HOLLEY – Holley Central School is thrilled to introduce Mackenzie Swartz as the new assistant principal of Holley Elementary School. She will be formally appointed by the Holley Board of Education at the Aug. 19 meeting.
Before working at Holley, Swartz was a teacher on special assignment (TOSA) in the East Irondequoit School District, providing strategic instructional support for elementary teachers.
She previously taught first grade at Kendall Elementary School and second grade at Ivan Green Primary School in East Irondequoit, where she also served as Literacy Leader and Equity Facilitator. She received her bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education and her master’s degree in Literacy from Roberts Wesleyan University. Swartz received her School Building/District Leadership Certificate from SUNY Brockport.
She is very excited to join the Holley community and share her passion for elementary education.
“I truly believe that I am a better person today because of all the students I have worked with,” Swartz said. “Elementary school is so special because you get to see students grow so much in their time with us. I am looking forward to learning from and with students here at Holley, and seeing all the unique qualities each student contributes to the school community. I know that this is an incredible community, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be joining the team.”
The district extends a very warm welcome to Swartz as she embarks on her journey at Holley.
“Mackenzie brings valuable and unique elementary experiences to our building, and we look forward to learning from and growing with her,” said Tim Artessa, principal at Holley Elementary. “We couldn’t be more excited for Mackenzie to be joining our school community. Her enthusiasm for elementary education is going to be very well received by both our students and staff, and I truly believe that her impact will be immediate as she is ready to hit the ground running!”
Susan Wilson took this photo of a tractor pulling a heavy sled during the July 20 Murray Tractor Pull on Groth Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 August 2024 at 10:30 am
MURRAY – The Christ family in Murray and a group of volunteers welcomed about 1,100 people for the Murray Tractor Pull on July 20.
The event featured powerful tractors and semi trucks that pull a 40,000-pound sled down a dirt track that is 320 feet long.
The event returned to Murray in 2023 after 4-year absence. The 2020 event was cancelled due to Covid restrictions and then the tractor pull was sidelined in 2021 and 2022.
The Christ family intends to hoist the event again in 2025. They donate the proceeds to the Ronald McDonald House.
Tammy Ward took this photo of “Survivor” driven Greg Graham. The truck not only competes in the tractor pulling events, but pays tribute to cancer survivors.
Andrea Orton captured this competitor at the tractor pull. Murray hosted the Empire State Pullers and the Outlaw Pulling Series.
Julie Woodworth took this photo of “It’s Only Money,” a tractor that Lloyd Christ of Murray competes in the in Heavy Super Stock Division.
Photos by Susan Wilson: The tractors and trucks spewed dark smoke and emitted loud noise as they pulled the sled down the track.
Most of the competitors brought their tractors and semi-trucks from around Western New York.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Orleans County Sheriff’s personnel are near the spot on the Erie Canal where a Hulberton man fell late last night. The Sheriff’s Office has an underwater drone in the water in this photo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 July 2024 at 2:55 pm
HULBERTON – A man drown in the Erie Canal last night in Hulberton, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke said this afternoon.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office recovered the body of Robert Bristol, age 39, of Hulberton in the Town of Murray today.
An acquaintance reported Mr. Bristol missing at approximately 5:25 this morning. Sheriff’s deputies conducted an extensive search of the area using the Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, Drone Unit, and Marine Division along with deputies on foot, Bourke said.
Deputy Jeff Cole and K-9 Otto from the Sheriff’s office tracked Bristol from his last known location directly to the bank of the Erie Canal near the Hulberton lift bridge. Bristol was found submerged in water close to the area where the K-9 track ended.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Murray Joint Fire District, Orleans County Emergency Management Office and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team.
Sheriff’s Investigators are continuing the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
“At this time, we have reason to believe that consumption of alcoholic beverages may have contributed to Mr. Bristol falling in the canal,” Bourke said. “The body was transported to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation.”
Daughter of Saint Gianna joins in grand opening celebration
Photos by Michael Mroziak/Western New York Catholic: Father Mark Noonan, pastor of the Orleans Niagara East (ONE) Catholic Community, blesses the newly opened St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center located on the grounds of St. Mary’s Church in Holley. Jim Simon of Lyndonville, chairman of the pastoral council for ONE Catholic, holds the portrait of St. Gianna Beretta Molla.
