Churches of Rochester

Irish immigrants founded Immaculate Conception Church in 1847 to serve Rochester's growing Catholic population during the waves of immigration caused by the Irish potato famine. The Diocese of Buffalo's Bishop John Timon established the parish in April 1849 under the guidance of Father John Fitzpatrick, and the original small brick church facing Edinburgh Street was completed that same year.

The original building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1864 in a modified Romanesque style on South Plymouth Avenue, where the church still stands today. After another damaging fire, the church was expanded in 1872. The first Immaculate Conception School was built in 1871 during the era of Bishop Bernard McQuaid, Rochester's first Catholic bishop. At its height around the turn of the century, the parish boasted 4,000 members with approximately 900 children attending the school.

Today, Immaculate Conception is known as an African-American Catholic parish serving the historic Corn Hill neighborhood. The church complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. In 2010, St. Bridget's Parish merged with Immaculate Conception, and the combined parish continues to serve the Rochester community.

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