Blessed Sacrament (Diocese of Buffalo, Andover)

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Blessed Sacrament
Dedication: Blessed Sacrament
Type/Classification: Territorial Parish
Non-Parochial: No
Operated By: Diocesan clergy
Venerated Saints: None specified
Diocese: Diocese of Buffalo
Deanery:
Address: 1 Church St., Andover, New York 14806-0761
City: Andover, NY
Subdivision: New York
Country: United States
County: Allegany County
Website: No website specified
Founded: 1855
School: No
Email: None specified
AI Confidence: 8/10
Review Level: 0/5


Blessed Sacrament Church is a territorial parish of the Diocese of Buffalo, located in the village of Andover in Allegany County, New York. The parish takes its name from the Blessed Sacrament, the consecrated Body and Blood of Christ reserved in the Eucharist, and traces its roots to Catholic congregational life organized in the village in the 1850s.

The community was first gathered as St. John's (Roman Catholic) Church in 1852, and its first wooden church building, erected on Dyke Street, was completed in 1855. As the parish grew, a new brick church was built under Rev. D. Walsh beginning in 1883 and was dedicated on September 26, 1886, under the new name of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament.[1]

As part of a diocese-wide restructuring effort, Diocese of Buffalo officials in 2024 recommended that Blessed Sacrament Parish merge with Immaculate Conception Parish in nearby Wellsville, New York.[2]

History

According to the Allegany County Historical Society, the first public Catholic services in Andover were celebrated around 1850 by Rev. John Touhey, initially in a private home and later in rooms above a local store.[1] St. John's Church was formally organized in 1852 with approximately 150 members, and construction of its first wooden church building on Dyke Street began in the spring of 1854, completed in 1855 at a cost of $600, though the building was reportedly never formally dedicated.[1] By 1864, an additional $1,200 had been spent on improvements to accommodate the growing congregation.[1]

With continued growth in the village and among Catholic families on South Hill, the parish outgrew its original building. On April 14, 1883, Rev. D. Walsh took charge of the parish and undertook the construction of a larger church. The present church property was purchased on July 13, 1883, and the cornerstone of the new building was laid on August 9, 1885. The brick church, built at a cost of approximately $12,000, was dedicated on September 26, 1886, as the Church of the Blessed Sacrament.[1]

The following decades saw continued development of the parish plant, including the installation of a pipe organ and interior painting in 1892, and further improvements to the rectory and grounds between 1893 and 1904.[1] Around 1915, Blessed Sacrament was regarded as one of the better-administered parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo.[1] The parish produced at least two native priestly vocations in the early twentieth century: Rev. John Lawrence Lynch, ordained in 1919, and Rev. John R. Shea, ordained in Rome in 1924, who later served as pastor of Blessed Sacrament beginning in 1947 until his death in 1974.[1] In 1927, the parish established Gate of Heaven Cemetery on Greenwood Road east of the village.[1]

As of a 2024 announcement by the Diocese of Buffalo, Blessed Sacrament was recommended, along with St. Mary Parish in Bolivar, to merge with Immaculate Conception Parish in Wellsville as part of a broader reorganization of parishes across the diocese's Southern Tier East Vicariate.[2]

Special features

  • Historic ties to two locally born priests: Rev. John Lawrence Lynch (ordained 1919) and Rev. John R. Shea (ordained 1924, later pastor of the parish)
  • Gate of Heaven Cemetery, established by the parish in 1927 on Greenwood Road east of Andover

Relics

According to established Catholic tradition, the main altar of a dedicated parish church typically contains relics of saints, as is customary in the rite of church dedication. Specific information regarding relics housed at Blessed Sacrament Church is not documented in available sources.

Architecture and Art

Exterior features

  • A brick church building, with its cornerstone laid on August 9, 1885, and the completed structure dedicated on September 26, 1886, at a reported construction cost of approximately $12,000[1]

Interior features

  • A pipe organ, installed in 1892 and later overhauled in the early 1900s[1]
  • Four chandeliers added between 1901 and 1904[1]
  • A sanctuary lamp donated by the parish Altar Society, kept burning before the tabernacle[1]
  • Interior repainting and redecoration undertaken in the mid-1970s under the supervision of local art teacher William "Scotty" MacCrae[1]

Stained Glass Windows

Specific details on the church's stained glass windows are not documented in available sources.

Statues and Sculptures

  • A statue of the Sacred Heart, placed in the church in the early 1900s[1]
  • A life-size statue of Saint Anthony, donated by Rev. Thomas A. Murray[1]

Other Artwork

  • Decorative art motifs added to the altar and walls during a mid-1970s renovation[1]

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Media

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Related parishes

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External links

  • No official parish website is documented in available sources.

Social media

Official Social Media

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 Ronald Taylor. "Andover Catholic Church". Allegany County Historical Society. https://www.alleganyhistory.org/places/towns-and-villages/a-e274/andover24/andover-related-articles/1194-andover-catholic-church. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Diocese releases full list of recommended mergers". WNY Catholic, Diocese of Buffalo. https://wnycatholic.org/2024/06/21/diocese-releases-full-list-of-recommended-mergers/. 
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