Visions for the Future
Values for a Lifetime
Click Here: Parish History (2024)
1695
John Mowbray purchases from the Native Americans the land that would eventually become present-day Bay Shore.
1733
Montauk Highway is constructed, establishing the principal east-west route through the region.
1812
Bay Shore remains a rural settlement with only fifteen homes north of Main Street. Farming, fishing, and lumbering sustain the local economy.
1822
Peter Turner circulates a letter calling for Catholics to establish their own church, pastor, and cemetery, reflecting the growing Catholic presence on Long Island.
1831
The western portion of Islip becomes known as Mechanicsville.
1849
Mechanicsville changes its name to Penataquit and receives its own post office. St. Patrick Church is established in Huntington, becoming the mother church for Catholics throughout Suffolk County.
1853
The First Congregational Methodist Church is established in Bay Shore. During the same year, the cornerstone for the original St. Patrick Church on Fifth Avenue is laid.
July 29, 1853
Pope Pius IX establishes the Diocese of Brooklyn, encompassing all of Long Island. Bishop John Loughlin is appointed its first bishop.
1858
The first Mass in Bay Shore is celebrated at the home of Owen Drum on Fifth Avenue by Father Michael O'Neil, marking the beginning of St. Patrick Parish.
1860
Father Jeremiah Crowley succeeds Father O'Neil and establishes Bay Shore as a mission parish of St. Patrick Church, Huntington.
1863
The first church building, a converted carpenter's shop on Fifth Avenue, is dedicated.
1868
The Long Island Rail Road reaches the village, and the community officially adopts the name Bay Shore.
1883
Father James Bobier becomes the first resident pastor of St. Patrick Parish.
1884–1895
Father Bobier expands the parish's mission by serving Catholics in Bohemia and East Islip, enlarging the Fifth Avenue church, purchasing a rectory, establishing St. Patrick Cemetery on Brentwood Road, and ministering to patients at Central Islip State Hospital.
1898
Father Bobier concludes his fifteen-year pastorate.
1904
Father Henry C. Jordan is appointed pastor.
1915
Property at Main Street and Clinton Avenue is purchased for the construction of a larger parish church.
July 4, 1916
The cornerstone of the present St. Patrick Church is laid.
September 7, 1919
The current church is solemnly dedicated, becoming the permanent home of the parish.
1920
The original parish cemetery is relocated to Brentwood Road. Father Edward Donovan purchases the "Elysian Views" estate to establish a parish school.
1921
Four Sisters of Mercy arrive from Brooklyn to open St. Patrick School with 185 students in Grades 1–4. The Sisters also teach catechism and minister to the sick.
1928
Father Cornelius Duffy begins a twenty-year pastorate.
1938
A new school-convent building is completed after the parish mortgage is retired.
1940
The Parish Welfare League is established, providing food and clothing to families in need—a ministry that continues today through the Hospitality Center and Parish Social Ministry.
1948
Monsignor Myron J. Purick becomes pastor. During his twenty-five-year pastorate, parish membership grows from approximately 4,000 to 12,000 parishioners.
1960
A new brick rectory replaces the original frame rectory.
Mid-1960s
The parish begins publishing The Parishioner, a monthly newsletter documenting parish life for nearly four decades.
1968
Msgr. Purick Hall is dedicated, providing worship space for approximately 1,000 people as well as classrooms and meeting facilities.
1972
Laywomen begin serving as lectors following the liturgical renewal of the Second Vatican Council.
1973
Monsignor Purick retires after twenty-five years of remarkable parish growth. Monsignor James F. Coffey becomes pastor.
Mid-1970s
The Hospitality Center and Soup Kitchen are established under the leadership of Sr. Pat Griffith, RSM, expanding the parish's outreach to those experiencing poverty and homelessness.
1976
The parish commissions its first Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
1983
St. Patrick Parish celebrates its 100th Anniversary. Monsignor Coffey retires after introducing stewardship as a way of parish life and strengthening adult faith formation.
1983–2000
Monsignor Robert Emmet Fagan serves as pastor. His leadership includes:
2000
Monsignor John C. Nosser becomes pastor.
2001
The parish's historic 1,082-pipe organ is completely restored. Msgr. Purick Hall's worship space is renovated and rededicated.
2002
Msgr. Coffey Center receives central air conditioning and continues to house the Hospitality Center and Soup Kitchen.
2006
Rev. Bruce J. Powers is appointed pastor, emphasizing adult faith formation and preparing the parish for its upcoming 125th Anniversary.
2007
Monsignor Thomas M. Coogan becomes pastor.
2008
St. Patrick Parish celebrates its 125th Anniversary with a year-long series of liturgies, concerts, community events, and parish celebrations.
December 5, 2010
The parish begins celebrating Mass regularly in Spanish, marking the formal beginning of its ministry to the growing Latino Catholic community.
2014
The church roof is replaced, air conditioning is installed in the church, and Sister Anne Kelly, the last Sister of Mercy serving the parish, concludes more than ninety years of Mercy presence at St. Patrick Parish.
2016
The Sunday Option Religious Education Program is introduced.
2018
Bishop Richard G. Henning, a former Sunday assistant at St. Patrick Parish, is ordained a bishop.
June 2019
Rev. Seán J. Gann is appointed the 14th Pastor of St. Patrick Parish.
2019–2021
The parish expands bilingual ministry through Spanish-speaking clergy and bilingual liturgies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fr. Gann leads the parish through unprecedented challenges while preparing for renewal.
2021
St. Patrick School celebrates its 100th Anniversary.
2022
The parish completes the Pathway to Holiness Project, featuring:
2023–2024
St. Patrick Parish celebrated its 140th Anniversary