The
Church of Christ the King
 |
The Roman Catholic community of Snyder, New York and its surrounding areas, have
been served by the Church of Christ the King since June 13, 1926. To understand how Christ the King Parish was
established, we must look back to the history of Catholics in Buffalo, New York. |
St. John Neumann’s Influence
This area which is now our parish, was
once part of the mission territory first served by Father John Neumann. His territory extended from Northbush (Kenmore)
and Tonawanda to the north, and to Sheldon far to the southeast. Father Neumann established the parish of St. Peter
& Paul Church to help meet the needs of the community, during his assignment to WNY
from 1836-1840. The Diocese of Buffalo was
established later in 1847. (Father Neumann
was canonized in 1977).
Establishment of Christ the King Parish
St. Peter & Paul Church continued
to be the parish for the people in the Snyder area until May 8, 1926. On that date, Most Reverend William Turner, then
Bishop of Buffalo, appointed Rev. Henry A. Mooney pastor for a new parish in the expanding
village of Snyder, New York. Until a new
church could be built, Mass was celebrated at the Amherst District 18 school building,
which was located behind the current Snyder Public Library.
This building was demolished in 1975.
Charles Burkhardt, who was the builder
for “Audubon Terrace”, offered as a gift to the Diocese, a tract of land
bordered by Kensington Ave., Walton Drive, and Huxley Drive. Father Mooney declined this offer, and instead
requested the land located along Lamarck, Bentham and Main Street (where our Church stands
today). Father Mooney’s plans included
the Church, a pastor’s residence, school and convent.
The cornerstone for the new construction was laid on the Feast of Christ the
King, Oct. 27, 1928. This was an appropriate
occasion considering that our Church was the first in the world to be dedicated to
“Christ the King” (the title was given on May 1, 1926). A year later, on the Feast of Christ the King,
1929, the first mass was offered in the new church by Bishop William Turner.
Christ the King Church was built in the
form of an “L”. The church was
designed to seat about 600 people, the section parallel to Main Street contained the
school facilities on the first floor, and the pastor’s residence on the second floor. The basement included a parish club or meeting
room, a kitchen and a bowling alley.
The “Crash” of the Stock Market
Several days after the first celebrated
mass at Christ the King, the stock market crashed, bringing hard times to the Parish. The people of the parish worked together during
this difficult time-period to hold a number of fund raising activities to benefit the
church. These fund-raisers included card
parties, sale of fresh fruit and Christmas trees, dances, lawn fetes and carnivals. There was also prize fighting in a ring set up in
the church basement with Jimmy Goodrich (well-known boxing champ of the ‘20s).
The Growth of CTK Parish
The end of the Great Depression brought a renewed affluence to Snyder, NY, along
with an increase in population. In order to
serve the growing community, additional land was purchased.
The land was used to build Christ the King School in 1952 (see further in the
history for more information about the school).
After seeing many of his plans for the parish fulfilled, Father Mooney celebrated
his last mass on October 25, 1953 (the Feast of Christ the King). After a short illness, he died on November 4th
of that year. Msgr. William M. Martin was
assigned to become pastor of Christ the King.
By 1954, the parish had grown to include 1,200 families. Msgr. Martin began fund raising in order to
accommodate the greater population. An
addition to the school was built in 1956, and included nine classrooms, a library, a
nurse’s office and a recreation center, which was named “Mooney Hall” after
the first pastor, Rev. Henry A. Mooney.
Msgr. Martin also proceeded with plans to build a rectory, which was completed in
1954. Activities such as the Rosary and
Altar Society, the Holy Name Society, Altar boys, youth groups, and choir, were also
organized during his time at the Church. Msgr.
Martin died in April 1956, and Msgr. Edward J. Ferger became pastor of the parish.
Subsequent Pastors
Msgr. Ferger’s short pastor-ship at Christ the King was marked by a
beautification of the church. Marble statures
of Christ the King and the Immaculate Conception were installed, as were new Stations of
the Cross.
