St. Mary
ActiveWatkins Glen, Schuyler County
St. Mary of the Lake traces its origins to approximately 1846 or 1847, when Catholics in Watkins Glen purchased a church building that had been constructed in 1833 by Presbyterians. From 1850 to 1854, Reverend James Cunningham of Elmira visited regularly to serve the small mission community.
In 1865, a new church seating four hundred was built under the direction of Father Dennis English of Penn Yan at a cost of twenty-two thousand dollars. The mission became an official parish on December 13, 1868, when the present church was dedicated. Father James McManus became the first resident pastor in 1869.
The parish's historical records from 1848-1868 have been preserved and are held by the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at Cornell University Library, providing valuable documentation of early Catholic life in the Finger Lakes region. Today, St. Mary of the Lake continues to serve the Watkins Glen community as part of the Schuyler Catholic Community cluster, sharing ministry with nearby St. Benedict's Church.
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Stations of the Cross
Stained Glass
Historical Photographs
