Churches of Rochester
St. Jerome

St. Jerome

Active

Pittsford (E. Rochester), Monroe County

St. Jerome Church was established on September 16, 1905, to serve the Catholic community in East Rochester, a village that had grown up around the American Locomotive Company's manufacturing plant. The parish was founded at a time when East Rochester was a thriving industrial community, with workers and their families needing a local Catholic church.

Father Bernard J. Gefell was appointed as the founding pastor, and the church building was completed and dedicated less than a year later on August 12, 1906. Father Gefell would serve St. Jerome for an extraordinary 45 years until his death in 1950—one of the longest pastorates in diocesan history. Under his guidance, the parish grew from a small mission community into an established parish that served generations of East Rochester families.

Father Roy B. Morphy and Father Anthony F. Calimeri continued this tradition of long service. The Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.) served the parish from 1983 to 1994, providing a different charism to the community.

Today, St. Jerome continues as an active independent parish, serving Catholics in East Rochester and the surrounding area of Pittsford. The parish remains a vital part of the community more than 115 years after Father Gefell celebrated the first Mass.

Exterior Photographs

Exterior. Front of the church. From right angle. From left angle. Left side. Back of the church. Cornerstone. Cornerstone for recent additions to the church.

Interior Photographs

Interior. From back left corner. Right side. From front left corner. Back of the church. From front right corner. Left side. From back right corner. Front of the church. Sanctuary. Sanctuary seen from left. Sanctuary seen from right. Altar. Pulpit. Celebrant's chair. Crucifix. Our Lady shrine. Cantor stand. Holy Family shrine. Statues of the Holy Family. Baptismal font. Ambry and relic. Statues along right side wall. Statue of St. Anthony. Statue. Statue. Adoration chapel. Tabernacle. Crucifix. Last Supper relief. Sacred Heart statue. St. John Paul II statue. Painting of Our Lady with Christ child. Sacred Heart painting. Illustration of the Passion. Holy water font. Our Lady of Good Counsel painting. Statues in the entryway. Christ relief. Our Lady relief. Relief of the death of St. Joseph (?) St. Jerome statue. Pieta. Crucifix. New, ground-level narthex. Renovated narthex.

Stations of the Cross

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Stained Glass

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Historical Photographs

Exterior of church, 1939. Source: Catholic Courier Golden Jubilee Edition: 1889-1939 Old photograph of church exterior. Source: Images of America, East Rochester 1912 photograph of church and surrounding area. Source: East Rochester Municipal Historian Collection Interior of church, 1947. Source: East Rochester Municipal Historian Collection School children posing for picture inside of church, 1957. Source: East Rochester Municipal Historian Collection

Pre-2014 Renovations

Exterior. Former sign. Interior. Sanctuary. St. Cecilia stained glass window.