Parish publishes anniversary book

Last year, members of St. Mary's Church in Amsterdam celebrated the parish's 125th anniversary. To honor that occasion, a new book chronicles the parish's growth from a small mission made up of immigrant laborers to a thriving community of the third millennium.

At the urging of Rev. James Gulley, pastor, Jackie Murphy, the retired historian for Montgomery County and a parishioner, undertook the massive project of collecting information.

The result is "St. Mary's Parish: A History Celebrating 125 years of Remarkable People, Events and Memories," a 100-page hardcover that not only details the parish but also Montgomery County and the City of Amsterdam.

Beginnings

The parish, then named St. Patrick's, was originally established around 1837 as a mission church in the New York Archdiocese to serve Irish canal laborers in the Mohawk River Valley.

The first priest to serve the community was Rev. William Beecham, an Irish immigrant himself. His assignment included the area from the St. Lawrence River to the Pennsylvania border: Buffalo to Binghamton.

When the Diocese of Albany was established in 1847, St. Mary's was included in its wide-reaching boundaries.

Growing

"A lot of the extensive research has revealed that the growth of St. Mary's coincided with the growth of the county," said Father Gulley. "Once it was put into book form, the connection became clear. They both grew up together."

Father Gulley, who has been pastor for 17 years of the 25 years he has been at St. Mary's, noted that even long-standing parishioners were amazed to read the history of the county and the city within the history of the parish.

"It's been a great source of remembrance for all of us," he said.

("St. Mary's Parish: A History," $30, can be purchased at Mysteries on Main Street in Johnstown, the Kateri Tekakwitha Store on Rt. 67 in Amsterdam or by calling 842-4500.)

(11/9/06) [[In-content Ad]]