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, speaks inside St. Mary Church in Holley last Thrusday at the conclusion of a Mass celebrating the opening of the newest St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center. The center is adjacent to the church. Standing with her is Cheryl Calire, who heads the Diocese of Buffalo’s Life Ministries.
HOLLEY – The pregnancy outreach center opened last Thursday at the St. Mary’s Parish Ministry Center in Holley, and the daughter of a saint was there for the grand opening celebration.
The center is named for St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who was born in 1922 in Milan, Italy. As a young woman she became a pediatrician and wife. She and her husband, Pietro, had three children, and yet Gianna was able to balance the demands of motherhood, wife and doctor.
In 1961 she became pregnant with their 4th child, but learned early in the pregnancy that she had cancer. Gianna, herself a doctor, refused to take any steps that would place her child in danger. Accepting the risks that carrying her child to term meant for her, she insisted in the days prior to giving birth, “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child – I insist on it – save him.”
On April 21, 1962, Sr. Gianna gave birth to her daughter, Gianna Emanuela, and despite all efforts to treat St. Gianna, she passed away a week after giving birth. She was canonized a Saint by Pope St. John Paul II on May 16, 2004.
The daughter for whom she gave her life, Gianna Emanuela Molla, attended the dedication Mass and opening of the new center on July 11 in Holley.
Father Mark Noonan, pastor of the Catholic churches in Orleans and eastern Niagara counties, heard the inspirational story of St. Gianna firsthand from the pope. Father Noonan was the celebrant for this special Mass last Thursday.
The St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center in Holley is the 8th center in the Diocese of Buffalo, Noonan said.
“We are grateful to be able to serve families by providing material, emotional and spiritual support to mothers, fathers and families in need during and after pregnancy,” he said.
Kathy and Bob Schumacher are directors of the center. ONE Catholic plans to open a satellite office to meet with families at Holy Trinity Parish in Medina.
“We are so incredibly blessed to have St. Gianna’s daughter be a living witness to the heroic virtue of her mother at our dedication and opening,” said Kathy Schumacher. “We hope to provide a caring and compassionate atmosphere to assist families from pregnancy through the first years of life.”
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla reacts with joy entering St. Mary’s Catholic Church last Thursday.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Tim Artessa is pictured outside the Holley Elementary School on Monday evening after the Board of Education appointed him as the new principal. Artessa has been the assistant principal at the school the past eight years. He succeeds Karri Schiavone, who is now Holley’s district superintendent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 July 2024 at 9:23 am
HOLLEY – The Holley Board of Education appointed Tim Artessa to be the new principal of the Holley Elementary School. Artessa is no stranger to the students and staff. He has been the assistant principal the past eight years.
He succeeds Karri Schiavone, who is now Holley’s district superintendent.
Artessa came to Holley eight years ago after working as a sixth grade teacher at Gates Chili Middle School for 13 years.
“Holley is a great place,” Artessa said on Monday after the Board of Education meeting, when his appointment was finalized. “It feels like family here. There are great kids, a very supportive staff and great parents.”
Artessa has previously worked as a summer school assistant principal for Monroe 2–Orleans BOCES. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in elementary education from Nazareth College. He received his administrative certification from the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester.
Schiavone said Artessa will serve the district well as the elementary principal.
“Tim has been an invaluable member of our administrative team, demonstrating exceptional dedication, leadership, and a deep commitment to the success and wellbeing of our students,” she said. “His devotion to the elementary school over the last eight years makes him uniquely qualified to lead our school into the future. I have full confidence in his ability to continue fostering an innovative, positive and supportive learning environment for all.”
Holley will interview candidates to be the assistant principal this week. The school has about 500 students in grades prekindergarten to 6.
Artessa said one priority will be reducing the number of students who are chronically absent, missing at least 18 days of school a year or 10 percent of the school days. This past year, 28 percent of students were chronically absent in the elementary school, with 24 percent in the middle school grades and 39 percent in the high school.
Schiavone shared those statistics with the Board of Education on Monday. Artessa said the elementary school will be working with parents to improve attendance. Chronic absenteeism has been an issue for many districts around the country since the Covid pandemic in 2020, he said.
The elementary school also is adding a dedicated STEM classroom as part of a capital project this summer. That classroom in the space where there is a front atrium will allow students and teachers to do innovative learning projects, Artessa said.
The capital project also is adding air-conditioning to classrooms in kindergarten through grades 2 this summer, with most of the rest of the building to be done the following summer.
