Senate Resolution No. 5846

BY: Senator GRIFFO

COMMEMORATING the 200th Anniversary of St. John's
Church of Utica, New York, to be celebrated on
November 4, 2018

WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and

WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body takes pleasure in commemorating the
200th Anniversary of St. John's Church of Utica, New York, to be
celebrated with a myriad of events throughout the summer, culminating
with Celebratory Mass with Bishop Robert Cunningham followed by a Dinner
Gala at Hart's Hill Inn in Whitesboro, New York, on Sunday, November 4,
2018; and

WHEREAS, St. John's Church in Utica, New York, is the fourth-oldest
Catholic church in New York State, and the oldest within the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Syracuse; and

WHEREAS, St. John's Church was incorporated, and celebrated its
first Mass in the Utica Court House in January of 1819; two years later,
the first St. John's Church was built on Bleecker Street on land donated
to the church by Mr. and Mrs. Morris Miller; and

WHEREAS, In 1834, three nuns established a school for young women
and an orphanage for girls at the parish; and

WHEREAS, The first church building was moved across the street in
1836, and in its place, a second new and larger church was built in the
Greek Revival style; and

WHEREAS, In June of 1869, the cornerstone of the third church, the
preset brick edifice, was laid; during construction, the congregation
worshipped in the original Court House on John Street and the Utica
Catholic Academy; the first Mass in the new church was celebrated on
Christmas Day of that year; and

WHEREAS, From its humble beginnings, St. John's Church's
congregation has grown to more than a thousand families who call the
parish home; and

WHEREAS, Under the luminous leadership of The Reverend John A.
Buehler, St. John's Church stands on the threshold of tomorrow, prepared
to meet the challenges of the coming decades while retaining that
spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it


RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of St. John's Church of Utica, New
York, to be celebrated on November 4, 2018, fully confident that this
commemoration reflects the belief in those values which enhance the
dignity and purpose of life; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Reverend John A. Buehler, St. John's Church of Utica,
New York.