St. Andrew

St. Andrew Parish was established on October 8, 1913, to serve the Catholic community along Portland Avenue in northeast Rochester. Father Joseph A. Miller, pastor of Holy Trinity, helped found the parish and served briefly before Monsignor George W. Eckl became the first resident pastor in November 1914. Monsignor Eckl would lead the parish for an extraordinary 50 years until his retirement in 1965.

The present church building was dedicated on June 12, 1927, and served the community for over eight decades. The parish became known not only for its worship but also for its outreach to those in need. In 1980, responding to the many people seeking food assistance at the Sisters of Mercy convent and church, St. Andrew's established a food cupboard in a small storefront at the corner of North Street and Herald Street.

St. Andrew's served the Rochester community for nearly a century before closing on October 16, 2011, as part of diocesan parish consolidations. The parish merged into St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish. However, the food cupboard ministry lived on—St. Andrew's Food Cupboard became an independent nonprofit organization and purchased its building at 892 Portland Avenue in 2019, continuing the parish's legacy of service to those in need.