About The Parish of St. Joseph, St. Michael, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel · Amsterdam, New York
The Parish of Saint Joseph / Saint Michael / Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a tri-parish Roman Catholic community serving Amsterdam, New York, in the foothills of the Mohawk Valley. Headquartered at the historic Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on St. John Street, the parish is a 1979 merger of three once-separate ethnic parishes — St. Joseph's (Irish-American), St. Michael the Archangel (Polish-American, connected to the 1892 Society of Polish Military Knights), and Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Italian-American) — that today worship together under one roof as a single Catholic family within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.
- Established
- 1979 (merged parish; predecessor parishes date to the 1890s–early 1900s)
- Patron
- St. Joseph, St. Michael the Archangel, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Rector
- Rev. O. Robert DeMartinis, E.V.
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
The Parish of St. Joseph / St. Michael / Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a living monument to Amsterdam's immigrant Catholic heritage, where three once-separate ethnic communities — Irish, Polish, and Italian — now worship together as one family. Weekend Vigil Mass on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m. (with additional rotating weekday Masses shared with neighboring parishes) make regular worship easy, and the parish participates in city-wide collaborations such as the joint 'Silent Holy Night' musical program with St. Mary's and St. Stanislaus. Visitors and newcomers are welcomed into a tight-knit community rooted in tradition but actively serving Amsterdam today.
Mass times at The Parish of St. Joseph, St. Michael, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:45–5:15 pm (by appointment only)
About the Parish
The Parish of Saint Joseph / Saint Michael / Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Albany that serves the city of Amsterdam, New York. It is a 'merged' parish formed in 1979 from three separate ethnic parishes — each rooted in a different wave of immigration that built Amsterdam's carpet-mill economy. The parish is administered from the historic Our Lady of Mount Carmel church building at 39 St. John Street and is one of several Catholic parishes still active in Amsterdam.
- Combined parish since 1979
- Within the Diocese of Albany
- Address: 39 St. John Street, Amsterdam, NY 12010
- Phone: (518) 843-3250
History of the Three Founding Parishes
Each of the three predecessor parishes was founded by a different immigrant Catholic community. Together they reflect Amsterdam's distinctive polyglot Catholic heritage.
St. Michael the Archangel Parish (Polish-American roots)
St. Michael the Archangel traces back to the Society of Polish Military Knights, founded in 1892 by thirty Polish men in Amsterdam. The parish served the Polish-American community that built its life around the city's mills.
- Society of Polish Military Knights under the protection of St. Michael the Archangel founded 1892
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (Italian-American roots)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel served Amsterdam's Italian immigrant community, reflecting the national-parish tradition that brought Italian Catholics together under the patronage of the Carmelite Madonna. The church building on St. John Street remains the merged parish's home.
- Italian national parish tradition
- Building at 39 St. John Street continues in use as the merged parish's home church
St. Joseph's Parish (Irish-American roots)
St. Joseph's Parish served the older Irish-American Catholic community of Amsterdam and was the third of the three parishes that came together in 1979.
The 1979 Merger
In 1979, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard merged St. Joseph's, St. Michael the Archangel, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel into a single parish headquartered at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel church on St. John Street. The first pastor of the new combined parish was Father William H. Pape, a Ravena native who had previously served as associate pastor at St. Mary's Amsterdam and St. Peter's Saratoga Springs.
- Bishop Howard J. Hubbard effected the 1979 merger
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on St. John Street chosen as merged parish site
- Father William H. Pape named first pastor of the merged parish in 1979
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The merged parish has been served by a succession of priests. Father William H. Pape, the first pastor (1979–1986), later became rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany. Father Randall Patterson, who had earlier served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel from 1970–75 while teaching at Bishop Scully High School, also went on to lead the diocese as chancellor. As of September 1, 2020, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger appointed Father O. Robert (Bob) DeMartinis as the parish's current pastor.
- Rev. O. Robert DeMartinis, E.V., Pastor (appointed Sept. 1, 2020)
- Rev. William H. Pape, first pastor 1979–1986
- Rev. Randall Patterson, associate pastor 1970–75; later chancellor of the Diocese of Albany
Community Life and Outreach
Although a small merged parish, St. Joseph / St. Michael / Our Lady of Mount Carmel actively participates in city-wide Catholic life in Amsterdam. Singers from the parish collaborate each Advent season with neighboring parishes for the 'Silent Holy Night' program of music and readings, hosted at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
- Joint 'Silent Holy Night' Christmas-season music and readings with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Mary's, and St. Stanislaus parishes
- Hosted at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 39 St. John St., Amsterdam
Visit and Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at 39 St. John Street, Amsterdam, NY 12010, by phone at (518) 843-3250, or by email at [email protected]. The parish is listed on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany's official parish directory at rcda.org.
- Address: 39 St. John Street, Amsterdam, NY 12010
- Phone: (518) 843-3250
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese listing: rcda.org/parishes/parish/parish-saint-joseph-saint-michael-our-lady-mount-carmel-amsterdam-ny
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. William H. Pape1979–1986
First pastor of the merged parish, appointed by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard; previously associate pastor at St. Mary's Amsterdam and St. Peter's Saratoga Springs; later rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany; canon of the Episcopal Cathedral of All Saints, Albany.
- Rev. O. Robert (Bob) DeMartinis2020–present
Appointed pastor by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger effective Sept. 1, 2020; previously served Amsterdam-area parishes including as pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Amsterdam.