History of St. Mary's
The formation of St. Mary Parish started in 1850 with the German Catholics who were settled in the Lockport area. In the early 1850s, Bishop John Timon ordered a mission for German Catholics and allowed them to meet at St. John the Baptist Church. Inspired and encouraged by the growing number of German immigrants, Bishop Timon granted permission for the Germans to separate and form their own parish community.
On March 6, 1859, a group of German trustees purchased a parcel of land housing a wood frame church from the Grace Episcopal Church in Lockport for a sum of $2,000. This became the new home of St. Mary's Parish.
The parish was administered by the pastor of Good Shepherd, Pendleton, Father Francis S. Uhrich, from 1859 to 1863. During the first Mass, St. Mary's Parish was dedicated in honor of the Blessed Mother under the title Immaculate Conception.
Father John Zoegel was the first resident pastor to live on the premises of St. Mary's Parish from 1863 to 1864. He built the first parsonage.
Because of the exploding growth of the congregation, a new school was built under the direction of Father G. Gill. With his vision of the future of St. Mary's Parish, he rallied the members to replace the wood-frame church with a more solid red brick building. Father Gill also saw the need to have the parsonage enlarged. On June 4, 1885, the cornerstone for the church was laid and dedicated in a ceremony by Bishop Stephen V. Ryan.
In 1905, Father August Wiese eliminated the church debt and at the same time was able to make extensive improvements to the church property.
His accomplishments included repairing and replacing the church roof, adding a new communion rail, installing stained glass windows, new confessionals, a new heating system, the purchase of the Stations of the Cross from Munich, Germany, and stools for altar boys. In 1909 the parish purchased a Teller pipe organ.
Father John H. Christman (1930-1947), despite the great Depression, led St. Mary's Parish in an eight-year renovation program, which included covering the red bricks with a yellow brick veneer. The parishioners donated a dime for each brick. The large cross that adorns and surmounts the spire was removed, reinforced, and gilded with 22-carat gold leaf. The front entrance was remodeled entirely with Indiana grey stone. He added the bronze lanterns that adorn the front of the church. He renovated the interior of the church. He added a new 20-ton main altar, the two side altars, and a pulpit all made of Cararra marble. He commissioned Lockport's renowned artist, Raphael Beck, to paint scenes of the Good Samaritan and the Death of St. Joseph.
In the 1940s, the old school built in 1892 became inadequate. So the pastor, Father Albert G. Winter (1947-1971), built a new eight-classroom school building with plans for future additions and built a new rectory.
The faith of St. Mary's Parish took on a new depth under the spiritual direction of Msgr. Paul J. Eberz (1971-1983). Due to the Renew Program, there was a change of focus and new enthusiasm in the parishioners. Msgr. Eberz, a lover of church music, organized a $100,000 renovation of the pipe organ. In addition, a new altar of sacrifice facing the people was installed and the sanctuary was modernized. At that time the church was also re-consecrated.
Father Joseph Dowdell (1983-1986) served St. Mary's Parish during a time of declining Catholic school enrollment. Because of his foresight, Father Dowdell worked toward the consolidation of the Catholic schools in Lockport to a three-school system: primary, intermediate, and middle school.
Father John T. O'Shea (1986-1990) resigned due to poor health. His dream was to build a new church hall/parish center attached to the church so as to encourage easier access to community social activities and to stimulate parish growth.
Father Bernard Mach (1990-1993) came to St. Mary's Parish and brought the program known as Mission. This brought a tremendous increase in parish membership and involvement in the faith community.
In February 1994, St. Mary Parish welcomed back Msgr. Michael J. Yunk, a former assistant from 1958-1964. The people of St. Mary's Parish, under the leadership of Msgr. Yunk, made major renovations and repairs which included replacing the church wall around the Holy Family window, new carpeting, painting the interior of the church, a new church roof, and energy conservation improvements on all parish buildings.
In 1996 a lightning surge destroyed the electrical circuitry of St. Mary's renowned pipe organ. Working with Henry Teller, over $21,000 of repairs were made to restore the organ to its might and splendor.
Rev. Gary R. Kibler was appointed pastor of St. Mary's in September 2000. Father Kibler's administration has rejuvenated the mission and structure of the Parish Pastoral Council and of the numerous organizations and ministries of the parish. He was responsible for spearheading the successful fundraising drive that raised $400,000 for the renovation of the church hall. The beautifully decorated and highly functional air-conditioned Parish Center houses a dining area that can seat 200, a modern commercial-grade kitchen, classrooms, meeting rooms, gym, and handicapped-accessible bathroom and entry. Newly added in the fall of 2006 is a nursery, "Mary's Little Lambs", that looks after children, ages infant to 3 years, while parents attend Mass. Another recent addition is a handicapped-accessible bathroom in the church. City-wide RCIA classes are held in the Parish Center which is also used for parish socials, dinners, and fundraising events.