On June 1st, 1946, the parish of Immaculate Heart
of Mary was established by the Rev. John F. O’Hara, then Bishop
of Buffalo. The Rev. Charles G. Gampp was appointed the first
pastor. The initial enrollment of the parish was 725 families.
The combination Church /Hall was dedicated on June
8, 1947 and the rectory was completed March 31, 1948. While awaiting
completion of the rectory, Father Gampp resided at St. James Rectory
on Bailey Avenue. Father Gampp lost no time in organizing the
Rosary Altar Society on December 1, 1946 and the Holy Name Society
the following week. Mrs. Louis Mueller and Mr. John McGreevey
were elected first presidents of the respective societies. The
older parishioners remember the many meetings and breakfasts that
were held in the back of the church. The quarters may have been
cramped but this did not hold back the spirit of the people.
The next important highlight of the parish was the
completion of the school and hall in May 1951. We were very fortunate
to get the Missionary Sisters of the Divine Child to staff the
school. The establishment of the Home School Association followed
shortly after, with Flossie Oates elected as the first president.
Another highlight in the parish history was sports.
Coach Paul Quagliana and Immaculate Heart of Mary School made
its name by having winning champions in Baseball and Basketball.
Several daughters of the parishioners have joined
the religious life, most of them in the congregation of the Missionary
Sisters of the Divine Child. The Rev. Francis B. Barratto has
been the first and only priest to say his first mass in our Church.
In June 1962, Father Gampp was transferred to St.
Bonaventure Church in West Seneca. He was succeeded by Rev. William
Crotty. Father Crotty’s tenure was not long for in January 1964,
he was transferred to Annunciation Church.
The Rev. George J. Pollard was made pastor on January
13, 1964. He led the parishioners until his retirement in 1983.
Rev. Bernard Nowak functioned as acting Administrator until July
1987. This same year Fr. George Pollard died as pastor–emeritus.
In December of 1987 Msgr. Raymond J. Kozlowski was
assigned as Administrator. This was an added responsibility for
Msgr. Ray. He also was the Chief of Chaplains for the VA Hospital,
Buffalo, New York as well as the Diocesan Director for Health
Care. Msgr. Ray died in 1996 after a short illness.
Father Richard H. Augustyn was named Administrator
in the fall of 1996. As it was for Msgr. Ray this was an added
responsibility for Father Richard. Fr. Richard functions as the
Director of Pastoral Care/Education and Volunteer Services at
Kaleida Health/Buffalo General Hospital. He also succeeded Msgr.
Ray as the Director of Health Care for the Diocese of Buffalo
to the present.
Today’s pastoral staff at Immaculate Heart of Mary
consists of two trustees: Mr. John Stetter and Mr. Kenneth Vaughn.
The parish office manager is Mrs. Helen Marien (for 35 plus years
and still going strong). She is assisted by Mrs. Rose Vaughn.
The parish organist is Mrs. Elaine Swords. The parish caterer
is Judy Palmisano from the Golden Parachute. Our representatives
on the Vicariate level are Mrs. Catherine Hart and Mr. Michael
Swords. The facilities are maintained by Mary Frances Burek and
Susan Putland.
The last three years there has been a resurrection
of the CCD program. The same spirit of the early Immaculate Heart
of Mary still exists as we teach our children the Catholic Faith
in the back of the church, in the former apartments and basement
of the rectory. A monthly social takes place in the back of church.
Bible Camp has become a part of the culture of Immaculate Heart
of Mary. The family picnic on the parish grounds takes place rain
or shine. The parishioners wanted to celebrate the millennium
in a special way. A pilgrimage was made to Quebec City and Montreal
to all the shrines in that area. The summer months are filled
with trips to WNY area attractions. All these efforts are helping
in the rebuilding of the parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Click on the links below
to find out
more information about our parish:
The
Franciscan Missionary Of The Divine Child
Immaculate Heart of Mary's
50 Plus Years of Spiritual Leadership:
Pastors
Assistant
Pastors
Rosary Altar
Society
Rosary
Altar Society - Past Presidents
Home
School Association
Holy Name
Society
Holy
Name Society - Past Presidents
