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St. catHerine of Siena cHurcH
Before St. Catherine of Siena Parish was established, Catholics in Mendon and the surrounding area had to travel as much as 50 miles to attend Mass.
In 1900, priests began celebrating weekly Masses
in Finucane’s Hall, but Anna
Furlong and her husband,
devoted Catholics in Mendon,
called on Bishop Bernard McQuaid
for permission to erect a church in Mendon.
With the bishop’s approval, parishioners raised $2,920 for the project. The church was completed in 1902 and dedicated by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid on May 23.
Until 1955, St. Catherine of Siena operated as a mission church of four area parishes – St. Patrick in Victor, St. Louis in Pittsford, Good Shepherd Church in Henrietta and St. Paul in Honeoye Falls. But in 1956 the parish became an independent parish, receiving its rst resident pastor, Monsignor Albert Schnacky.
In 1976 the St. Catherine of Siena community proposed building a center to serve not only the parish, but the community in general. The center was named the Monsignor Schnacky Community Center, in honor of Msgr. Schnacky, who served the parish until
his death in 1986.
On a dreary September day in 1991, the parish broke ground on a new church that would seat 780 people. The new church at 26 Mendon-Ionia Road is connected to the original building, which is still used for daily Masses. Bishop Matthew H. Clark dedicated the new church on May 3, 1992.
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