Church of the Transfiguration

Bishop Matthew Clark established Church of the Transfiguration on April 26, 1983 to serve the expanding south Pittsford area. Fr. Gerald Appelby, then working in campus ministry, was chosen as founding pastor. Initial parishioners came from small prayer groups at St. Louis church in the Village of Pittsford to the north. Bp. Clark presented three name options to the new community: St. Luke, St. Martha, and Transfiguration. The congregation selected Church of the Transfiguration. Founding parishioner Tom Kirchoff found a 130-year-old barn at the corner of Stone Rd and Clover St. that became the parish's first worship space. After preparing the barn for services, the community celebrated its first Mass there on the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, 1983. Over four Masses that weekend, several hundred people attended, with 38 families registering as founding parishioners.

When cold weather arrived, the unheated barn proved unsuitable for winter worship. Transfiguration temporarily gathered at Christ Clarion Church on Thornell Road for Saturday vigil Mass (4:30 PM) and at JoMor Theatre in Eastview Mall for Sunday Masses (8 AM, 10 AM, 12 PM). Construction soon began on a new church at the current site. Parishioners completed all interior work—painting, staining, and installing the ceiling made from pine salvaged from the old barn. Wood beams from the barn were also used to fashion the cross atop the building. Basement Masses began in the new church on Christmas 1984. The completed structure hosted its first Mass on May 4, 1985, with dedication the following day.

Transfiguration's membership flourished throughout the 1980s, reaching 700 registered families by 1989 and prompting discussion of a larger church. An administration building was erected, followed by the current church. Bp. Clark dedicated this new church on December 19, 1992. Parishioner Sandy Damico designed the transfigured Christ statue mounted on the sanctuary wall, which was carved by an anonymous priest from Rome, NY. Children in the Vacation Bible School program signed the bricks on the wall behind the statue, and puzzle pieces bearing parishioner family names were placed beneath the floor. The original church building remains on the property, now serving as a religious education center.

Expansion continued through the 1990s. Planning for a parish life center started in 1997, with completion in August 1999 and dedication the following month. Founding Pastor Fr. Appelby moved to a new assignment in June 2002. Fr. Michael Bausch was appointed Pastor and continues leading the parish today.