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St. Patrick’S cHurcH
At 175 years old and counting, St. Patrick’s Church
has the proud distinction of being the second-oldest parish in the entire Southern Tier region of the Diocese of Rochester.
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The parish has such a lengthy history that it actually has belonged to three dioceses: of New York, for the parish’s rst few years; Buffalo until
1896; and Rochester since its founding in 1868.
St. Patrick’s was founded in 1842 as a mission for a growing number of Irish immigrants who settled in the area thanks to railroad transportation to Owego. Two years later, Father John Sheridan became the parish’s rst resident pastor. He went on to oversee construction of St. Patrick’s rst church, beginning in 1848. It was replaced by St. Patrick’s current edi ce located at 300 Main St. in the Tioga County village, near the banks of the Susquehanna River. The current church was dedicated Dec. 7, 1890, by Buffalo Bishop Stephen V. Ryan.
In August of 1993, Bishop Matthew H. Clark presided at a Mass for the rededication of a freshly renovated St. Patrick’s Church, celebrated in conjunction with the parish’s 150th anniversary.
In 1978 the basement of St. Patrick’s became the founding location for Tioga County Rural Ministry, which continues to serve the area’s impoverished residents from its current location at 143 North Ave. in Owego.
St. Patrick’s shares its staff and resources with Blessed Trinity Parish under a pastoral-planning arrangement begun in 2003 that consolidates all of Tioga County’s Catholic churches.