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St. agneS cHurcH
The rst Masses in the Village of Avon were celebrated in the mid-1840s, mostly in area homes, leading to the founding of St. Agnes Parish
in 1850 under its rst pastor, Father Charles Tierney.
Aformer Baptist meeting house served as the edgling community’s rst church, and was dedicated as such
in 1853 by Buffalo Bishop John Timon.
St. Agnes was incorporated in 1866, with the current church opening in 1870 at 108 Prospect St. Its cornerstone was laid on Aug. 15, 1869, by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid, leader of the newly established Diocese of Rochester, which had been formed just a year earlier out of the Buffalo Diocese. The bishop’s appearance was a colossal event, drawing several thousand attendees who arrived by foot, carriage, horseback and train from Avon and surrounding communities.
As the northern Livingston County parish grew, a school was established in 1876 in the former church facility. Classes were held there until 1908, when a new school opened on the site of the former parish convent. It was dedicated by Bishop Thomas F. Hickey. An expansion to the school took place in 1962. Located at 60 Park Place, St. Agnes School today serves as Livingston County’s only Catholic educational institution.
Beginning in 1988, St. Agnes Parish launched an extensive renovation to its 120-year-old edi ce. On Aug. 13, 1989, Bishop Matthew H. Clark celebrated the building’s rededication by presiding at the 11 a.m. Mass.
St. Agnes has been clustered since 2010 with St. Paul of the Cross, Honeoye Falls; and St. Rose, Lima.
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