Final Mass to be celebrated this Sunday at St. Stephen’s in Middleport

Photo by Tom Rivers: St. Stephen’s Catholic Church will celebrate its final Mass at 8:30 a.m. Sunday at 21 Vernon St.

MIDDLEPORT – The final Mass at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Bishop Michael Fisher of the Diocese of Buffalo announced in September that St. Stephen’s would close as part of a restructuring of churches in the 8-county Diocese. The Diocese is closing some churches due to a declining number of priests and attendance.

St. Stephen’s is part of ONE Catholic that includes churches in eastern Niagara and Orleans counties. The bishop also announced St. Mark’s in Kendall would close but a final Mass date hasn’t been announced for St. Mark’s.

St. Joseph’s in Lyndonville also is in ONE Catholic but that church was badly damaged in a fire on Feb. 28, 2023 and later razed. Barker’s church also is in ONE catholic but that one will be aligned with a family of churches closer to Lockport.

ONE Catholic welcomes Catholics in the ONE Catholic family to attend the 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Stephen’s, 21 Vernon St. A donut social will follow at the St. Stephen’s Rectory following the Mass.

The following Sunday on Jan. 19 the 8:30 a.m. Mass will move to St. Mary’s in Medina. ONE Catholic said the music crew from St. Stephen’s will continue to provide music at St. Mary’s, and others from St. Stephen’s will be lectors, eucharistic ministers, greeters and ushers at St. Mary’s.

The St. Rocco’s Festival team from St. Mary’s in Holley and St. Mark’s in Kendall will host a breakfast at Holy Trinity in Medina to welcome the parishioners from St. Stephen’s to St. Mary’s.