Address: 859 N Clinton Ave, Rochester NY 14605


You can find a virtual tour of Saint Michael's by clicking here

History

In June 1872, parishioners at St. Joseph and Holy Redeemer Catholic parishes proposed building a church / parish nearer their homes in the city’s northeastern section. The Bishop authorized them to purchase 2 acres of land on the corner of N. Clinton and Clifford Avenues. Father A. Pingel of St. Joseph’s Church was given temporary charge of the 80 families leaving St. Joseph’s and the 100 families leaving Holy Redeemer to form the first congregation for the new parish. On May 26, 1873, the new parish was organized, and plans were drawn up for a combination church and school (the current Hall). St. Michael was chosen to be the patron Saint of the new church. The church, 126 feet long and 66 feet wide, was to be erected 200 feet back from N. Clinton Avenue with the idea that the future would see a new church built on N. Clinton Avenue itself and this one would be used for the school. On February 1, 1874 Father Fridolin Pascalar was appointed pastor to succeed Father Pingel. On Sunday, March 8, 1874 the dedication ceremony for the original church took place. In 1878, the parish erected a large, handsome brick rectory with stone trim adjacent to this first church/school building and fronting on Evergreen Street (now St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish offices). In 1887, plans were drawn up for the current St. Michael’s Church, a magnificent Gothic stone church, in the form of the Latin cross 177 feet in length and 92 feet in width at the transept. “The most prominent feature of 10 the front of the church will be the grand tower which will be 246 feet in height. A long tapering spire will be surmounted by a gilded cross 10 feet high. The plans call for 3 front entrances, each surmounted by a gable. The gables are decorated with original wrought iron crosses with filigree designs and other decorative wrought iron brackets. There is a graceful secondary tower of copper construction on the ridge of the roof above the transept. Directly above the front center entrance will be a copper statue of St. Michael, the patron of the church, represented as trampling on Satan and driving him into hell. Ten large windows will light the transepts.” The interior of the church reflected the medieval concept that a church is not mere architecture, but truly the house of God constructed with a mystical vision. St. Michael’s, featured in the WXXI documentary “Houses of Worship,” is a stunning edifice of major architectural proportions. The present church was dedicated Monday, September 29, 1890, feast day of St. Michael. Modern History Founded by German Catholics and once considered “the great German parish,” St. Michael’s today dominates the skyline of a burgeoning Hispanic community. The history of St. Michael’s church leads one through a neighborhood’s transformation. From the 19th into the mid 20th century, the neighborhood was known as “Butterhole,” the home of the German dairy community. 11 In the 1960’s, the neighborhood around the Church changed dramatically witnessing urban riots, the movement of people to the suburbs, and the early arrival of Hispanics into the city. Again St. Michael’s welcomed immigrants into its midst with the first Mass in Spanish offered in July 1967 during the pastorate of Father Benedict Ehman. Today, the neighborhood is still an area finding itself and one that is now predominantly Hispanic. Some second and third generation German descendants remain members of St. Michael’s parish, though they have moved elsewhere. Today, the North Clinton Avenue neighborhood is home to New York State’s second largest Hispanic population. Many Hispanic organizations and the Rochester Diocese’s Spanish Apostolate, an outreach arm doing advocate work in the Spanish community, call this neighborhood home. “With all of these changes, St. Michael’s remains the dominant structure on North Clinton Avenue. Rising in the distance like a European cathedral, it continues its mission into its 111th year.” (Upstate magazine, September 25, 1983). More than one hundred twenty-five years after its construction, the grace and elegance of the current St. Michael’s church still towers over the 7th Ward. The complex is the sole remaining example of an entirely 19th Century religious campus in Rochester.

Timeline
1872 Founding of St. Michael’s Parish by German Immigrants.
1874 Consecration of the first St. Michael’s Church building, located behind the current Church which presently houses the Parish Hall and the St. Vincent DePaul Ministry.
878 First Rectory is built on Evergreen Street.
1888 Petition approved to build our present Church. § Hiring of Alphonse Druiding as Architect. § Re-mortgaging of homes and farms to finance the construction. § Stone: Quarried from Lockport and Medina § Wood Carver: Anton Halstrick
1890 Bishop McQuaid dedicated the current Church building on September 29, the Feast Day of St. Michael
1893 The current Rectory was built on the corner of Clifford and N. Clinton Avenue, and the first Rectory was converted into a Convent.

