St. Cecilia

St. Cecilia Parish was established on July 5, 1949, to serve the growing Catholic population of Irondequoit along the Culver Road corridor. Father Bernard C. Newcomb was appointed founding pastor and served for three decades until his retirement in 1979. The present church building was constructed quickly and dedicated on November 22, 1950.

The parish developed a close relationship with the Congregation of St. Basil (the Basilians), a religious order with deep roots in the Diocese of Rochester dating back to 1927. The Basilians had established themselves through teaching at Aquinas Institute and founding St. John Fisher College in 1948. When St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish was formed in 2010—comprising St. Cecilia, Christ the King, and St. Margaret Mary churches—the Basilians assumed pastoral leadership.

After more than a decade of Basilian ministry, the order announced in November 2018 that declining priest availability would require them to withdraw from the parish. On June 29, 2019, over 350 parishioners gathered for "An Evening of Thanks and Memories" to bid farewell to the Basilian priests who had served the community. Father Lance Gonyo, a diocesan priest, became the new pastor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, continuing to serve St. Cecilia and its sister churches.