St. Raphael

St. Raphael Church was established in 1887 in Piffard, a small hamlet in Livingston County located in the scenic Genesee Valley. The parish was named for St. Raphael the Archangel and served the rural Catholic farming families in this agricultural region.

Father Charles R. Reynolds provided remarkable stability to this small rural parish, serving for 31 years from 1940 until his retirement in 1971. His pastorate spanned the Depression's aftermath, World War II, and the dramatic social changes of the 1960s. For a small country parish, this continuity of leadership was invaluable.

After Father Reynolds' retirement, the parish was served by Fathers Edwin R. Wedow and Walter Wainwright during its final years. St. Raphael closed in 1977 after 90 years of service to the Piffard community. The closure reflected the broader pattern of rural parish consolidation as the Catholic population in small farming communities declined.

Though the parish is no longer active, St. Raphael served generations of Catholic families in this corner of Livingston County, and the community's spiritual needs are now met by neighboring parishes in the Genesee Valley.