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our lady of lourdeS cHurcH
Our Lady of Lourdes was established on Aug. 1, 1928 in Monroe County’s eastern suburb of Brighton to serve the area’s growing population following World War I.
Bishop Thomas F. Hickey named Father W. Mason as the founding pastor. The rst Mass in the parish’s original church building was celebrated on Nov. 25, 1928, and it was dedicated the same day by then-Monsignor John Francis O’Hern who became
the third bishop of Rochester four months later.
Construction of a parish school began in December 1947 as more families began attending Our Lady of Lourdes. The school opened on Sept. 8, 1948. Years later, it was renamed Seton Catholic School and serves children in prekindergarten through grade 6.
A rectory added to the parish campus was occupied for more than 20 years by Father Francis W. Luddy, who served as pastor until his death on Feb. 18, 1958.
A new church building was completed in 1965. With the former building razed a year earlier, services were temporarily held in the school hall. The rst Mass in the new building was celebrated by Bishop James E. Kearney on May 31, 1965.
The parish, located at 150 Varinna Dr., formed a cluster with Rochester’s St. Anne Parish in 2008. Two years later, the St. George Lithuanian parish community began celebrating Sunday Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes.
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