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[Picture of Church]

Location
Holy Cross Church is located at 4492 Lake Avenue in Rochester, New York, in the community of Charlotte. Holy Cross Parish is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. It territorially serves the Catholic population of the Charlotte community that rests on the shores of Lake Ontario. The Genesee River borders us to the east, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery to the South, and the Town of Greece to the west. Others from outside this area are welcome to register as parishioners as well. [Maps]

History
Holy Cross Church was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Timon of Buffalo on May 3, 1863, the feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross. It was a remodeled house on the site of the present church building. At that time, Holy Cross was a mission church. The remodeled house was enlarged many times between 1863 and 1877. With the last addition, the remodeled structure took on the form of a cross and had the capacity to hold 400 persons. The cornerstone for the present church was laid on Sunday, August 28, 1881. The completed structure was dedicated on December 10, 1882. This structure was located immediately in front of the original church. Only two weeks after the new church was dedicated, the old church was destroyed by fire during a Christmas celebration. A new bell was purchased for the church and blessed on November 10, 1890. At the time, the tower of the church was not yet constructed and the bell was hung in the adjacent school. During the period 1895 through 1913, new pews were added and a pipe organ was purchased. From 1913 to 1923, the tower of the church was completed, new floors were laid, new electric fixtures were installed, and the interior of the church was redecorated. This redecoration included new Stations of the Cross, new windows and a new bell. During the period 1946 through 1952, the church was again completely redecorated, a new slate roof installed, a new south entrance added, and altars and pews were changed. The Shrine of Our Lady of Peace was completed. During the 1952 to 1955 timeframe, the north entrance, the baptistery and the “Children’s Room” were added. In 1977, the deed to the land in front of lighthouse on the Lake Avenue side was acquired when the Federal government declared it as surplus land The last interior remodeling of the church took place in 1985. This included a new sanctuary area, creation of Blessed Sacrament Chapel with wrought iron gates; installation of the Holy Cross; colors of walls and ceiling changed; burgundy carpeting installed; baptismal area moved to south front transept of the church; former baptistry converted into a room for vesting and for the Sacrament of Reconciliation; gutters replaced and roof repaired; stained glass windows covered with glass. Bishop Matthew Clark held a rededication ceremony in June 1985. [Picture of wrought iron gates] The medallions depict six sacraments with the tabernacle, the Eucharist, as the 7th sacrament and the central focus. A new organ built by Bedient Pipe Organ Company in Lincoln, Nebraska was installed in the church in 1995. The organ was lifted into place on Father’s Day as many dads donated their time to install the organ to its present position. [Picture of organ] Opus 48 Organ In 1998, the first major addition in almost 50 years was built onto Holy Cross Church. The assembly area was enlarged which increased capacity by 70 seats. A new kitchen and large meeting area provide space for gatherings of up to 175 people. Bishop Matthew Clark dedicated the new addition on January 3, 1999. In fall 2003, air-conditioning was installed in the church. It was used for the first in spring 2004. An addition to house the parish offices was completed in 2006.

Pastors
Through the years, Holy Cross Church has been blessed with many pastors who dedicated their lives and service to the parish. In 1863, Reverend John M. Maurice of Our Mother of Sorrows became the parish’s first pastor and served for ten years. Father John J. Donnelly became the first resident pastor on July 7, 1873. Since then Holy Cross has had ten other resident pastors: Rev. Thomas A. Hendricks (1874 – 1876), Rev. Simon FitzSimons (1876 – 1877), Rev. John M. Fitzgerald (1877 – 1895), Rev. William Payne (1895 – 1913), Rev. Alexander J. McCabe (1913 – 1946), Bishop Lawrence B. Casey (1946 – 1952), Rev. J. Joseph O’Connell (1952 – 1955), Rev. Robert H. Fennessy (1955 – 1977), Rev. John P. O’Malley (1977 – 1982), and Rev. Thomas H. Wheeland (1982 – Present).