A Parish at the Corner of Baseline and Whitehaven
St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church stands on the southwest corner of Baseline and Whitehaven Roads on Grand Island, the largest island in the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. With about 2,400 families, it is the oldest Catholic parish on the island, a community of faith that has gathered on the same stretch of road since 1862.
The Oldest Church on Grand Island
The first Mass on Grand Island was offered in 1847 by Father James Boyle, pastor of the parishes of Youngstown, Lewiston, and Niagara Falls, at the home of William Carroll Sr. on East River Road. Irish and French Canadian settlers were among the first Catholic families. Father Francis Stephen Uhrich, who was pastor of the parishes of Pendleton and the Tonawandas, began making regular visits to the island in 1854, instructing children, hearing confessions, and offering Mass in the homes of the Carroll, Meesmer, Lambrix, and Byrnes families.
In 1861 Father Ulrich purchased twenty acres at what is now the corner of Baseline and Whitehaven for a down payment of fifty dollars and twenty-five cents. Timber was hand-hewn by John Zink from the property of John Mesmer and Philip Rohe, master carpenter William Simpson of Tonawanda supervised construction, and the windows and altar were salvaged from a closed wooden church in Tonawanda. The total cost was $673.28. Father Ulrich named the new church in honor of St. Stephen, the patron whose name he bore.
On February 16, 1862, the first Mass was celebrated in the new church, a day described in Father Uhrich's records as "a bright sunshiny day with ample snow for sleighing." Three priests were present and about forty families attended. The sermon was preached in three languages: German, French, and English. Fifteen French Canadian families, fourteen Irish families, and ten German families were among the first parishioners, and the offering that day was seventeen dollars.
For the next twenty-eight years Mass was offered in the small frame church once a month, weather permitting. The church was sold and moved when the front half of a new "Old Church" was completed in 1890 under the design of Adolphus Druiding of Chicago, who also drew the plans for Buffalo's St. Mary of Sorrows. The lumber industry that had supported the island in the mid-nineteenth century was gone, and farming had become the principal work. In 1913 a sister chapel, Mary Star of the Sea, was opened on Ferry Road to serve the summer vacation community, and it continued in that role until 1948, when it was sold to the Grand Island American Legion.
Three Generations of Worship Space
By the late 1940s the Old Church was no longer large enough, and Monsignor Edward Schwegler enlarged it in 1948 to seat 240, adding a new sanctuary and two sacristies. He designed the symbolic decorations in the sanctuary that still reflect the nature of Grand Island and the traditions of the Church. As the parish continued to grow, Monsignor Schwegler also planned a still larger worship space that could later become a gymnasium. The "Auditorium Church," begun in 1956 and completed in 1957, was built with thirty-foot ceilings and high windows. Around it, a parish school opened in 1967, and the Felician Sisters moved into a new convent.
Falling plaster closed the Old Church in 1969, and Mass moved between the Auditorium Church and the school cafetorium. Father Donald Hughes, who became pastor in 1976, raised $26,000 in a community drive and restored the Old Church in eight months. Bishop Edward Head concelebrated a Mass of Rededication on December 4, 1977, closing St. Stephen's 115th year as a parish.
The present church, dedicated by Bishop Henry Mansell on February 27, 2000, brought the two older worship spaces together and made the conversion of the Auditorium Church into a gym possible. The Old Church, lovingly restored, remains in use for meetings, occasional weddings and funerals, and the parish food pantry. Outside, on the church grounds, stands a bronze sculpture titled "When I Was Hungry" by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz, installed in memory of Antonio Pellegrini.
Mass, Confession, and Adoration Through the Week
The parish gathers daily. Daily Mass is celebrated at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Saturday Vigil Mass is at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday Masses are at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Confessions are heard in the Daily Chapel on Saturday from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment with a priest.
Eucharistic Adoration is offered on the first Friday of every month from 8:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the Daily Chapel. The Anointing of the Sick is celebrated communally on the last Friday of every month during the 8:00 a.m. Mass and is also available at any time by calling the rectory. Mass is livestreamed on Facebook for those who cannot attend in person.
Music, Theater, and the Liturgical Arts
Music at St. Stephen is a shared ministry. A Parish Choir and a Contemporary Ensemble enhance Sunday and special Masses, and the music program is led by Max Mauro. Lectors proclaim the scriptures, Eucharistic Ministers distribute Holy Communion, and ushers and greeters offer a welcome at the door. Altar servers in fifth grade and older assist the priest at weekend and special Masses, and a corps of adult altar servers assists at parish funerals. Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered during the 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass for younger children.
Beyond the sanctuary, the parish is home to the Parish Players, a community-based theater group open to all on Grand Island that produces a yearly show. Coffee and Donuts are served after the two morning Masses to foster fellowship, and the parish library holds an extensive collection of books and videos on religious topics.
