St. Salome
Mass Schedule
Mon. - Fri. 7:30 AM
Communion Service
Wed. 7:30 AM
Weekend Masses
Saturday 4 PM
Sunday 9:30 AM
Holyday Masses
Day Before
Holyday
Confessions
Sat. 3:00—3:30 P.M
Irondequoit Catholic Community
Celebrating 100 years
Irondequoit Catholic Community Web Site
Clustered Worship Sites:
Individual Worship Sites:
ST. SALOME - OLDEST EXISTING CATHOLIC CHURCH IN IRONDEQUOIT
On Friday morning, February 15, 2008, a large moving van backed up to the rectory at St. Salome Parish. After removing all the contents the van then proceeded to the parish center where the Archives of the history of the church were removed. The entire contents of the van were then moved to the campus of St. Thomas the Apostle for use or storage. By the end of summer all buildings on the property were to be razed. Only the church would stand as it had in various forms for 100 years.
The church was originally dedicated by Bishop Thomas Hickey on a summer day in 1908. Funds to build the small wooden church came from many sources in the town of Irondequoit and from churches in the city of Rochester. The land was donated by a benefactor, Salome Boucher, whose request that the tiny church be named for her patron saint was honored by the Bishop. St. Salome’s was to be the setting for Sunday mass in the then vacation area along the lakeshore. As the area and the congregation increased in population the church considered being open year round and a heating system was installed. Perhaps due to this, the church burned to the ground on a chilly autumn night. The next day, as the embers cooled, the congregation determined to rebuild.
Bishop Hickey returned to the north-eastern section of Irondequoit the following year to dedicate the second Church of St. Salome. A larger church, built of stucco with a red-tiled roof, stood on Culver road. This church was opened all year and soon attracted more Catholics as the population of the town grew. In the boom era of the 1920s the church was incorporated as a parish which soon served most of Irondequoit and a section of Webster. Over the next several decades the church thrived and increased in members and size. Additions were built onto the church, the school and the convent. In 1967 however, parishioners again were confronted with loss and decision.
The fire began in the middle of the night after a strong storm had rumbled through the area. Every fire department in the town responded. In the daylight hours it was determined the building had been hit by a lightning strike. The shell of the church stood but parts of the floor had fallen into the basement and the wooden altar and several statues had been destroyed. The congregation determined to rebuild once again. The third church would be larger and more appropriate to the changes in church buildings after Vatican Two.
In 1969 the Bishop of the Rochester Diocese, Fulton J. Sheen, dedicated the current church of St. Salome. It was designed by Edward Ribson, architect of Notre Dame Retreat house and a few other area churches. Over the next eleven years the church, with its unique features, structure and beautiful interior functioned well for the parish. In 1980, however, on a cold November night yet another devastating change would occur. Sometime after 2:00 a.m. vandals broke into the church. The destruction that followed was significant. The altar and ambo were pushed over and lay on the floor of the sanctuary. Communion wafers were scattered and sacred vessels and candles were thrown against the walls. Before leaving, the intruders unbolted the tabernacle and removed it from the church. The people of the parish were shocked and devastated by the damage done to their church. After the town police were called to the scene an investigation ensued. Neither the thieves nor the tabernacle were ever found. Ribson, the original designer, was recalled. He changed the sanctuary to include a brick and marble altar, brick ambo and brick stand for the new tabernacle. A few months later Bishop Matthew Clark rededicated the church.
Parishioners at St. Salome are often members of families who have lived for decades in the Sea Breeze and Point Pleasant areas of Irondequoit. Many have witnessed the destructions of their church buildings and provided pledges to rebuild. In this year, the Rectory, Convent and former School are to be leveled for senior housing .Only the church will stand while the new buildings are constructed. In June Bishop Clark will preside at mass to celebrate with the families of St. Salome the 100 years that have seen so much of change , loss and reconstruction as they worshipped in the area.