“I absolutely adore the students here at Holley Elementary,” Artessa said. “We have made great strides under the building leadership of Ms. Schiavone, and I am committed to continuing that trend moving forward. I am very fortunate to be able to continue leading an amazing staff that shares in the understanding that our students deserve our very best every single day.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 July 2024 at 8:53 am
Orleans will get another chance to see second large barge carrying other half of bridge bound for Buffalo
Photos by Tom Rivers: A 195-foot-long barge carrying two sections of a bridge passes through Holley on Monday around noon. The barge started the day in Rochester and headed west all the way through Orleans County, ending the day in Gasport.
Orleans County will get another chance to see a tugboat pushing an enormous barge on the Erie Canal.
The first barge will complete its journey to Buffalo, likely today. Carver Companies from near Albany has a tugboat pushing two 195-foot-long barges along the canal. The barges are carrying four sections of a 266-foot-long pedestrian bridge for the Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy in Buffalo. The bridge was made in Italy.
The barges were traveling close together for most of the journey along the canal. But on Monday one stayed in Pittsford while the other made the trip from Rochester all the way to Gasport. Carver was planning to stop in Albion on Monday and then go back for the other barge from Pittsford.
But the captain decided to keep going, moving past Albion and going through Orleans County and stopping in Gasport. The crew worked in a downpour on Monday afternoon.
Today the barge pushed by a tugboat reached Lockport around 7 a.m. and will keep moving west, expecting to reach the Tonawanda Canal Fest at 3 p.m.
Once the barge reaches the final destination in Buffalo, tugboat CMT Otter will go back to Pittsford and then make the journey through the rest of Monroe County, then Orleans, Niagara and to Buffalo in Erie County.
“Good news is you will have two chances to see us!” Carver posted on its Facebook page on Monday night.
A tugboat, named CMT Otter, pushes the big barge west. This was taken from the Route 237 bridge near the guard gate on the Erie Canal in Holley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2024 at 8:19 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MURRAY – The big rain that hit this afternoon and early evening flooded roads in the Town of Murray, including this section of Route 31 near Transit Road.
This photo was taken around 6 p.m. The road was temporarily closed to traffic due to the flooding.
A section of Lynch Road also was flooded.
The area under the bridge on South Main Street (Route 237) also was flooded. This is the bridge that carries the railroad.
The water wasn’t draining too fast due to the rising creek. One person makes sure the drains are clear of any debris.
Murray firefighters contended with two trees that fell in roadways, and some residents with flooded basements.
Aaron Vosburgh sent in this photo of his flooded backyard on Butts Road in Albion.
Orleans County dispatch said the Town of Murray took the brunt of the flooding with calls for assistance from the fire department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2024 at 3:10 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY/ALBION – A long barge nears the Keitel Road canal bridge in Albion around 2 p.m. today. Carver Companies is pushing a 195-foot-long barge with a tugboat.
The company started in Rochester today and headed west. The final destination, which could be in a few days, is in Buffalo for a 266-foot-long pedestrian bridge.
Carver Companies has two barges for moving the bridge which is in four sections, with two sections on each barge. Carver is based in Coeymans, NY, near Albany.
The company planned to tie up the barge overnight in Albion, but now may go all the way through Orleans County and stop in Gasport. The second barge started the day in Pittsford.
The barge and tugboat passes under the Bennetts Corners Road canal bridge in Holley around noon.
Many people have lined the canal to get a glimpse of the big barge. This kid was excited when the tug captain sounded the horn on the boat.
The trek with the long barge has been in the news a lot since the trip started in Albany 11 days ago.
Dawn Borchet, the Orleans County tourism director, gets photos of the barge as it approaches the Butts Road bridge in Albion.
Borchet said the journey of the pedestrian bridge has put lots of limelight on the canal. She said crowds of people shows there is a lot of pride in the canal communities for the historic waterway.
Kevin Bedard of Holley gets a close photo of the barge and tug as it nears the Holley lift bridge.
“It’s so cool,” Bedard said. “It’s once-in-a lifetime.”
The massive barge sneaks under the lift bridge in Holley while it is fully extended.
The barge heads under the Route 237 bridge in Holley after rounding a bend in the canal. The frequent turns, as well as locks, lift bridges and guard gates has made for a painstaking and often slow journey.
