St. Helen

Bishop John Francis O'Hern, Rochester's third bishop, founded St. Helen's as a mission church in 1930. The mission, dedicated February 2, 1930, honored the bishop's mother, Helen, through its name. During its initial decade, priests from St. Augustine in the city traveled to St. Helen's to celebrate Mass and administer the Sacraments. In 1940, the community achieved parish status and welcomed its first resident Pastor, Fr. John Beecher Sullivan.

The school building next to the church was finished in 1956. Parishioners subsequently raised $350,000 for a rectory and a larger church to replace the modest wooden structure that had been serving the community—previously, the priest had resided in the back of the church. Work on these buildings began in 1959, with the current church dedicated in June 1962. Several years after occupying the new church, founding Pastor Fr. Sullivan died. Msgr. Patrick Flynn succeeded him in 1965. The parish flourished during the 1960s, introducing traditions like the annual parish festival. Membership reached 1,500 families by the early 1980s.

Extensive interior renovations took place under Fr. Michael Bausch, featuring a fully redesigned sanctuary with new liturgical furnishings. Both side altars were removed along with the mosaics on the walls behind them and the main altar. A gathering space was added at the church entrance.

In November 2004, the diocese announced the school would close for financial reasons. Parishioners responded with a grassroots campaign to preserve the school, sending numerous letters to Bp. Matthew Clark expressing their opposition. Despite these efforts, the school closed; the building is now leased to tenants.

The local Vietnamese Catholic community began worshipping at St. Helen's on June 23, 2007. This community had formerly attended St. Anthony of Padua in the city until that church closed due to declining attendance and financial difficulties. In June 2010, St. Helen's was grouped with nearby St. Jude the Apostle and Holy Ghost parishes in the Gates Catholic Community cluster, sharing priests among the three churches. Though the parish has contracted like many others in the diocese, the addition of Vietnamese parishioners has brought membership to approximately 800 registered families.