in 1876, it is the original parish of what is today the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity (CCBT), a three-worship-site faith community that also includes St. Mary Magdalene in Wolcott and St. Jude in Fair Haven. The church is a mission of St. Mary Magdalene and is part of the wider Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County cluster in the Diocese of Rochester. Today St. Thomas offers Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM in the fall, winter and spring, with summer Mass life shifting to sister site St. Jude in Fair Haven.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. Thomas the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Felicjan Sierotowicz (Parochial Administrator of the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
Why belong here
St. Thomas the Apostle offers a small, close-knit Catholic community in the village of Red Creek with Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM from mid-September through mid-June. As part of the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity, parishioners also have access to a wider network of ministries across the Wolcott, Red Creek and Fair Haven worship sites — including faith formation, sacramental preparation, liturgical ministries, music ministry, the Altar & Rosary Society, Martha Ministry, Hispanic Ministry, jail ministry and parish outreach through the Lyons Inter-Church Council. It is a friendly place where visitors and seasonal residents are warmly welcomed, and where a historic 1876 parish continues to live out its mission of prayer, education and charity.
Mass times at St. Thomas the Apostle.Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:20 – 7:50 AM (Fall, Winter and Spring) at St. Thomas; during summer at St. Jude, Fair Haven
- Saturday 3:30 – 4:15 PM at St. Mary Magdalene, Wolcott
Adoration times
- Holy Hour every Tuesday 7:00 – 8:00 PM at St. Mary Magdalene, Wolcott
- Eucharistic Exposition first Tuesday of the month, 7:00 – 8:00 PM at St. Mary Magdalene, Wolcott
About St. Thomas the Apostle
St. Thomas the Apostle is a Catholic mission church at 6927 Main Street in the village of Red Creek, New York, in the Finger Lakes region. It is the original 1876 parish of the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity and today functions as a mission of St. Mary Magdalene in Wolcott within the Diocese of Rochester. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed to a close-knit community whose programs emphasize education, prayer and charity.
History of St. Thomas the Apostle
St. Thomas the Apostle was founded in Red Creek in 1876 and has been served by a long line of diocesan priests. The original church building was destroyed by fire following a lightning strike in 1943 and rebuilt later that same year; it has been renovated several times since. Growth — especially in summer months — led the diocese to plant St. Mary Magdalene in Wolcott in 1940 (parish status 1954) and St. Jude in Fair Haven in 1962 (a converted Odd Fellows lodge). In 1985 the three sites began working as a cluster and in 2006 formally merged into the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity.
- 1876: Parish founded in Red Creek
- 1940: St. Mary Magdalene mission established in Wolcott
- 1943: Lightning strike destroys St. Thomas; church rebuilt same year
- 1954: St. Mary Magdalene becomes an independent parish
- 1962: St. Jude Chapel opens in Fair Haven (former Odd Fellows lodge)
- 1966: St. Mary Magdalene enlarged
- 1985: Three sites begin functioning as a cluster
- 2006: Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity formally established
- 2018: CCBT joins the Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County cluster
Pastor and Parish Staff
The Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity is led by a Parochial Administrator with the assistance of two Parochial Vicars. The same priests serve across the three worship sites, including St. Thomas in Red Creek.
- Rev. Felicjan Sierotowicz — Parochial Administrator
- Rev. Jeff Chichester — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Sylvester Bioh — Parochial Vicar
Parish Office and Contact
Parish office hours run Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The parish office for the CCBT cluster is located at 43 W. DeZeng Street, Clyde, NY 14433; the St. Thomas worship site itself sits at 6927 Main Street, Red Creek, NY 13143.
- Address: 6927 Main Street, Red Creek, NY 13143
- Phone: (315) 902-4130
- Office Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Cluster Office: 43 W. DeZeng St., Clyde, NY 14433
Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity (CCBT)
St. Thomas is one of three worship sites of the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity, which has united the faith communities of Wolcott, Red Creek and Fair Haven since 2006. The CCBT cluster includes St. Mary Magdalene (15 Northup Avenue, Wolcott), St. Thomas (6927 Main Street, Red Creek) and St. Jude (580 Main Street, Fair Haven). Since 2018 the CCBT has clustered further with St. Michael in Newark and St. Joseph the Worker in Lyons/Clyde/Savannah to form the Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County.
- St. Mary Magdalene — 15 Northup Avenue, Wolcott, NY
- St. Thomas — 6927 Main Street, Red Creek, NY
- St. Jude — 580 Main Street, Fair Haven, NY
- Part of the Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County cluster
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
Parish sacramental preparation covers the Seven Sacraments, with specific formation tracks for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick and Funeral preparation. Weddings, baptisms and other sacraments are arranged through the parish office.
- Marriage preparation
- Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation preparation
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral preparation
Ministries and Parish Life
The Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity supports a broad range of ministries across its three worship sites, including liturgical, music, formation, outreach and devotional opportunities. St. Thomas parishioners can take part in any cluster-wide ministry.
- Altar Servers & Lay Liturgical Ministries
- Music Ministry
- Altar & Rosary Society
- Martha Ministry
- Hispanic Ministry
- Jail Ministry
- Parish Service to Our Community
- Parish Activities (Seasonal)
- Service to Our Parishioners
- Lyons Inter-Church Council
- Councils & Committees
- Faith Formation
Sacred Grounds — St. Thomas Cemetery, Red Creek
St. Thomas the Apostle maintains its own cemetery in Red Creek, listed among the cluster's Sacred Grounds alongside St. John Cemetery in Clyde. The cemetery is part of the pastoral care provided by the parish for families in the Red Creek area.
- St. Thomas Cemetery — Red Creek, NY
Diocese and Cluster
St. Thomas the Apostle belongs to the Diocese of Rochester. Since 2018 it has been served as part of the Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County, a clustering initiative requested by Bishop Salvatore R. Matano to address declining priest availability and changing demographics across Cayuga and Wayne Counties.
- Diocese of Rochester
- Cluster: Catholic Parishes of Eastern Wayne County
- Cluster partners: St. Michael (Newark), St. Joseph the Worker (Lyons, Clyde, Savannah)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Henry Koenig1876 – 1877
First resident pastor, appointed November 1876.
- Rev. John Codyre1877 – 1878
Succeeded Koenig on August 26, 1877; departed January 1, 1878.
- Rev. D. M. O'Donoghueto June 1881
Greatly reduced the church's indebtedness before moving to St. Joseph's, Weedsport.
- Rev. Dennis Curranto early 1882
Brief pastorate.
- Rev. James Day1882
Moved the parochial residence from Red Creek to Cato.
- Rev. William Morin1884 – May 1891
- Rev. Joseph Ruby16 years
Long pastorate marked by extensive church-building improvements.
- Rev. Thomas F. O'Connor6 years
Followed Father Ruby.
- Rev. John M. Ballfrom August 1, 1925
Appointed by Bishop Thomas F. Hickey; also oversaw St. Patrick's, Cato.
- Father (unnamed)1976 – 1982
Catholic Courier notes a pastor serving St. Patrick Cato, St. Thomas Red Creek and St. Jude Fair Haven in this period.
- Rev. Robert Smith1985 – 1993
Took on St. Thomas Red Creek and St. Jude Fair Haven in 1985 alongside his pastorate of St. Mary Magdalene Wolcott.