The vessel took it slow going through the guard gate next to the 237 overpass.
The barge is past the Route 237 bridge out in the open country with the Telegraph Road canal bridge next.
These people pedal fast on their bikes to stay with the barge and it heads west of Holley.
The barge passes the Densmore Road bridge in Albion and heads to the Keitel Road bridge around 1:45 p.m.
These two watch from the Keitel Road bridge as the barge gets closer to the Village of Albion. Many onlookers watched from the canal towpath or from the bridges as the barge worked its way west through Orleans County.
Two sections of the bridge that were made in Italy are shown on the barge.
The tug “Otter” moves the long barge. Otter is a 1,200-horsepower tug.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2024 at 11:03 am
Districts give students celebratory sendoff during commencement
Provided photos from the school districts
Brian Bartalo, retiring superintendent from Holley Central School, gives the keynote address during commencement on June 29. Holley celebrated the graduation of 63 seniors.
Caitlin Dobri delivers the valedictory address. Other student speakers included: Kayla Neale, salutatorian; and Layne Walker, the class president.
Graduates move their tassels to signify completed high school. Students wore their red Holley Hawk robes and caps for the ceremony inside the school auditorium.
After the ceremony students gathered in the gym to toss their graduation caps.
Kendall’s 57 graduates (and one honorary foreign exchange student) celebrate commencement on June 28 in the school auditorium.
Kendall’s student speakers includes salutatorian Louis Conte and valedictorian Hannah Brundage.
Conte shared about his competitive nature and how his high school experiences in athletics and other activities have fueled that competitiveness and need for perfection.
Kendall Board of Education member Chaley Swift presents the diploma to her son, Jimmie Swift, during commencement on June 28.
“Every step is growth and advancement,” Conte said. “The way we handle the roadblocks that keep us from our goal of being perfect is what defines us and what needs to be embraced. It’s this mindset that needs to be embraced, not just by me, but by anyone who ever feels like they aren’t enough. Finding silver linings when experiencing failures is a mindset that takes practice. From all my years of playing sports, l’ve learned that practice does not make perfect; it makes progress.”
Valedictorian Hannah Brundage reflected on shared experiences and bonds among classmates. She recalled moments the senior class bonded over, including parking lot painting, Senior Breakfast, Commitment Day, “the pickle game” and other activities.
“It’s moments like these that we truly connect through and allow up to pull together through the challenges that life throws at us,” she said. “None of us would be where we are without the people surrounding us, because we are greatly influenced by our surroundings. The people we love, the friends we hang out with – they are what get you past the hardships we all eventually encounter.”
Social Studies teacher Joseph Petrosino also addressed the graduates. He was chosen by the Class of 2024 to give this year’s commencement address.
Petrosino gave a history lesson on education in Kendall, highlighting unwavering community support for education despite challenges faced. From the original two-room log cabin that housed school lessons, to the hearses pulled by horses that served as school buses.
“The people of this area have never stopped supporting education and supporting the school,” Petrosino said. “When the school community is touched by tragedy, disaster or loss people come to support us both teacher and student alike.”
He urged students to find their purpose beyond a job, saying, “When you find it, you will know. You’ll work harder than ever before and won’t mind. You’ll feel compelled to do that thing even when you have a million other things to do. You will wake up at night with new ideas, and you will feel alive, working towards something good for the world.”
The Presentation of the Class of 2024 followed, with advisors Margaret Alloco and Elizabeth Erickson reading student bios and diplomas presented by principal Melissa Strelick and assistant principal Mark Driesel.
The group moves their tassels to signify the transition from students to graduates.
Lyndonville’s 38 students in the Class of 2024 toss their graduation caps to celebrate commencement on June 28. The ceremony was inside at the Stroyan Auditorium.
Student speakers at Lyndonville’s graduation included salutatorian Elizabeth Whipple, left, and valedictorian Daniel Barry.
Kayli Miller accepts her diploma from superintendent Sharon Smith. Ted Lewis, president of the Board of Education, is in back.
These students who are seniors in the high school chorus lead the crowd in singing the national anthem at the start of commencement. The graduating seniors in the chorus include Madalynn Baker, Katelynn Breeze, Ella Fletcher, Laci Giarla, Amber Grabowski, Maximus Hilton, Hannah Songer and Elizabeth Whipple.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2024 at 5:21 pm
Provided photos
ALBION/HOLLEY – About 550 cyclists passed through Orleans County today as part of the Cycling the Erie Canal ride. Today is Day 2 of an eight-day trip that goes 400 miles from Buffalo to Albany.
