St. Patrick's Episcopal Church Cheektowaga NY

St. Patrick's is a community-oriented, Christian church in the Episcopal tradition.

We are guided through prayer to serve God and all His creatures by demonstrating God’s love and fostering others on their journey.

We are a friendly, fun-filled parish that has just moved to one service at 9 am. Our worship music comes from a various sources such as our church hymnals and contemporary music. The overall atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.

We invite you to join us in worship and in service to the wider community, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

 

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St. Patrick's was founded in 1957 by a small but dedicated group of Episcopalians who were looking to worship closer to home. The church flourished in the 70's and then attendance and membership started dropping steadily in the 80's and 90's. Currently, the smallish group of folks who attend regularly are strong in faith and dedicated to making the most of all that we are given by God. We are a vibrant parish and full of life! The age range in the parish is quite large, from the youngest child of about 4, to the adults who are as young as they feel (more than 80 years young!).

2007 was the 50th anniversary of St. Patrick's and we undertook the project of putting our history on paper, in very brief form. We also took on the task of transferring the thousands of photographs collected and put into photo albums over the many years, to scrapbooks. We now have 5 scrapbooks full of memories that anyone can go through. We display them during the various events held at Hannah Hall (our church hall).

Church Foundation – The 50’s and 60’s

The following was taken from a sermon given by Father William Bailey, first vicar of St. Patrick’s, on the day of the current Church building dedication on March 24, 1968; and various other documents found in our Parish Photo Albums and Historian notes.

In June 1956, in a conversation with Father Bailey, Bishop Scaife suggested the new mission in Cheektowaga be called St. Timothy’s. Father Bailey agreed, so imagine his surprise when, while reading the Courier Express on Monday March 18th 1957, he learned that Bishop Scaife had announced in a sermon at The Church of The Good Shepherd on Sunday, March 17th that the new mission was to be called St. Patrick’s. Was the date of the sermon somehow responsible for the change? It’s certainly possible. No one knows for sure, but many believe that it was meant to be.

There were no empty stores or halls in the whole of Cheektowaga in 1957. Archdeacon Krusen agreed with Father Bailey that to use a bar room for a church may have been necessary in the early days of the West, but such a practice is a suburban community just might raise a few eyebrows! So a search for an acceptable place was on. In calling upon a prospective family, the yet-to-be-appointed vicar was asked “Could you use an apartment?” To which he responded “Yes, where?” “Across the hall”, he was told. And a church was born!

The first service, held the following Sunday, October 13, 1957 was a joyful Celebration of Holy Eucharist and a Confirmation. During the offertory and communion service, little Lester Owens, son of the soon to be named treasurer, went to the altar prior to the actual communion service and asked what was going on. Father Bailey took the time to explain to one of the youngest members of the church exactly was he was doing. This at once established the informal and free & easy atmosphere that characterizes St. Patrick’s to this day. Immediately following the first service, Bishop Scaife appointed Francis Dash, Warden; Lester Owens, Treasurer; and John Boyd, Secretary.

During the summer of 1960 the portable/pre-fab/Quonset Hut building (depending upon how you remember it) was moved from St. Bartholomew’s in Tonawanda to the property which the Diocese had purchased for $25,000 on George Urban Blvd. The actual street number had to be chosen at that time. The options given were between 1389 and 1403, with the town engineer suggesting 1400. The church leaders rejected that number as being too confusing, since the property was on the “odd” side of the street, thus 1395 was chosen as being easy to remember and more in line with the rest of the street addresses.

Several of our older members recall when, during the summer months and the doors were open, mice would run through the sanctuary and across the choir member’s feet. Also, the Sunday school was in the same building, separated by a curtain. It sure was noisy at times!

In 1963 the “vicarage”, or rectory, was built, to house the clergy and their family. The rectory is large enough to accommodate a growing family with four bedrooms, 1½ baths, family room, living room, dining room and kitchen.

1967 found the congregation outgrowing the portable building and the decision to build a new church was made. Architects were called in and an auditorium style worship space and hall was designed which would cost $179,000. The congregation, realizing that the cost was prohibitive, sent the architect back, literally, “to the drawing board”. He was asked to come up with something smaller…and just a church this time. It was decided to use the current church building as an activity center once the new church was completed. The cornerstone for the new building was laid on June 25, 1967 and the first service was held on January 28, 1968.

