Catholicism in Little Falls dates back to 1833, when
a priest from St. John’s in Utica was assigned to minister to the few Catholics in the area. Services were held at the Old Octagon Church, where all the religious denominations in the village worshiped. St. Mary’s Parish was established in 1838 by Bishop John Hughes. Father Joseph Burke was appointed the first resident pastor.
Written records date back to September 8, 1842, with Father John Shanahan's arrival, who served Catholics in the western Mohawk Valley, from Tribes Hill to Deerfield. One can imagine his long and arduous trips, all made on horseback or wagon, on old trails and dirt roads, in all seasons, to serve his flock. One might wonder how he even found his scattered flock in his 250 square mile territory, but he managed to baptize 145 children in his first year as pastor.
The first Catholic Church in Little Falls was built in 1847, at nearly the same location as the present church. That wooden-frame building, built at the cost of $2,500, was dedicated by Bishop John McCloskey and was named “St. Mary’s of the Assumption.” Disaster befell the congregation on June 20, 1866, with the destruction of the wooden church by fire.
After this unfortunate fire, the Catholics worshiped at Keller Hall from 1866 to 1869, while they were building a new brick church on Petrie Street. Disaster struck again. Soon after the new church was completed in 1873, the building was condemned as being unsafe. Once again, the rapidly growing congregation had to hold their services in a more public setting–this time in the Skinner Hall Opera House.
By the early 1870s, Little Falls' population had grown to nearly 6,000 people, most of whom were of English or Irish parentage. By 1874, the Irish Catholics had become a major economic and political force in the community. They were mill owners, prosperous merchants, educators, and professionals, such as doctors and lawyers. Therefore, when it came time to design and build a new place of worship, the pocketbooks and bank accounts were opened wide. The ordinary working men and women, those toiling in the mills and factories, also pledged small amounts of money—in many instances, more than their means could provide. What they could not do in terms of money, they could do in labor—digging and preparing the ground for the foundation to get the site ready for construction. These men toiled evenings after dinner and on weekends.
In keeping with the European tradition, the new St. Mary’s was to be a testimony to the people’s love for God in all of His glory. The present church edifice, built in the Gothic style, was begun in 1874 when Father James Ludden was pastor. The architect was G. Edward Cooper of Utica, while the contractors were local artisans. The new church had a seating capacity of 1,200. The building's extreme dimensions were 160 x 95 feet, with walls 2½ feet thick, strengthened by solid masonry buttresses, twenty-eight feet in height. The stone used in construction was mined from local rock quarries.
The laying of the cornerstone took place on Sunday, May 19, 1878. Father Ludden celebrated the first Mass in the new church on Christmas Day in 1879. The original church building was topped off at the height of the bell tower. In 1901, the handsome main tower was extended to a height of 185 feet, complete with a massive gilded cross.
St. Mary’s Parish was renamed “Holy Family Parish” in 1992 when the three Little Falls parishes [St. Mary’s (1838), Sacred Heart (1911), and St. Joseph’s (1923)] were consolidated. The church building itself, which was dedicated to St. Mary of the Assumption in 1847, retains the name “St. Mary’s.”
The church suffered a serious fire on November 21, 2014. The fire gutted the work sacristy and entranceway, and the remainder of the church sustained smoke and water damage. Masses were held in the Parish Hall during the first phase of the cleaning, and the first Mass celebrated in the church after the fire was on Christmas Eve, 2014. Despite the smell of smoke still lingering in the air, parishioners were happy to be back in the church. During the second phase of the cleaning, masses were once again held in the Parish Hall because a motorized lift was being used to clean high areas. Masses once again resumed in the church on Saturday, February 8, 2015. A Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated at 10:30 on Sunday, February 9th, as parishioners gave thanks to God for saving the church. Firefighters and other first responders were the honored guests at that Mass and at the reception in the Parish Hall that followed to thank them for their heroic role in allowing us to continue to worship God in our beautiful and historic church. Extensive work began on the gutted Sacristy throughout 2015 and was completed in 2016.
Today, the 2020 population of Little Falls is less than 5,000 people, significantly less than the 7,000 residents when the current church building was constructed in 1874, and less than half the 11,000 to 13,000 residents when major renovations and upgrades were made in 1915. When the church was built with all its magnificence, it was done for one reason—to point and direct everything to Jesus and have people experience His Glory, to help people recognize the heavenly Glory that is before us, in the Church, and in the Eucharist, and to go out to the world and live it in the world.
Although we are fewer in number now and have reduced financial resources, it is still incumbent on the current and future generations of Holy Family Parish to maintain our beautiful facilities for the Glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ. There are many priceless and irreplaceable gifts left to us by our generous ancestors, along with the even greater treasure they left us—our Catholic Faith.
Adapted from the writing of Louis Baum, Holy Family Archivist.