Today the cyclists started in Medina and headed about 60 miles east to Fairport.
Albion is an “unofficial” rest stop, but the Albion Merchants Association for many years has been there offering watermelon, bananas, oranges and granola bars. The Village of Albion also had water for the cyclists this morning.
Anita Finley and Kay Ecker of Albion enjoyed offering fruit and snacks to the cyclists, who come from 37 states.
“The cyclists are always a very nice group of people and always so appreciative of our ‘unofficial’ rest stop,” Finley said. “We have fun meeting them!”
Lori Laine greets Stan Farone of Albion, who is making the canal bike trek for the seventh year.
The cyclists reach the Holley rest stop near the canal gazebo.
This group from Holley greeted the cyclists and offered ice water, Gatorade, danishes and mini muffins. From left include Dan Mawn, Wendy Kenney, John Kenney and Lewis DeFilipps.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 July 2024 at 11:20 am
Public Service Announcement, featuring 4 students and their teacher Zach Busch, perform to enthusiastic crowd at Hickory Ridge
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – A rock band with Holley students played nine songs during their first concert in the community on Friday evening at Hickory Ridge Golf & RV Resort in Holley.
The band – Public Service Announcement – includes, from left: Owen Schultz on guitar, Layla Jones on bass, Gabe Lindsay on vocals, Zach Busch (guest guitar player who usually is on drums for PSA) and Aidan Kelley on guitar. Tristan Sanders, drummer for the Moon Hunters, joined PSA for their closing song, “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” by AC/DC.
Gabe Lindsay sings “Big Shot” by Billy Joel. He is joined by his Holley music teacher Zach Busch, also guitarist for the Moon Hunters; Dave Blumrick, bass player for the Moon Hunters; and Aidan Kelley, guitar player for PSA.
Owen Schultz, left, and Layla Jones perform with PSA.
The band members are all students in the school band led by Zach Busch. Schultz will be a senior, Jones will be a junior, and Aidan Kelley is an incoming sophomore. Gabe Linsday, the lead singer, graduated a week ago.
They have been playing together for about a year, doing school events. Friday was a chance to open for the Moon Hunters. Busch has played with that band as a founding member for about a decade.
Schultz traces the formation to PSA to when he performed as a character, Ricky Hawkston, in the school’s music showcase in June 2022. “Hawkston” was picked for Holley’s mascot, the Hawks. Schultz expanded the band to “Ricky and the Shenanigans” who changed their name to Public Service Announcement.
Busch taught the students rock and roll theory, and stayed after school to help them learn some classic rock songs. Busch ended up joining the band as the drummer.
He told the crowd at Hickory Ridge that he feels like he is living out his favorite movie, “School of Rock,” where actor Jack Black teaches students to write rock songs and perform in a high-octane band.
Schultz said he is grateful Busch helped the band mesh together and took the students seriously as musicians who wanted to learn rock and roll.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Schultz said about being in the band with his friends and their music teacher.
The students are all in the marching band led by Busch, and he would often stay after marching band practice to help them with their rock songs.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without him,” Schultz said.
More than 100 people attended the opening concert by PSA at Hickory Ridge.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 July 2024 at 9:27 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Nick Salvatore, lead singer for Clueless, belts out a rock song on Friday evening at Holley’s Concerts on the Canal series.
Musicians will be performing on Friday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. through Aug. 23.
The lineup for the rest of the series includes:
July 12: Brick Band
July 19: Old Hippies
July 26: Triple Play
August 2: Michael Zelazny
August 9: Feedback
August 16: Ghost Riders
August 23: Greg Stanton
Clueless performs at Holley Canal Park at 29 East Ave. There were about 75 people at the concert, including a few boaters.
The band includes, from left in front: Nick Salvatore, Gary Tarr and Robert Gallagher. Ritty Right is the drummer.
Daniel Weatherbee grills a hamburger at his new business, The Tugboat Grill. Weatherbee built the trailer that resembles a boat with a grill and refrigerator. He plans to be at the concerts on Friday evenings in Holley, offering burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken and sausage.
Weatherbee has the Tugboat Grill at Glenside Sales & Service at 56 State St. in Holley from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.