There were several obstacles to completing the new church building. One was when the pews which had been donated to St. Patrick’s burned in the warehouse they were being stored in. St. Bartholomew’s was gracious enough to offer us the pews they were in the process of replacing. We sit in those same pews to this day.

Church Roots – The 70’s and 80’s

Father William Bailey was with St. Patrick’s until 1971. The search committee found a seminarian willing to bring his young family with 4 children to Cheektowaga, and they jumped at the chance. Father Abuid Sam remembers his and Hannah’s first visit with the committee. He actually passed the church the first time, as he didn’t think it was a church, but a fire hall. When he came in, he had thoughts of turning down whatever may be proposed. He didn’t think this was the place for him. After the meeting he informed Hannah that this was the place he would be for many years. He felt the “call” already and was looking forward to starting as the 2nd vicar.

The church and hall were used often during the early 70’s, until May 1974 when the hall was destroyed in a fire after a square dance sponsored by the church. The cost of replacing the hall was seen as prohibitive and then the diocese reluctantly informed Father Sam, the current vicar, that there was no loan or funding available through the diocese. Father Sam informed the congregation of this and challenged them to fund it and build it themselves. The people responded generously, some even taking a second mortgage on their homes to help pay for the hall. The energy that Father Sam infused into the parish family was contagious, and many in the community stepped up to help. Many of the experts who were helping were from outside the parish and donated their services. Churches in the area offered their meeting space for events, with the Baptist church only stating that no dances were permitted!

The groundbreaking took place in 1975 on the new hall and everyone was eager to begin. Many parishioners had a hand in the building of the hall; with a lot of hammered fingers and slivers pulled. The men, women and children of the parish all chipped in to help whenever and wherever they could. There were many evenings when the workers were still pounding nails and painting until well after dark. When the roof was finally completed on the hall, Ed Straker, one of our founding members, climbed up and put the old cross on the top of the building. The carillon started to ring just then and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the cross and listen to the bells. Tears and prayers were plentiful, thanking God for His blessing on the new building, built by many, many people of God and for God, with their own happy and hopeful hands.

The hall was finally complete and dedicated in a moving ceremony on November 6, 1976. There is a plaque on the outer wall with the name Hannah Hall, so named for Hannah Sam, for her wonderful support of Father Sam, and the rest of the church family, during the construction of the hall.

Father Sam’s Syrian Bread (now called Pocket Bread) was developed into a fruitful business during the time Father Sam spent with us. He went from baking the bread in a garage to a multi million dollar location in the City of Buffalo a few years ago, spending time in North Tonawanda for a while. This is the bread that we still use today when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. I remember in those years, that many types of bread were used for communion, all baked by members of the parish. I also recall that my mom made an especially delicious wheat bread.

The latter part of the 70’s and the early 80’s found a revolving door in the vicarage, as priests came and went fairly quickly.

In 1978 Father Sam announced that he had accepted a call to St. Mark’s in North Tonawanda. He felt that he had completed what he set out to do here at St. Patrick’s and it was time for a very reluctant parting of the ways. So in late fall 1978 Profile and Search Committees were formed and activated. Father John Mears came to St. Patrick’s as Interim Priest until the search committee could find a more “permanent” priest.

In 1979 Father John Cadwallader was called and started as the 3rd vicar. He and his wife Patricia, an ordained deacon, served St. Patrick’s until 1981, when he left for retirement in Florida.

At that time the Search committee was reactivated and called Fr. Albert Montanari to St. Patrick’s to begin on November 1, 1981. He and his wife Mary were with us during the process of changing from a mission to a parish, taking him from being a vicar to a rector. This was a very exciting time in the life of the church and a lot of good work was started. Fr. Montanari announced his retirement in 1989 and the search for a new priest was on.

*Some dates may be incorrect, due to the limitations of our collective memories.

Church Roots – The 90’s and 2000’s

St. Patrick’s entered the 90’s with a lot of changes looming. A new rector was on the horizon in the form of Reverend Otis Hovencamp. Father Otis brought his family of 5 to the rectory in 1991. There were a lot of changes to endure, mostly a younger priest and a family with 3 children. Father Otis’ wife Maxine was engrossed in the choir in no time at all and their children, Sarah, Matthew and Mark were all drafted as acolytes very soon after their arrival.

