About St. Vincent de Paul · Syracuse, New York
St. Vincent de Paul is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Syracuse located on Vine Street on 'the hill' overlooking the city of Syracuse, New York. Founded in the 1890s as an Italian congregation carved out of St. John's parish, it grew into a complete Catholic campus with a Gothic church, school, high school, and convent. Today, linked with Blessed Sacrament Church in Eastwood and sharing clergy and a website, St. Vincent de Paul is a notably international and multicultural faith community, welcoming new Americans from South Sudan, Ghana, Kenya, and other parts of Africa alongside longtime Syracuse parishioners, and is especially known for its refugee ministry led by Sister Mary Joana Baidoo, AJ.
- Established
- 1894
- Patron
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. Richard (Dick) Kopp
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
Why belong here
St. Vincent de Paul is a multicultural Catholic community where longtime Syracuse families sit alongside refugees and immigrants from South Sudan, Ghana, Kenya, and beyond, all sharing one faith in Jesus Christ. Parishioners can take part in a refugee ministry led by Sister Mary Joana Baidoo, a weeklong vacation Bible school, youth basketball and arts programs, the annual 'Taste of St. Vincent's' cultural celebration, and Eucharistic celebrations offered in the parish's recently renovated Gothic church on the hill overlooking the city.
Mass times at St. Vincent de Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm (or by appointment)
- 'The Light Is On For You' — Monday during Advent and Monday during Lent, 4:00–7:00 pm at parishes across the Diocese of Syracuse
Welcome to St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul Church is a vibrant and welcoming Roman Catholic community on the hill overlooking the city of Syracuse. The parish has a long and proud history of welcoming new Americans from all corners of the globe, creating a truly international and multicultural faith community. Although the parish is a place of many languages and cultures, parishioners are united in one faith in Jesus Christ. St. Vincent de Paul is linked with Blessed Sacrament Church in Eastwood, and together the two parishes form a larger faith community sharing clergy, a website (bscstvsyr.org), and a weekly bulletin.
- Address: 342 Vine Street, Syracuse, NY 13203
- Phone: 315-479-6689
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
History & Founding
The parish was organized in 1894 when Bishop Patrick A. Ludden appointed Father William F. Dougherty as its first pastor. The cornerstone for the Gothic church was laid in November 1895, and the first Mass was celebrated in the church basement in July 1906 while construction continued. Father Dougherty served 50 of his 55 priestly years at St. Vincent's, overseeing the construction of the church, rectory, school, and convent. After a fire damaged the church in December 1955, the parish worshipped in the school gym for two years and rededicated the rebuilt church in 1957 — a milestone celebrated again at a 50th anniversary concelebration in 2007.
- 1894: Parish organized; Fr. William F. Dougherty appointed first pastor
- November 1895: Cornerstone laid by Bishop Patrick A. Ludden
- July 1906: First Mass celebrated in the church basement
- 1944: Death of Fr. Dougherty after 50 years at St. Vincent's
- December 1955: Church fire; Masses moved to school gym
- 1957: Rededication of the rebuilt Gothic church
- 2007: 50th rededication celebrated with Bishop Thomas J. Costello
School & Convent Campus
Father Dougherty's vision was for a complete Catholic campus, and the parish built a school, high school, and convent around the church over the following decades. The grammar school opened in October 1916 with grades one through four, taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet from Troy; the first eighth-grade class graduated in June 1921. A high school followed in 1931, and total enrollment for kindergarten through twelfth grade reached 483 by 1936. Although both schools eventually closed — the high school in 1970 and the grammar school in 1986 — the combined school building lives on as the parish center.
- Grammar School opened October 1916; Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (Troy) staffed it
- High School opened 1931
- Enrollment grew to 483 students (K–12) by 1936
- High School closed 1970
- Grammar School closed 1986
- Former school now serves as the Parish Center
Parish Center, Daycare & Community Tenants
The old school building has been reinvented as a hub for parish and community life. St. Vincent de Paul Daycare began operating a couple of years after the grammar school closed in 1986 and continues to serve local families. Trinity Fellowship Church has rented the gym for worship services and classrooms for Sunday school for roughly 15 years. The parish also hosts Saturday youth basketball and arts-and-crafts programs in the building. Meanwhile, the former convent has been repurposed as offices for Joseph's House, a residence and support program for mothers facing unplanned pregnancies.
- St. Vincent de Paul Daycare
- Trinity Fellowship Church (Sunday worship & Sunday school)
- Youth Basketball (Saturdays)
- Arts & Crafts Programs (Saturdays)
- Joseph's House (former convent) — home for mothers facing unplanned pregnancies
Our Leadership
St. Vincent de Paul and Blessed Sacrament share a pastoral team. Monsignor Richard 'Dick' Kopp serves as pastor of the linked parishes; he is a veteran priest of the Diocese of Syracuse with more than five decades of pastoral leadership. Father Severine P. Yagaza, AJ — a member of the missionary Apostles of Jesus order and a native of Tanzania — serves as parochial vicar. Bishop Douglas J. Lucia, the 11th Bishop of Syracuse, was appointed by Pope Francis on June 4, 2019, and serves as the diocese's chief shepherd. Deacons Aleu Tong and Thomas J. Murphy, Jr. assist at St. Vincent de Paul, while Deacons Daniel Stevens and Michael Colabufo serve Blessed Sacrament in the same linked-parish arrangement.
- Rev. Msgr. Richard (Dick) Kopp — Pastor
- Rev. Severine P. Yagaza, AJ — Parochial Vicar
- Dc. Aleu Tong — Deacon
- Dc. Thomas J. Murphy, Jr. — Deacon and hospital chaplain
- Most Rev. Douglas J. Lucia — Bishop of Syracuse
Multicultural Community & Refugee Ministry
St. Vincent de Paul has become a gateway parish for new Americans. Today its roughly 200 registered families include longtime Italian-American and other Syracuse-rooted parishioners alongside newcomers from South Sudan, Ghana, Kenya, and other parts of Africa. Sister Mary Joana Baidoo, AJ, heads the refugee ministry and coordinates the parish's weeklong vacation Bible school, where instruction is given in the languages each child understands and field trips introduce families to other parishes in the diocese. The congregation's diversity is celebrated annually at 'Taste of St. Vincent's,' a cultural potluck featuring ethnic dishes prepared by parish families.
- About 200 registered families
- Refugee Ministry led by Sister Mary Joana Baidoo, AJ
- Annual 'Taste of St. Vincent's' cultural celebration
- Weeklong Vacation Bible School, taught in multiple languages
Sacraments
St. Vincent de Paul prepares parishioners for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist through its Faith Formation program, and offers ongoing opportunities to celebrate them. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated in church on Saturday afternoons before Mass and by appointment; the parish also takes part in the diocese-wide 'The Light Is On For You' evenings during Advent and Lent. First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are prepared through the parish's faith formation catechesis. Parishioners may request Mass intentions ($15 per intention) for loved ones living and deceased.
- Sacrament of Reconciliation — Saturdays 3:00–3:45 pm and by appointment
- First Reconciliation — prepared through Faith Formation
- First Eucharist — prepared through Faith Formation
- Mass Intentions — $15 per intention
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. William F. Dougherty1894–1944
Founding pastor; born in Oswego, 1864. Oversaw construction of the Gothic church, rectory, school, and convent. Served 50 of his 55 years as a priest at St. Vincent's. A commemorative plaque in the church vestibule survived the 1955 fire.
- Msgr. David C. Gildea
Pastor who, with the diocesan office, rebuilt the church after the December 1955 fire, leading to the 1957 rededication.