A History of St. Agatha’s Church
Canastota, NY

Salvation History of groups and individuals develops within the matrix of their material and secular history. It is a combination of God’s grace, historic circumstances, and individual response to these that makes the spiritual history of each individual as he finds his way along life’s devious paths to his ultimate destiny.

Since man is a social being he does not usually find his way to God alone. In all ages people have joined together in their search for the ultimate meaning of life and for adequate means of worshiping their creator. Responding to this deep tendency in man, Jesus, before He left this earth, instituted His church. Through the ages this church has lived on, sometimes in small loving and worshiping groups, sometimes in larger, more clearly defined congregations – – all seeking more or less successfully to develop Christian Community and “to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.”

In this our Centennial Memorial Booklet we have tried to gather together some of the highlights which have made up the salvation history of our own people and Parish of St. Agatha’s, Canastota, established in 1883 and this year celebrating its 100th anniversary.

To understand our parish we must look to the historic and geographic setting in which it grew up. As central New York entered the 19th century it could still be considered a part of the Western Frontier. The settlement and growth of numerous small communities in what is now Canastota was a slow but steady process … Clockville, Wampsville, Quality Hill, Whitelaw, and South Bay each had its own story of settlement, growth, change, amalgamation, and in some cases decline or absorption into a larger community. Many of those settling here came in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War and in the few decades that followed it. Most of these people were of the Protestant faith and it is significant that in almost every case one of the earliest endeavors was the establishment of a church with its opportunity to worship God and experience Christian fellowship.

During the earliest immigrations most of the Roman Catholics coming from Ireland or from the various parts of Europe tended to remain in the cities. Here parishes were set up, mostly upon ethnic lines, and spiritual needs were hopefully met. Catholics venturing into more rural areas often found themselves isolated from church and priest. Our pioneer American Church was concerned and a system of outreach was established. Early records show that a Father William Beecham of Rome was appointed to look after the spiritual needs of the people of nearby Chittenango. A few years later Rev. Michael Haas, Pastor of St. Mary’s Syracuse gathered the Catholics of the area together in the home of James Stewart. In 1883, Father Janes Collins was appointed as the first resident pastor of St. Patrick’s, Chittenango and in this same year the Bishop of Albany (the diocese of Syracuse did not exist as yet) gave permission for the establishment of a parish at Canastota, under the patronage of St. Agatha. This parish remained for some years a mission of the Chittenango parish. Some time later, the growth of Canastota’s Catholic population greatly exceeding that of Chittenango, the roles were reversed with St. Patrick’s becoming a mission of St. Agatha’s and the pastor who served both parishes taking up residence in Canastota.

Some thirty families … half of them Irish made up the first congregation. During the next twenty years there was a steady but slow increase. The establishment of a glass factory brought some Belgians and Germans, railroad construction brought more Irish. A few Irish, French and German farmers came from the north to establish dairy farms. It was just before the turn of the century that the influx of Italians began.

One wonders at what providential circumstances existed that gave Bishop McNeiry of Albany the inspiration to name the Canastota parish St. Agatha in honor of an early century Sicilian martyr. The appropriateness of the patron can be seen clearly at this time, but in 1883 the influx of Italian immigrants had not yet begun nor could it have been anticipated. It is said that in selecting a patron for the Canastota Parish, Bishop McNeiry had looked at the church calendar to find a saint whose feast was coming soon and so selected St. Agatha. Perhaps so. But one might also like to believe that a watchful, loving, provident God guided the choice. He saw in anticipation the large numbers of Italians who would be flocking to the area within the next few decades. He knew they would be poor, and lonely, and that uncertainty would mingle with their hope of better times. With His loving fatherly predilection for the poor He wanted them to have the joy of finding a church where they would feel at home and have the added joy of rediscovering their own Sicilian St. Agatha whom they had loved and honored since youth.

To understand the Italian immigration to the United States between the years 1871 and the beginning of World War I we must turn our eyes to Italy. The unification sought by Garabaldi existed on paper but there was still great unrest. If economic improvement was to be expected, it was slow in coming to the poorest sections of the country. Northern Italy was already highly industrialized and agricultural conditions were good, so in these areas there was a fair degree of prosperity. Central Italy having its hub in cultural Rome fared almost as well. It was in the southern provinces, especially in the island of Sicily that the most extreme poverty existed. The quality of the farm land was poor, most of the land was owned by about 1% of the population, landlords charged high rents, and paid poor wages. Agricultural workers earned between 16 and 30 cents a day. The prevalence of malaria in the low lands presented a constant threat to health. For these people America became the dream and hope of a new life. During the period between 1871 and the beginning of World War I no less than 5,000,000 persons left Italy’s shores to settle in America.

Getting employment, at this time in America was no problem. In the late 1800’s America’s industrial revolution was going full blast. The immigrants were welcomed as the answer to the labor shortage. They would work longer hours and for smaller wages. Living conditions in the cities however were often incredibly bad with entire families often living in a single room. Those immigrants who had the resources and the foresight to make their way to an area in upstate New York were more fortunate. Although they were not always received with open arms by the native Americans, they had fresh air and sunshine, avoided the crowding of the slums and usually settled where there were others of their own faith and culture with whom they could relate.

The arrival of large numbers of Italians had great significance for St. Agatha’s parish. From a slowly growing rural parish in a predominantly Protestant neighborhood, it became over a period of several decades a flourishing parish with many of its religious and social functionings patterned at least partially on old Italian ways.

If the Italians brought new life and growth to the parish, they also found much which brought comfort, joy, and a feeling of belonging. The church with its priest, its sacraments, its externals of religious pictures, statues, lighted candles, etc. provided a sense of being at home. Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, and Marriages, all in the traditional Latin helped them to link their life in America with memories of the past.

As the parishoners grew in number, expanded facilities were needed. In 1914 additions were made to the original church erected in 1883. A new sanctuary, vestibule, and choir gallery were added.

The first parish hall was erected in 1926 and further improvements were made to the Church in 1949 and 1952.

Meanwhile other changes had occured. In 1931 four Daughters of Charity from Emmitsburg arrived at Oneida to do catechetical work among the children. Within a few months their services were also being extended to the young people of St. Agatha’s. Twice each week the Sisters made the trip from St. Joseph’s until in 1948 a separate mission was set up in Canastota and the Sisters took up residence at 316 N. Peterboro Street. In addition to catechetical work the Sisters visited the families of the children as well as the sick and aged.

As the 1960’s approached the growth of the parish and the inadequacy of some of the old buildings indicated a need for expansion. In 1962 a spacious parish hall with ample room for catechetical classes as well as parish social activities was erected. This was followed five years later by the building of a new church. In December 1971 the Sisters moved into their newly constructed convent on Spencer Street and in 1981 work was completed on a new parish house on the site of the old rectory.

St. Agatha’s takes pride in its parish plant, but a church is not simply brick and mortar. It is primarily a group of people bound together in a community of worship and of Christian fellowship and service. By God’s grace this aspect of our parish life has also grown. As we face the future, we take courage in the firm belief that “God who has begun a good work in us will perfect it until the day of His coming.”