Nick Salvatore roamed from the main performing area to play the guitar in front of these boaters.
Holley’s concert series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with funds administered by the Genesee Orleans Regional Arts Council.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 July 2024 at 2:39 pm
Arthur Barnes creating farm scene of wheat field, apple orchard
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Arthur Barnes, an artist from Millville near Medina, is in Holley today working on a mural on the back of the Community Free Library.
Barnes put the primer on Sunday for the artwork that will be 25 feet high and 21 feet wide.
On Monday he painted the sky, and tried to blend it in with a mural painted last year by Tony Barry. That mural features the portrait of Holley’s namesake, Myron Holley, and a Erie Canal scene. Holley was an early commissioner for the canal.
Barnes today is painting the tree line and the wheat fields. The bottom of the mural will have more detail and feature an apple orchard.
Tony Barry’s mural is on the left and Arthur Barnes is working on a new large-scale painting on the right side. The project is funded with a $5,000 grant awarded to the library from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.
Barnes said Barry had some leftover paint that allowed for a perfect match with the sky.
“I’m a big fan of Tony’s work,” Barnes said.
This is the sixth mural Barnes has painted in Orleans County. The first five were all Erie Canal scenes. One of those is on display in the Murry-Holley Historical Society.
Arthur Barnes said he would like to have the mural done by the end of July.
“That’s what I’m aiming for but there are many variables with the weather,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 July 2024 at 9:16 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Andrew Grillo hits a tennis ball to a group of kids at a tennis camp at Holley on Monday. There were about 15 participants on the first day of a tennis camp.
The program is funded with a grant from the U.S. Tennis Association. The camp is usually held in Albion at the school tennis courts, but with those courts under construction Holley is hosting the camp.
The camp is run by the Village of Albion of Albion Recreation Department.
There are two different weeks of camps. This week it runs Monday through Friday except on July Fourth. Next week the camp is from July 8-12, except for July 9.
The camp runs from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There is no charge to participants.
Basic tennis skills will be taught to the beginners with tennis drills and low-level competitive match situations. Scoring, rules and regulations will be taught along with tennis strategies, said John Grillo, the Albion recreation director ad retired tennis coach at Holley.
There is no pre-registration and participants can still join. Email jgrillo3@hotmail.com if there are any questions.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2024 at 6:48 pm
Orleans expected to go from 3 full-time priests to 2 in near future
Photos by Tom Rivers: Father Mark Noonan, priest for a family of six Catholic churches in Orleans and eastern Niagara counties, met with about 35 parishioners on Wednesday evening for about two hours at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Holley. Father Noonan went over recent data, showing a declining number of priests and church attendees in the 8-county Diocese of Buffalo.
HOLLEY – The numbers at local Catholic churches mirror the challenge throughout the 8-county Diocese of Buffalo: a shrinking number of priests, and smaller congregations and financial resources.
Father Mark Noonan, a priest serving churches in Orleans and eastern Niagara counties, met with about 35 people on Wednesday evening at St. Mary’s in Holley, the first of seven meetings he is holding through Sunday with parishioners at Catholic churches in Holley, Kendall, Albion, Medina, Middleport and Barker.
Noonan is giving the local Catholics a chance to weigh in on a proposal announced last week from the Diocese of Buffalo that would close 34 percent of the churches in the Diocese. The churches in Orleans County are part of a family of churches in Orleans and eastern Niagara. The recommendation from the Diocese is to keep Catholic churches in Medina, Albion and Holley.
“This makes sure there is a Catholic presence within a reasonable geographic distance,” Father Noonan said during a two-hour meeting on Wednesday evening. “I don’t want to lose anything. But what is best for this family of parishes long-term?”
The proposal from the Diocese for ONE Catholic (Orleans and Niagara East) would close St. Mark’s in Kendall and St. Stephen’s in Middleport. St. Joseph’s in Lyndonville was badly damaged in a fire last year and then torn down. The site and the rectory will be sold, and so will the land in Hulberton for the St. Rocco’s Italian Festival.
The Diocese also recommends to move Barker to a different family of churches in Niagara County. That will better align them with churches that are closer to Barker, Noonan said.
Father Mark Noonan said he wants the local Catholic churches to re-engage with the community, especially with its outreach to younger families.
The restructured family of churches will go from seven sites when the family was created to start 2023 to three churches with three priests serving congregations in Medina, Albion and Holley.
