Three faith communities in southwest Monroe County and northeast Livingston County will combine into a single parish at the end of June.
The new parish will be known as St. Martin de Porres, incorporating the worship sites of St. Mary of the Assumption, Scottsville, and St. Vincent de Paul, Churchville, both in Monroe County; and St. Columba/St. Patrick, Caledonia in Livingston County.
Since 2011, the three churches have operated as a cluster, in which one pastoral leader oversees multiple churches with separate staffs, finances and parish pastoral councils. When churches merge into a single parish, on the other hand, the staffs, finances, councils and committees are combined. A new name also is selected for the merged parish, although each church building retains its original name.
Formation of the new parish was first announced publicly in March 2017 through a decree from Bishop Salvatore R. Matano. Father John Hayes, who has served as pastor of the cluster since 2014, also will be pastor of the newly merged parish.
St. Martin de Porres Parish is named in honor of a Peruvian Dominican lay brother (1579-1639) who was renowned for his work with the sick, poor and orphaned as well as his emphasis on social justice. The new parish’s patron was canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII.