Pastors

• Fr. August Pingel C.Ss.R., July 1873-Nov. 1874 [Temporary Pastor]
• Fr. Fridolin Pascalar, Nov. 1874-1896 [upon resignation]
• Fr. Mathias J. Hargather, 1896-1929 [upon death]
• Fr. Frederick Schied, 1929-1934 [upon death]
• Msgr. Arthur F. Florack, 1935-June 27, 1961 [upon retirement]
• Fr. Benedict A. Ehman, June 27, 1961-June 26, 1974 [upon retirement]
• Fr. Anthony Valente and Fr. Paul Freemesser [Co-pastorate], June 26, 1974-June 25, 1980
• Fr. John Dillon, June 25, 1980-June 30, 1982
• Vincent Panepinto, June 30, 1982-June 25, 1991 [Administrator]
• Sr. Kay Schwenzer and Fr. Laurence C. Tracy, June 25, 1991-June 29, 1993 [Co-administrators]
• Fr. Robert Werth, Jan 1992-June 1992 [Co-administrators]
• Dennis J. Shaw, June 29, 1993-June 25, 2002
• Fr. Peter Deckman, June 25, 2002-2005
• Deacon Dan Hurley, 2005-2010
• Fr. Paul Gitau and Deborah A. Housel, 2010-Sep. 1, 2011 [Co-administrators]
• Deacon David Palma, Sep. 1, 2011-July 2012 [Administrator]
• Frs. William F. McGrath and Robert Werth, July 2012-June 25, 2019 [Co-pastorate]
• Fr. William F. McGrath, June 25, 2019-June 29, 2021
• Father Daniel Ruiz-Sierra, June 29, 2021 - Present

Treasures

Stained-Glass Windows: The 15 large stained-glass windows show scenes of the Old and New Testaments in brilliant red, blue, green, and gold hues. Created at Tiroler Glasmalerei in Innsbruck, Austria, they are depictions of angelic interventions in human life. These windows are priceless. Bells and Tower: At 246 feet, the tower is the tallest church steeple and the 10th tallest building in Rochester. There are 13 bells in the tower; the largest, “Johannes,” weighing 4800 lbs., and the smallest weighing a mere 127 lbs. and were manufactured by Meneely and Kimberly Foundry and the McShane Bell Foundry. The bells were fully refurbished in 2006. All are playable from a keyboard, and 3 can be rung by rope pullers. Christened by Bishop McQuaid, each bell was assigned a job – tolling for funerals, fire emergencies, etc. The tower has a clock with four faces (restored in 2003). Organ: Built by J.W. Steere & Son of Springfield, MA, our two manual pipe organ was a gift paid for by the children of the parish in 1903 to then pastor Fr. Hargather. The organ has 2259 pipes, 36 stops comprised of 42 ranks. The organ was enlarged and rebuilt by the Tellers Organ firm in 1955 and refurbished between 2000 and 2003. Other German Treasures • Processional Cross (Refurbished in 1986) • Baptismal Font (Contains illustrations of the Seven Sacraments, the four Evangelists, and is topped by a statue of St. John the Baptist as he baptized Jesus. Restored in 2003.)

Tour

South Wall
Upon entering the main church, turn to your left and begin with the first four stained-glass windows depicting stories from the Old Testament involving angels. • King David and the Angel • Zechariah in the Holy of Holies • Daniel in the Lion’s Den (This window won first prize in the Religious StainedGlass Exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.) • Abraham & Isaac • The Three Kings at the Nativity (The face of the Magi with the red velvet and ermine shawl is a portrait of Bishop McQuaid. The face of the shepherd dressed in green is the portrait of Father Fridolin Pascalar, our first pastor, who seems to be looking adoringly at Bishop McQuaid!) • St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

West Wall/Altar

Statues and carvings at the Sacred Heart altar depict from left to right: • St. John the Evangelist • The Sacred Heart of Jesus • St. Agnes • Our Lady of Cobre (Patroness of Cuba) To your right you will notice the raised wooden pulpit, hand carved by Anton Holstrich, original to the Church. Standing before the wooden main altar you will see the reredos topped with five spires each highlighted with gold leaf. Looking from left to right near the top of the reredos you will see: • A statue of Joseph with the Child Jesus • A carving depicting the Bible verse “Let the children come unto Me.” • Michael, the archangel (The wings of the statue had to be cut off so that it would fit into the top spire.) • A carving depicting the finding of Jesus in the Temple • St. Anne and the Virgin Mary • The tabernacle is located in the center of the reredos. On the main altar at the top of the stairs you will see a carving of the Last Supper. Originally the main altar was directly attached to the reredos. After the Second Vatican Council, the main altar was detached from the reredos and moved forward in the sanctuary. At that time, the prayer rail was removed and re-purposed as side tables in the sanctuary. Above the high altar you will find five stained-glass windows. Looking from left to right you will see: • A Guardian Angel with a young child • Gabriel and Mary at the Annunciation • The Archangel Michael • An angel appearing to Joseph in a dream • Raphael and Tobias Proceeding to your right is the Blessed Mother altar. Statues and carvings at the altar depict from left to right: • St. Dominic (Note the Rosary) • Mother Mary • St. Cecilia • Our Lady of Providence (Patroness of Puerto Rico)

North Wall

Continuing to your right you will see a small stained-glass window depicting St. Stanislaus on his death bed followed by stories from the New Testament. The large stained-glass window depicts the Last Judgment. The other windows on the North Wall depict: • The Agony in the Garden • The Fountain of Siloam • The Resurrection • The Escape of Peter from Prison

East Wall / Entrance

Turning to your right, you will see several statues at the back of the Church. • St. Barbara (A gift from the Polish Community who worshiped here while St. Stanislaus was built.) • St. Francis of Assisi • St. Anthony of Padua • St. Elizabeth of Hungary