The Hovencamp’s were with us through what many call the “mass exodus” when many of the more active members and families left St. Patrick’s for seemingly greener pastures. There were times when a lot of us thought the doors to this parish would close forever, but we have remained strong and steadfast, if a bit small.

Father Hovencamp announced his partial retirement in 1998 and his intention to leave us for St. Mark’s in North Tonawanda, and we again were challenged to find a new spiritual leader for St. Patrick’s. When the then Bishop, David Bowman, was apprised of the situation, he suggested the use of an Interim priest during the search. He also held over the vestry members that should have been leaving office at that time, so that a cohesive unit was maintained in the leadership. This was especially critical due to the fact that Bishop Bowman was also leaving, as he was retiring as of December 31, 1998.

St. Patrick’s truly experienced a female rector for the first time when Susan Anslow-Williams arrived as interim rector in 1999. Susan opened up many doors to us within the diocese. She also helped the Vestry to learn to manage on it’s own in the absence of a rector. When Susan and her husband Eric accepted a call to St. Luke’s in Jamestown, she handed a very capable Vestry into the hands of Father William Webb. Will was with St. Patrick’s for approximately 6 months when Reverend Carmen Seufert accepted the call to be the next rector for St. Patrick’s beginning October 2000.

Carol Garrison, Bishop Michael’s wife, in the summer of 2000 made us aware of a 3 year old little girl in Honduras who deperately needed heart surgery to live. The surgeon graciously donated his services, but the hospital would not. St. Patrick’s responded with generosity, challenging other churches in the diocese, and raised more than enough money to cover the hospital costs. Today little Stephanie is a thriving, beautiful 10 year old. Her picture is in Hannah Hall for those who would like to see for themselves the good we did as a parish.

Carmen was with St. Patrick’s as part time clergy until she accepted a call to the Diocese of Rochester to be the Rector of Northeast Partners in Episcopal Ministry for three churches, in November 2004.

During Reverend Seufert’s time with us, we truly thought “outside the box” when St. Patrick’s put forth the idea to have an “Episcopalian Lawn Fete”. The first Family Fun Fest was organized and brought to fruition in September 2003 by the hard work of many hands. We decided a non-alcoholic event was called for to make the event truly a Family Affair. Although the first year we experienced a small financial loss, it by no means discouraged anyone from trying it again. The Family Fun Fest in 2004 made a very small amount of money, but we decided to test the “Third Time’s a Charm” notion and tried once more. In 2005 we held what was touted as the First Annual Flamingo Fest, with a Flamingo Walk, to benefit Breast Cancer Research, in July. That effort did result in proceeds for both Roswell Park Cancer Institute and St. Patrick’s.

A Columbarium, a place of perpetual storage for cremains, was purchased and installed behind the altar during Holy Week in 2004. The unit is beautifully designed and has since been surrounded by a handmade oak wall unit. Currently there are 4 sets of cremains entombed in the Columbarium and many niches remain available for purchase.

Carmen’s leaving found us without a “regular” priest for over a year. We saw a great many supply priests during 2005, including the Reverends Linda Malia, Charles Deacon, John Russell, and Phillip Holmes. All of the Priests and Deacons who served us in 2005 brought their own style to St. Patrick’s but also made every effort not to change things. The Vestry became very focused in keeping things on an even keel during our time without a “permanent” priest. Dealing with the hard issues became easier as time went on, due to the positive attitudes of the Vestry and their cohesiveness. They became a well balanced team and have worked very well together on all issues and in all areas, even managing to complete much needed revisions of our Vestry Bylaws that had been postponed several times in the last decade.

We became landlords to a lost soul, in August 2005. The desire for us to do good was great and we accepted the challenge to provide proper housing and the things that one needs in a house. Furniture, kitchen items and more was provided with generous hearts. That person went from being needy to outright belligerent . We realized our “guest” was mentally ill and needed care that we could not provide. After several confrontations with many Vestry members and others, we decided, on the advice of an attorney, that legal action was the only way we could remove this person from the rectory. Once that was completed, the vestry reflected upon the original thought to provide shelter and comfort to a person down on their luck. We were glad to have been able to help, but will certainly ask a lot more questions should we be approached again for such assistance.

The rectory does not currently function as a home. It is now used regularly for meetings of the Vestry, the Scrapbooking Team, and other groups within the Diocese. We are also searching for ways we can use the house to offer shelter to others, with a partner organization who would be ultimately responsible for those who use it, albeit temporarily.

