General Info

The parish of St. Patrick of Victor, New York holds a unique geographical position in the beginnings of the spread of the Catholic Faith within an emerging nation. In September 1656, Father Joseph Chaumonot, S.J., came to the area and established the Mission of St. James on Boughton Hill, which is located about a mile on the same road, Maple Avenue, from the present site of St. Patrick's Church. Many artifacts have been unearthed, to prove beyond a doubt, the presence of the early missionaries in this locality. So, indeed, the area in which St. Patrick's now stands, holds a heritage of the first endeavors of Christianizing the native American Indians in this part of New York State. The missionaries work was brought to an abrupt end in 1687 by the French Expedition of revenge by Denonville. It was not until many years later, due to the advent of immigrants from the various countries of Euorpe, that there was a need for churches to supply immigrants with places of worship. It was especially true in regard to those from Ireland. Due to the Famine and the treatment they were receiving from the British, they sought freedom in the land of the Free. There was also great demand for laborers in constructing the Canal and later in building railroads. Farm workers were also needed. Due to the great influx of new inhabitants, large amounts of food stuffs and raw materials were required for the building of cities. Brought to a strange land, and soon missing the consolation of their Religion, the new inhabitants managed to have occasional services performed by their own priests, who came from Rochester.