The year was 1902. Picture if you will;
100 families scattered across an area of the city whose boundaries were the
Buffalo River, Cazenovia Creek to the city line and the city line to Lake Erie.
How can we serve the people best? Then wonder also, where to place a
Church that would serve future generations of a growing population and enlarging
city? What ever should be the name of this Church who will serve so many? How
should it look, how big should it be…where to get the funds to build?
These and many other issues were on the mind of Father John Nash in the days after he undertook the assignment of establishing a new parish in the south portion of Buffalo, New York. This parish would be the cornerstone of the new community now growing due to the Pan-AM exposition and the appeal of Buffalo. First though, where to start? April 20th, 1902…establish the parish, name it and celebrate its first Mass. At 41 Como Parkway; a new and unoccupied home will serve as the first step in the building of the parish, named now The Holy Family to serve as a glowing model for every Christian family.
Next, purchase the property located on South Park Avenue, convert the barn and on the 2nd Sunday in September, 1902 dedicate the small quaint chapel that will serve 150 families until the foundation basement of the present Church is completed in 1906. On November 29th, 1908 the partially completed Church of the Holy Family was dedicated by Bishop Charles Colton. A solemn Pontifical High Mass was said by Bishop Colton on January 25th, 1914 to re-open the now completed Church. And through the years we kept building and growing, eventually surpassing 1700 families. Saint Agatha, Saint Martins, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Ambrose...all are children of Holy Family parish.
The years have been kind to Holy Family; we have been blessed with seven outstanding and dedicated pastors; in addition we have had many members of the clergy serving as associates. There have been 100’s of dedicated Sisters of Mercy serving our school and Mercy hospital which was originally located across from the parish. We have had thousands of dedicated laypersons and many well organized Church group members to aid in the growth and upkeep of the parish. We have had trustees with foresight and vision, but mostly we have always had you; our dedicated parishioners and a wealth of God’s blessings.
To cover the entire history of the parish would require a web site of its own. Instead let this montage of History Photos show you the way the faithful have traveled; the way of the “Holy Family”!