History of Our Parish

St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church in Lockport was founded by Reverend Henry Wilkening as a mission of St. Dennis Parish.  It was dedicated by Bishop McNamara on September 14, 1958, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.  A proud and loyal group of parishioners helped in the construction and formation of our parish from the early days.  Many of those faithful souls have gone to their eternal rest, but they will never be forgotten - for their strong work ethic, resiliency, passion and love of our church brought it to completion.  

The parish was named in honor of the patron saint of diocesan priests, St. John Marie Vianney.  Known as "The Cure of Ars," he worked tirelessly for the conversion of his parishioners.  He had deep devotion and love for the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Blessed Mother.  He was well known as a confessor, at times spending 18 hours a day hearing confessions.  Through his holy life of intense prayer and sacrifice, he brought many souls to Jesus.

In 1962 under the pastorate of Fr. Norman Petz, the mission became a parish.  With the new pastor, the parish expanded with many new members.  Fr. Petz left in 1966 and Fr. Gordon Mahoney beame pastor from 1966-1970, after which Fr. Petz returned and served until his untimely death in an automobile accident in 1996.  Fr. Peter Thomganphai then served as parish administrator from 1996-1997.  Fr. Andrew Buczyna followed and served as pastor from 1997-2008.  

In 2009, Fr. Stanley Drewniak became our full time pastor and many positive changes took place after his arrival, including a major church renovation and the addition of Polish language Masses on Sundays. In 2015, Fr. Drewniak received a new assignment to three parishes - St. Mary's in Reddick,  Sacred Heart in Kinsman, and St. Lawrence in South Wilmington.  Currently Fr. Drewniak has been assisting our parish as well by celebrating First Friday and First Saturday Masses of devotion in the Polish language along with being available for confessions. 

In 2016 Fr. Gregory Podwysocki was welcomed to our parish and served our parishioners until he was assigned to Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in 2021.   Fr. Steven Bondi arrived in February 2022 and served our parish for one year.  Fr. Bondi officially retired as of February, 2023, and we would like to extend our thanks to  him for his over 40 years of service as a priest, and we wish him a well-deserved and peaceful retirement.  

We have recently received word from the diocese that Fr. Tomy Chellakandathil, CMI, has been assigned as our parish administrator, and his first Mass with us was February 18, 2023.  The parishioners and friends of St. John Vianney Parish would like to extend a warm welcome to Fr. Tomy! 

Our parish represents a diverse community of believers and devoted parishioners, many who have been a part of our parish for many years.  We welcome you to our parish family and invite you to come and worship with us!

NOTE:  Below is a link to a short youtube video on the life of St. John Vianney.

St. John Marie Vianney