Faith Formation for Every Age
About 900 students each year take part in the parish's Faith Formation program, which is family-based and serves children in grades 1 through 10. Families are divided into two groups: grades 1 through 5 and grades 6 through 10. Eleven online lessons are completed together at home, with various in-person gatherings throughout the year. First Reconciliation is celebrated in second grade, First Communion in third grade, and Confirmation in the spring of tenth grade.
For adults, the parish welcomes new members and returning Catholics through the Order of Christian Initiation, the contemporary name for the long-standing RCIA process. Lessons are taken through Formed, the parish's online Catholic resource, and weekly discussions are facilitated by the OCIA team both virtually and in person. Bible study and small faith groups meet throughout the year at a variety of times. Each Lent the parish hosts an eight-evening Mission with guest speakers, fellowship meals, prayer services, and discussion open to all ages. St. Stephen was the first parish in the Diocese of Buffalo to offer the ALPHA program.
St. Stephen School
St. Stephen School, which has grown up around the Auditorium Church, serves about 200 students from Pre-K through eighth grade. After the Felician Sisters could no longer provide a principal, Donna Ende became the first lay principal in 2001. The current principal is Lynn Ortiz. A Home School Association welcomes all parents into the work of fundraising, events, and social planning, and a School Advisory Board supports the pastor, principal, and business manager in planning, finance, and policy.
The Reach of the Parish: Service and Outreach
A long list of ministries makes the parish a center of life well beyond Sunday Mass. Eucharistic Ministers to the Sick bring Holy Communion to the homebound, and a Prayer Chain of parishioners responds to requests that come through the rectory. A Bereavement Meal Ministry feeds families after a funeral, and a Meal Ministry supplies food to families suffering grief, short-term illness, or the birth of a child. The Respect Life Committee furthers the Church's pro-life position, and the Ladies of Charity bring help and cheer to those in need.
Parishioners serve as Collection Counters, decorate the church with the Altar and Rosary Society, and care for the parish grounds through the Garden Club. A Blood Pressure Clinic is offered one weekend per month under the direction of parish nurses. Scouting programs sponsored by the parish welcome boys and girls from age eight through the late teens. St. Vincent de Paul clothing collection bins are on the premises. The food pantry housed in the Old Church, run under the direction of the Grand Island Neighbors Foundation, serves neighbors in need on the island. The Knights of Columbus have two councils on Grand Island, Good Samaritan Council and Mary Star of the Sea Council, both of which involve many Catholic men in the life of the parish and the wider community.
Sacraments at St. Stephen
The seven sacraments are at the heart of parish life. Baptisms are scheduled with Deacon Frank Kedzielawa, who can be reached at the parish office, and first-time parents take a one-time pre-Baptism catechesis class online through Formed. The Anointing of the Sick is offered on the last Friday of each month at the 8:00 a.m. Mass and is available at any time by calling the rectory. Engaged couples preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage contact the pastor directly. Information about Holy Orders and discernment is available through the Diocese of Buffalo's Vocations Office.
Online forms are available for Letters of Recommendation, copies of Baptismal Certificates, and registration as a parishioner, and the weekly bulletin is posted online as well. Online giving offers one-time and recurring gifts, and Sacramental preparation guidelines are available for each of the three sacraments of initiation.
St. Stephen Cemetery
St. Stephen Cemetery sits on the same twenty acres purchased in 1861. The cemetery offers single graves, columbarium niches for cremated remains, above-ground mausoleum crypts, and additional mausoleum niches. The columbarium, built under the pastorate of Father Paul Nogaro, holds more than 180 niches. The mausoleum, completed in 2011, added both full-casket crypts and additional cremation niches. Christian ideals guide the placement of monuments, the kind of decoration permitted, and the timing of seasonal cleanups, and all work in the cemetery is overseen by the parish.
Pastoral Leadership and Staff
The parish is led by Father Michael J. Parker, Pastor of St. Stephen Church and the Light of Christ Family, with Deacon Frank Kedzielawa assisting. Karen Sweet serves as the parish's Business Manager and Manager of the Financial Hub. Max Mauro directs the Music Ministry. The Faith Formation Office is staffed by a Director and an Assistant to the Director, and the school is led by Principal Lynn Ortiz with an Assistant to the Principal. The rectory office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., closed Thursdays, and can be reached at 716-773-7647.
A Catholic Home at the Center of the Island
The first Mass on Grand Island was offered in a private home in 1847. A chapel of tree branches, a hand-hewn frame church, an 1890 brick church, a 1950s auditorium-church, a 2000 church, and the ongoing work of restoration, education, and outreach that links them all describe a community that has chosen, again and again, to keep gathering in the same place. After more than 160 years St. Stephen continues to look forward to a long and faithful life in the Lord's service on Grand Island.