It was just prior to the January 2006 annual meeting that Father John Russell became a part time vicar at St. Patrick’s. Father John has encouraged the Vestry to stay as focused and independent as they became in 2005, and adding his own special touch has been received with grace. Father John envisions a bigger and brighter future for St. Patrick’s than even some of us have. He sees this church as solid and crucial to the local community. Father John will guide us into our Golden Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 13, 2007. We hope to see as much former clergy and members as possible at this wonderful, joyful event.

The last few years of our St. Patrick’s history finds us sending several beloved parishioners to be with Jesus. Ed Reimer in June 2004; Russell Amos, one of our “Founding Fathers” in October 2004; Delbert Rehberg in May 2006; Mary Susan “Sue P” Patterson in August 2006; and Kathy Verdaasdonk in November 2006. [My apologies to anyone whose loved one I may have missed.]

We are now gearing up for a capital campaign to raise funds for a new roof for the church and a larger, safer parking lot.

Our church family here at St. Patrick’s is strong and accepts most challenges with open hearts. We do our best to live into our mission as a church:

We are a community-oriented Christian Church guided through prayer to serve God and all His creation by demonstrating God's love and fostering others on their journey by invitation, service and encouragement.

Church Roots - 2007 & Beyond

Even though we are a small church, we were able to make some much needed major improvements to our church foundation over these last 3 years.

2007

After many years of patch jobs, a focused campaign to get the funds needed to replace the seriously compromised roof was started and the generosity of a few parishioners put us over the top in being able to afford a brand new roof. The entire roof was removed and replaced with a better material that should last far longer than most of us currently worshiping here.

2008

In January the boiler in the church needed serious repair or replacement. After moving to the warmer church hall for a few weeks, a generous friend of the church contacted a heating company to install 2 new boilers, at little cost to the church.

2009

The biggest wish of the parish for the previous 40 some years, was to have a parking lot that was not only paved, but safe. We were able to achieve that milestone in July, 2009!

Several bids had come in from contractors with exhorbitant amounts that we initially believed would force this dream on the back burner yet again, after many years of praying for it. One bid finally arrived with a much more manageable number at the bottom, and that company was given the work. We had received a generous grant in April which put us about $6,000 shy of the total bid. Again, we were blessed with generous large donations from a few parishioners and were able to pay the initial bid immediately upon completion of the work. There were several unexpected expenses from the Town of Cheektowaga that the contractor has graciously allowed us to pay as we could. We were able to make full payment before the end of 2010.

2010

Our Vicar during 2010 (Rev. John Russell) encouraged the parish to be generous with our abundance and to give to Episcopal Community Services as often as we could. His encouragement went a long way and at the annual Diocesan Convention in October, we were presented with the Most Improved trophy. We were delighted that Father Russell was able to be there to accept the honor, as he was instrumental in our achievement.

2011

Father John took a fall in late October 2010 and was unable to continue his services with us, so we relied on "supply" priests for the remainder of that year. In discussions with the Diocese we were advised to consider a Priest-in-Charge position and invited Rev. Alison J. Martin to accept the position in the Spring of 2011, after she had served several months with us. We were delighted when she accepted and we would have stability back in the pulpit.

Our kitchen was painted and new cabinets purchased in time for Fish Dinner Season (Lent), and the kitchen crew enjoyed the "new" facilities.

We were approached in the Spring about hosting an athletic group on part of our "back 40" as we like to call it, but in reality it is about 3 acres of lawn. Bumpy, soggy lawn. Since the Spring was so wet, and the rain continued into the Summer, they held off until the Fall, when they asked to use the grounds for a touch football league. We agreed and received a donation towards the groundskeeping. In an attempt at some different fundraising, we grilled hotdogs every Saturday afternoon to sell to the players and fans. We barely broke even, but it was a lot of fun!

2012

Another chapter began with Pastor Alison at the helm. We undertook a couple of capital improvements on our buildings... the 2 car garage door in the rectory was replaced, and the windows in the upper level of Hannah Hall were replaced. After many, many years, we are finally able to open the windows to let the fresh air in, instead of always relying on air conditioning! What a blessing!

2013

This year opened with a need for a new lift chair to get those that need a bit of help up the stairs to the upper level of Hannah Hall. We have been reviewing some quotes and are on our way to have the new chair installed in time for the Lenten Fish Dinners to start.