Following Msgr. Ferger’s
retirement on Easter, 1960, Msgr. John J. McMahon was installed as the fourth pastor of
Christ the King. Many activities were started
and continued during his tenure at the church, such as the now traditional May Appeal. In addition to allocating the funds to modernize
the convent, Msgr. McMahon, to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners, oversaw
the creation of the Chapel of “Mary the Queen” (commonly referred to as the
Lower Church). He retired in January of 1979,
having just celebrated fifty years in the priesthood.
The fifth pastor of Christ the King, Msgr. Francis P. Sorci, was installed after
Msgr. McMahon’s retirement. While Msgr.
Sorci was pastor, both of the Churches, the school and gym, underwent renovation and
update. He also helped move the parish into
the 20th Century when he computerized the parish data, including updates from
the Parish Census of 1985. Msgr. Sorci retired in November of 1992, and remains Pastor
Emeritus.
Msgr. Lichtenthal
Msgr. James J. Lichtenthal, was our
sixth pastor and continued making further
improvements to Christ the King Parish. He
implemented the 3-year “Welcome Home Appeal,” which benefited the Church
community in a variety of ways, including: handicap accessibility, roof replacements and
renovated parking lots. In an effort to
uphold the Church’s traditional look, many of the statues in both the churches have
been refurbished, including: the Angels on either side of the Upper Church Altar, the
Nativity scene figures, the Stations of the Cross in the Lower Church, and the Blessed
Mother and Christ the King Statues outside of the Church.
The
spiritual life of the church also underwent changes and improvements. In 1994, girls were allowed to become Altar
Servers, and we now have a large number of girls serving.
Also in 1994, Msgr. Lichtenthal initiated the creation of the R.C.I.A. and the
Parish Council, which remain very active groups in our parish.
One of Msgr. Lichtenthal’s proudest contributions to our parish community was the creation of the Perpetual Adoration Chapel in June of 2000. This chapel is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with constant visitation by members of our parish community.
Msgr Lichtenthal retired May 1, 2007.
He was replaced by Fr. John Gaglione as the seventh pastor of Christ the King
Parochial Vicars – Past & Present
Father Joseph J. Sicari, who is in
residence, has been at our parish since 1989. He
is actively involved in Catholic Charities, serving as the Associate Director, since 1995.
The growth and continued strength of our parish has not only benefited from our
pastors, but also other members of the religious community who have served here. Associates/Parochial Vicars who have been part of
Christ the King community (listed in order of their assignment) are, Rev(s): James J.
Browne, C. Leyden Ameely, Robert Hogan, Joseph F. Magner, David V. Roche, Joseph G. Attea,
Robert J. Hogan, James J. Kasinski, Francis Braun, Daniel J. Palys, Thomas J. McCarthy,
Daniel P. Walsh, James A. Walter, Donald J. Lutz, Richard W. Siepka, Joseph J. Sicari,
Sebastian C. Pierro, and David A. Bellittiere.
CTK
School
The Sisters of St. Joseph and the Franciscan Sister of Allegany, NY, have contributed to Christ the King’s school over the years. The Sisters of St. Joseph taught from 1929-1943. Sister Anne Patrice and Sister Frederic, S.S.J., were teachers during the schools first year. Deeply appreciative of the nuns, who provided a value-based education for their children, mothers would often make lunches and provide transportation for them.
The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, NY have taught at the school since 1943. The current principal Sister Mary Ellen Tucker, helps make the school community feel like a family, dedicated to superior education and spiritual guidance. Past principal, Sr. Rosa Mystica still resides in our convent, although she is assigned elsewhere.
Today, the Church of Christ the King
seeks to educate the children not only through the school, but also through its Religious
Education program. With the increased
activities of the Youth Council, the parish is ensuring that the young are taught highly
valued Catholic traditions of service, understanding, compassion, discipline, and above
all, a reverence for God and His Church.
In Conclusion…
Looking back on the history of the Church of Christ the King allows us to use our
past as a “blueprint” for the future. As
we continue to grow as a faith community, let us look back on these times not only to
understand where we as Catholics began, but also how we can truly live in one Holy,
Catholic, Apostolic Church.