Churches of Rochester

Blessed Sacrament Parish was established in 1901 to serve the growing Catholic population in Rochester's Park Avenue neighborhood, an area that was rapidly developing as the city expanded eastward. In the early days, there were few residences east of South Goodman Street extending from Monroe Avenue to Park Avenue, and many of the parish's residential streets—Cornell, Wilmer, Harper, Laburnum Crescent, and others—did not yet exist or were sparsely settled.

The parish school opened quickly, holding its first graduation exercises on June 28, 1903. Construction of the permanent church building progressed slowly due to delays in obtaining stone, and it was not until December 22, 1912, that the church was ready for dedication. Father Thomas F. Connors served as the founding pastor for an extraordinary 62 years, guiding the parish from 1901 until 1963.

Today, Blessed Sacrament is part of the Southeast Rochester Catholic Community cluster, together with St. Mary and St. Boniface churches, continuing to serve the Park Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods.

Church Information