On Sunday, Sept. 14 at 3 p.m., The Lord’s Vineyard Family will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the first Catholic parish in Northern Chautauqua County.

St. Mary Assumption Parish was founded in 1850 by the first bishop, Bishop John Timon, of the newly created Diocese of Buffalo. Bishop John Timon purchased two houses on Second Street in Dunkirk between Plover and Robin streets to house a church and rectory. The parish quickly outgrew the facility on Second Street and land was purchased on Third Street and Washington Avenue. Here a bigger wooden church and rectory were built. That wooden structure was replaced by the current brick edifice in which the first Mass was celebrated on Saint Patrick’s Day 1854. At that time the parish numbered 800 parishioners.

St. Mary parish served the needs of the Dunkirk/ Fredonia Catholic families. A parish school was established in the 1850’s. The school grew into a K-12 building and the high school eventually combined with Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk. The present elementary school is now named Northern Chautauqua Catholic School, the area it serves. It is noteworthy that the 1867 parochial school building is still used today.

St. Mary Parish continued for 125 years at the present site. Bishop Edward Head suppressed Saint Mary and Sacred Heart parishes and canonically established Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish on Sept. 14, 1975, the canonization date to sainthood of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, using the Saint Mary site for the newly created parish. Sept. 14, 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the new parish under the patronage of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish was one of the first parishes named for Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in the United States.

The 175th anniversary committee decided to organize a dual celebration of the 50th anniversary of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish and the celebration of the founding of the first Catholic parish in Northern Chautauqua County. A Mass of celebration will be offered at 3 p.m. At Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church with the Bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, Bishop

Michael Fisher, presiding. Former priests who served as seminarians and priests will also be in attendance.

Following the Mass there is a reservation-only dinner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Hall in Silver Creek. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a member of the Lord’s Vineyard Family of Catholic parishes in Northern Chautauqua County.

All parishioners of the Lord’s Vineyard of Catholic Parishes and residents of Dunkirk/Fredonia are invited to attend the Mass at 3 p.m. to commemorate such an historical event and celebration. It is a time to cherish the memories that inspire us to create new memories in the future as a worship site in the Lord’s Vineyard of Parishes.