Father Noonan said he thinks of the churches locally as “one big family.” He knows some of the Catholics are hurting because their long-term church home has been recommended to close. That includes the church where he was raised: St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga.
“Some of our members in the ONE Catholic community are hurting,” Father Noonan said.
When the Diocese has closed churches before in a downsizing or “right sizing,” Father Noonan said there was a tendency to feel like there had been winners and losers though the process.
“We can’t have that,” he said. “When something is lost, that pertains to all of us. We something is gained, that pertains to all of us.”
Jim Simon of Lyndonville is president of the pastoral council for the family of churches. He said the plan to close about a third of the churches in the Diocese is painful. He is hopeful this will be the last downsizing needed by the Diocese.
“We don’t want to do this again in five years,” he said.
Jim Simon of Lyndonville is president of the pastoral council for a family of churches in Orleans and eastern Niagara counties. He is hopeful the downsizing plan presented by the Diocese will be the last time the organization has to consider closing churches and selling off property. He urged the attendees on Wednesday “to keep the faith and move forward.”
Father Noonan looked at historical data from the ONE Catholic family of churches in Orleans and Niagara East.
The churches, which used to include a site in Gasport and smaller churches in Albion and Medina, had 14 priests in 1985. There were eight or nine assigned to the area in 2005. Now there are three priests – Father Mark Noonan, Father Paul Ladda and Father Jan Trela.
In the Diocese there were 511 active priests assigned to parishes in the 8 counties. Now there are about 115 assigned to churches. That is projected to further drop to 70 in 2030, and then 38 in 2040.
The weekly attendance at the ONE Catholic churches is down collectively from about 1,600 in 2012 to 1,000 in 2023. In the past year, however, it is up about 100, with Holy Trinity in Medina seeing 10 percent growth a Spanish-speaking Mass at Holy Family in Albion drawing about 50 on Sunday afternoons.
Among the ONE Catholic churches individually, the average weekly Mass attendance so far this year include 165 at St. Mary’s in Holley, 27 at St. Mark’s in Kendall, 270 at Holy Family in Albion (plus another 50 for a Spanish-speaking Mass), 273 at Holy Trinity in Medina, 80 at St. Stephen’s in Middleport, and 121 at Our Lady of the Lake in Barker.
Among ONE Catholic churches, annual baptisms in the past decade are down from 76 to 21, while weddings dropped from 21 to 9, and confirmations also decreased from 119 to 39. There were about 600 children in religious education in 2012. Now it’s about 130, Father Noonan said.
The local churches long-term viability will need more younger families, Father Noonan said. He said the churches need to reach out to those who have stopped going to church, and invite people who haven’t been.
“I want to find new ways to grow,” Father Noonan said. “Our goal is to grow, to grow in our spiritual lives and to reach out to more people.”
He would like to see more Bible studies and small group discipleship programs in ONE Catholic .
At the Holley meeting, two of the parishioners asked that the St. Rocco’s festival grounds not be sold. The site is used for a popular Italian festival the day before Labor Day in a tradition going back nearly 50 years.
Father Noonan said the festival could be at a village park or at the St. Mary’s church property. He said the Lawn Fete at Holy Family also is a popular church festival at the Albion parish property.
“Using St. Rocco’s one day a year doesn’t make sense to me,” Father Noonan said.
The church buildings and properties that are sold will go towards a settlement for victims of sexual abuse by priests. That settlement is in negotiation. About 900 people have claimed they were abused by priests.
One of the parishioners at the Holley meeting said the abuse scandal has driven many from the church.
St. Mary’s in Holley would be the only Catholic church to remain open in eastern Orleans, according to a proposal from the Diocese of Buffalo. St. Mark’s in Kendall is recommended to close.
Father Noonan also held meetings on Thursday at St. Stephen’s in Middleport and Holy Family in Albion, and today at St. Mary’s in Medina.
There are meetings scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m. at Our Lady of the Lake in Barker, and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s in Kendall, and then a final Spanish language meeting on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Holy Family in Albion.
Any counter proposals from the Diocese recommendations must be submitted by July 15. If a family of churches recommends keeping one church open that is proposed to close, the family has to pick a different church to close, Father Noonan said.
“There has to be a one-for-one,” he said.
From the counter-proposals from the families of churches the Diocese is expected to make a final decision in September on which churches will be closed.
