Published: May 13, 2008 03:37 am            

CHURCH MERGERS: 3 parishes will join to become St. Brendan on the Lake

Our Lady of the Rosary in Wilson, St. Bridget’s in Newfane and St. Charles Borromeo in Olcott will become St. Brendan on the Lake on Memorial Day, May 26.

“The name came out of the blue,” the Rev. Robert A. Wozniak said Monday. “It surfaced from people’s personal preference.”

Parishioners wanted something different and considered 25 names. According to Irish legend, St. Brendan was a navigator and discovered the New World before Christopher Columbus. St. Brendan was a sixth-century monk from Ireland.

The closing liturgy for Our Lady of the Rosary will be in Wilson at 4 p.m. May 24. The closing liturgy for St. Bridget’s is 9 a.m. May 25. St. Charles will have closing liturgy at 11 a.m. May 25.

The three Roman Catholic communities will become St. Brendan on the Lake with opening Mass on at 9:30 a.m. May 26 at Krull Park at the Lyon’s Pavilion.

The new parish will have two regular worship sites, St. Brendan’s in Wilson and St. Brendan’s in Newfane, with an oratory at Olcott. The rectory and office for the merged parish will be located in Newfane. The rectories in Olcott and Wilson will be sold.

St. Brendan’s in Newfane and St. Brendan’s in Wilson each will have two Masses on the weekend. Wozniak will celebrate four Masses on Saturdays and Sundays. The pastor of Ransomville will celebrate the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass in Wilson.

St. Charles Borromeo church will become an oratory where one Saturday Vigil Mass will be celebrated each weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The summer liturgical schedule starts June 1:

• Saturday vigil: 4 p.m., St. Brendan’s, 359 Lake St., Wilson; 5:30 p.m. St. Brendan’s, 3455 Ewings, Newfane.

• Sunday Masses: 8 a.m. Wilson; 9:30 a.m. Newfane; 11 a.m., oratory, 5972 Main St., Olcott.

        

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