Churches of Rochester
St. Theodore

St. Theodore

Active

Gates, Monroe County

St. Theodore Church was established on July 1, 1924, to serve the Catholic community along the Spencerport Road corridor in Gates, west of Rochester. The parish was founded during the 1920s expansion, when new parishes were being created to serve the growing Catholic population in Rochester's developing suburbs.

Father John J. Baier served as the founding pastor from 1924 to 1935. After his departure, the parish experienced a difficult period from 1935 to 1937 when it had no pastor—an unusual situation that tested the community's resilience. Father Raymond J. Epping arrived in 1937 and provided 23 years of stable leadership, guiding the parish through the Depression's end, World War II, and the post-war boom.

Among the parish's notable pastors was Father Dennis W. Hickey, who served from 1961 to 1968 before being named Auxiliary Bishop of Rochester. The present church building was constructed in 1957 as Gates transformed from farmland to a thriving suburban community.

Father Gerard E. Dunn served for 24 years from 1968 to 1992, providing continuity during a period of significant change in the Catholic Church following Vatican II. Today, St. Theodore continues as an active independent parish, serving the Gates community along Spencerport Road for a century.

Exterior Photographs

Exterior. Front of the church. Seen from parking lot on right side. Main entrance on right side. Statue of Our Lady. Parish life center. Cornerstone for church addition. Church sign. One of the Dunn Tower senior apartments behind the campus.

Interior Photographs

Interior view. Seen from back left corner. Baptistry and back of the church. Baptistry seen from right side. View from left corner. Seating seen from far left side. Right side seating, and former sanctuary (prior to the 1998 renovation). Choir seating. View from far right side. Sanctuary. Back of the church. Back of the church seen from the sanctuary. Left side of the church, former back of the church w/ old choir loft. Adoration chapel is below that. Sanctuary. Sanctuary from left side. Altar. Pulpit. Celebrant's chair. Resurrection cross. Angel to the left of the sanctuary. Angel to the right of the sanctuary. Baptismal font. Paschal candle. Statue of St. Anthony. Wood carving of St. Joseph with Christ child. An original painting entitled "Christ the Healer." Ambry. Statue of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Statue of Our Lady with children of various ethnicities. Sacred heart statue. Statue of St. Theodore. Confessional.

Stained Glass

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Adoration Chapel

View of the chapel. Tabernacle. Chapel seating. Stained glass (site of former front entrance). Resurrection cross. Icon of Our Lady. Divine Mercy painting.

Stations of the Cross

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Historical Photographs

Michael Kenney homestead at Lyell Rd and Spencerport Rd. Masses were held here from July 4, 1924 until the first church construction was completed on Oct. 25, 1925. Source: St. Theodore Church (1975 self-titled history book) Altar at Kenney homestead used during the parish's first year, Dec. 25, 1924. Source: St. Theodore Church (1975 self-titled history book) Former church and rectory, 1920. Rectory stood well into the 1990s, while the church was razed in 1973. Source: Albert R. Stone negative collection Former church, 1920. Source: Albert R. Stone negative collection Sanctuary of former church, 1925. Source: St. Theodore Church (1975 self-titled history book) Former church, 1939. Source: Catholic Courier Golden Jubilee Edition: 1889-1939 Photograph of former church, possibly early 1970s. Church has been painted white. Source: Images of America, Gates Another photograph of the former church, 1960s-1970s. Local firefighters raze the former church as part of a training exercise, Feb. 25, 1973. Source: St. Theodore Church (1975 self-titled history book) Gates-Chili School of Religion at St. Theodore, opened Sep. 1, 1958. Source: St. Theodore Church (1975 self-titled history book) Present church before 1990s renovation, 1963. Source: From the Wilderness: Town of Gates Sesquicentennial, 1813-1963 Interior of present church before renovation. Photograph is from the golden jubilee Mass on June 30, 1974. Source: St. Theodore Church (1975 self-titled history book) Another photograph pre-renovation. Source: Parish Directory (undated) 1990s renovation interior. Source: Parish Directory (undated) 1990s renovation sanctuary. Source: Parish Directory (undated)